Join the UAE’s largest bank and one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions. Our focus is to create value for our employees, customers, shareholders and communities to grow through differentiation, agility and innovation. We are looking for top talent and your success is our success. Accelerate your growth as you help us reach our goals and advance your career. Be ready to make your mark a top company, in an exciting and dynamic industry.

 JOB PURPOSE:

The Vice President and Head of ESG and Climate Risk plays a pivotal role in leading our company's efforts to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations and effectively manage climate-related risks.

You will collaborate with various internal stakeholders, including executive leadership, department heads, and cross-functional teams, to drive sustainable practices, support compliance with ESG and climate risk standards, and enhance our resilience to climate risks. Additionally, you will forge strong relationships with external stakeholders, including investors, rating agencies, regulatory bodies, and industry organizations, to drive collaboration, advocacy, and collective action in addressing ESG and climate-related challenges.

As the leader of our ESG and climate risk initiatives, you will guide the company in aligning our business practices with sustainability objectives and emerging global standards. Your deep understanding of ESG and climate risk frameworks, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices will enable you to establish robust processes for measuring, assessing, and reporting our ESG performance. By integrating ESG and climate risk considerations into our operations, decision-making processes, and stakeholder engagement, you will drive meaningful change and position our organization as a responsible and sustainable industry leader.

You will play a critical role in identifying and evaluating climate-related risks that may impact our business. Through comprehensive risk assessments and the development of risk management strategies, you will ensure our organization is well-prepared to address the evolving challenges posed by climate change. By proactively managing climate risks, you will enhance our business resilience, safeguard our assets, and create opportunities for sustainable growth.

This is a strategic leadership role that requires a deep understanding of ESG frameworks, climate-related risks, and the ability to drive meaningful change across the organization.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Strategic Contribution

• Ensure effective cascading of the functional strategy into department business plans to ensure vertical alignment and horizontal integration with other interfacing departmental strategies.

People Management

• Manage the effective achievement of assigned objectives through the leadership of the risk systems and projects department by setting of individual objectives, managing performance, developing and motivating staff to maximise departmental performance.
• Lead the talent development initiatives for the assigned department, collaborating with technical/discipline experts and thereby ensure the availability of talent to fit business requirements.
• Act as a role model and drive adherence to organisational values and ethics by employees of the assigned department to foster a value driven culture within the Group.

Budgeting and Financial Planning

• Manage recommend the departmental budget and monitor financial performance versus the budget while ensuring all departmental activities are conducted in line with the approved guidelines.

Policies, Systems, Processes & Procedures

• Manage and ensure effective implementation of Risk functional policies, procedures and controls covering all international locations so that all relevant procedural/legislative requirements, fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service.
• Champion the development of a risk culture in order to drive heightened awareness and understanding of prudent risk management practices.
• Advise and provide guidance to the Unit Head and senior management on technical aspects of international risks (including governance and regulations) so that key stakeholders are equipped with the necessary knowledge and capability to take risk-based decisions on behalf of the bank.
• Liaise with relevant Risk Committees (including Sub-Committees) to ensure risk oversight, provide guidance and support as necessary in order to enable the effective implementation of an effective risk management process.

Project Management

• Represent Group Risk in enterprise level project decision making body. Responsible for leading Strategic Risk Management infrastructure projects including vendor selection, architecture definition and project implementation.
• Lead the project teams in planning and execution of programmes, projects, change demand and delivery of change portfolio for the assigned groups in order to ensure achievement of project objectives.
• Support assigned business unit in defining technology programmes, scoping the comprising projects and their prioritization in order to ensure execution in line with the agreed objectives.
• Monitor project progress and take corrective actions to ensure projects remain on track and achieve agreed deadlines.
• Engage and communicate with stakeholders in order to keep them up to date with progress, risks and issues and influence stakeholders in decision making for the benefit of the programme / project.
• Manage program/ project financials and maintain all program/project documentation and records in order to ensure required standards are met.

Vendor Management

• Liaise with Procurement department in order to initiate procurement requests and conduct vendor negotiations in order to obtain a high quality and cost-effective service.
• Ensure effective evaluation of systems proposals and provide recommendations in order to support accurate identification / acquisition of appropriate systems to suit business requirements.
• Attend and participate in the vendor selection to review and approve the quotations, timeframe, costs, functionality, quality assurance, user satisfaction in order to meet the user requirements while ensuring adherence with overall Central Procurement policy standards.
• Lead the provision of technical expertise in developing RFPs and RFQs relevant to all product and services requirements; participate in the preparation of tendering and contractual documentation to ensure cost effective and quality services are obtained for group’s related contracts.

Relationship Management

• Receive change demands from assigned business units and detail and qualify demands with relevant stakeholders to arrive at a feasible disposition: SER, project or major task.
• Determine and propose alternate ways of fulfilling the demand without initiating a system change and influence to remove any bottlenecks in demand qualification or fulfilment to ensure business initiator satisfaction in line with the required standards.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with all relevant external/internal entities such as service providers, vendors and key stake holders etc. with highest standards of business ethics, whilst promptly attending to all critical issues in-order to ensure the services required by the organization are delivered in the most effective manner.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement and sustainability of systems, processes and practices considering global standards, productivity improvement and cost reduction.

Reporting

Ensure that all department reports are prepared timely and accurately and meet Group requirements, policies and quality standards.

Job Context

1. Lead the design and implementation of a ESG and Climate Risk framework, in alignment with the Group ESG Strategy, that addresses regulatory and industry best practices.
2. Lead climate risk engagement and coordination across the enterprise.
3. Collaborate with relevant cross-functional teams to integrate ESG & Climate Risk considerations into business operations, processes, decision-making
4. Incorporate climate risk into the Group Risk framework. Lead the development and implementation of Enterprise Risk Management oversight model for climate risk, in coordination with other functional risk leaders across the company; develop and establish processes to identify risks.
5. Liaise with Group ESG on aligning and implementing Groups Net Zero ambitions into climate risk framework and implementation
6. Develop qualitative and quantitative monitoring climate-risk metrics and reporting of climate risks at an enterprise level. Lead/participate in the implementation and execution of regulatory/internal Climate Risk stress testing.
7. Identify and evaluate emerging ESG and climate-related risks, developing risk management strategies and mitigation plans.
8. Collaborate with various teams in the preparation of ESG and Climate risk related reporting and disclosure documents.
9. Support Group ESG on providing information for ESG reporting (e.g., TCFD, Net Zero etc.)
10. Participate in relevant internal management committees and/or working groups.
11. Establish and manage processes for assessing, measuring, and reporting on ESG performance, ensuring accurate and transparent disclosure of ESG-related information.
12. Stay updated with global ESG standards, regulatory requirements, and industry trends, ensuring the company's compliance and proactive adaptation to changes.
13. Lead the development and implementation of training programs to raise awareness and understanding of ESG and climate risks across the organization.
14. Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, including investors, rating agencies, regulatory bodies, and industry organizations to drive collaboration and alignment on ESG and climate risk related initiatives.
15. Represent the company in regulatory, industry forums, conferences, and working groups to share best practices and contribute to thought leadership on ESG and climate risk topics.
16. Collaborate with the communications and investor relations teams to effectively communicate the company's ESG & climate risk initiatives and progress to external stakeholders.

Minimum Qualification

1. Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, such as sustainability, environmental science, finance, or business administration. Advanced/post graduate degree preferred.  
2. Relevant professional certifications such as CFA, FRM, or climate risk, sustainability-related credentials are preferred.

Experience:

1. 12+ years proven relevant experience in banking, financial services and/or consulting
2. 5+ years of experience within Risk Management with a focus on in ESG, sustainability, or climate risk management, with a proven track record of driving change and delivering results
3. Strong understanding of climate-related risks and their potential impact on businesses, along with experience in developing risk management strategies.
4. Demonstrated experience in integrating ESG considerations into business strategies, operations, and decision-making processes.
5. Proven track record of developing, implementing, and managing change projects
6. Proven experience in dealing with wide variety of internal and external stakeholders including regulatory bodies

Competencies:

1. In-depth knowledge of ESG frameworks, such as GRI, SASB, TCFD, and relevant regulatory requirements.
2. Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex ESG and climate risk concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
3. Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
4. Strong people management and inter-personal skills. Ability to grow, manage and develop teams across multiple jurisdictions
5. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and make strategic recommendations.
6. Proven ability to navigate a fast-paced and dynamic environment, effectively managing multiple priorities and deadlines.