Head of Sustainable Finance

Reporting to the Director - Corporate Banking, the holder will drive sustainable finance origination and revenues, develop strong client relationships, manage specific risks that arise from green lending transactions and support product and relationship teams in delivery of green lending targets. The successful candidate will be responsible for the growth, development and implementation of client strategies related to sustainable finance, environmental and social risks. These include strategic client engagements and transaction origination relating to green lending. The Head of Sustainable Finance shall collaborate with regulators, development institutions and industry leaders to realize the green lending agenda. The role holder will lead and develop a team of sustainable finance professionals with capabilities to meet partner needs, and drive achievement of set goals and objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and deliver the bank’s green lending / finance strategy, as well as green bonds and sustainable lending/ financial instruments. 
• Drive the achievement of sustainable finance targets & financed emissions reduction targets.
• Design and oversee the commercialization of sustainable finance products in liaison with product teams, business units, cross functional teams, and subsidiaries.
• Deliver best-in-class input on execution of sustainable finance opportunities whilst providing high quality service to internal and external clients.
• Collaborate with relationship management teams to deliver sustainable propositions to the clients, balancing client needs with the risk and returns priorities of the Bank.
• Identify, assess, and recommend sustainable investment opportunities, including green bonds, impact investments, and sustainable financial products.
• Support corporate banking business origination team by providing insight into sustainable finance structures, environmental /social risks and regulations.
• Work closely with Group corporate affairs team to build internal / external stakeholder strategy promoting green lending while ensuring consistent messaging to internal and wider market.
• Design and implement the Bank’s green lending framework, policies, processes, and procedures.
• Performance monitoring and evaluation: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to track green lending progress. Regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of green lending initiatives, identify areas for improvement, and implement corrective actions as needed. 
• Develop and maintain productive strategic working relationships with key stakeholders (GMC, EXCOM, Line Managers, ESG Consultants, partners among others).
• Prepare and deliver reports on green lending performance, progress, and achievements to internal and external stakeholders. Develop communication materials to raise awareness and engage employees, customers, and the public.
• Develop a deep understanding of sustainable finance market practice, particularly transaction structuring, ESG analysis of corporate clients, complex structures to ensure opportunities maximization and risk mitigation. 
• Manage risks within the regulatory and compliance framework of the Bank and ensure compliance with Bank’s policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead, motivate, and continuously develop a credible high performing team. 

The Person

For the above position, the successful applicant should have the following:

Academic:

• A Bachelors’ degree in Sustainable development or related field.
• Master’s degree in Sustainability, environmental studies, development economics, finance, law, international relations will be an added advantage. 

Professional qualifications in any of the below areas will be an added advantage.

• Project Management/Program Management
• Environmental and Social Certification 
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 
• Carbon Accounting

Desired work experience: 

• At least 10 years’ experience Sustainability and environmental management.
• Experience in strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, policy and governance.
• Demonstrable experience and understanding of the sustainable finance solutions, sustainable lending / green funding, Climate Risk Management, and green taxonomy.
• Strong interpersonal skills, people management, stakeholder engagement and partnership management skills
• Outstanding written communication skills to write senior and complex correspondence, reports, presentations, policies, procedures, processes, and strategy papers.
• Excellent IT / computer skills including use of Microsoft Office Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The above position is a demanding role for which the Bank will provide a competitive remuneration package to the successful candidate. If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the criteria given above, please log in to our Recruitment portal and submit your application with a detailed CV.

To be considered your application must be received by Friday 31^st May 2024

Qualified candidates with disability are encouraged to apply.