Head of Legal, Environmental, Social and Governance

  • Job Reference: R-00246442-OTHLOC-GBR-5FEDI034
  • Date Posted: 29 November 2024
  • Employer: NatWest Group
  • Website: https://jobs.natwestgroup.com/
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Salary: On Application
  • Sector: Accounting, Banking & Financial Services
  • Job Type: Full Time

Job Description

Join us as Head of Legal, Environmental, Social and Governance

  • You’ll be accountable for providing legal advice and guidance on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) activities within the bank
  • We’ll look to you to lead and develop efficient approaches across all franchises, functions and jurisdictions to ensure compliance with ESG disclosure and reporting requirements
  • This is a great opportunity to make a real impact as you support our business strategy and shape the way we move forward

What you'll do

In this key role, you’ll manage a team of diverse professionals who provide expert legal advice on all ESG-related matters, including emerging regulations, reporting and disclosure, and industry best practices, across all the group’s franchises, functions and jurisdictions. You’ll also provide deep technical expertise across ESG policy debates at internal and external forums, to shape and inform policies and practices, driving good outcomes for all the bank’s stakeholders.

We’ll look to you to proactively engage with a wide range of ESG stakeholders across the group to develop and agree a model for the management of ESG legal risk that improves existing ways of working and helps to simplify the management of ESG legal risks.

In addition, you’ll:

  • Manage the co-ordination and delivery of strategic legal advice across all current and emerging ESG legal risks
  • Build strong relationships with senior ESG stakeholders across the group to ensure effective management of ESG legal risks
  • Provide ESG legal subject matter expertise in the identification and pragmatic management of ESG legal risk
  • Oversee ESG-related disclosures and ensure compliance with all ESG reporting obligations
  • Identify ways in which technology and data can be used to manage and track ESG legal risk more efficiently, and implement enhancements identified
  • Identify and understand differences in perspectives among different stakeholders and build credibility and trust with each of them
  • Represent the bank in external ESG policy debates

The skills you'll need

To succeed in this role, you’ll need significant experience in law or a related field, with experience in financial regulation, as well ESG or related subjects. In-depth knowledge and understanding of key UK, EU and US ESG regulations, such as TCFD, CSRD, SFDR, NFRD, Modern Slavery Act will be essential.

You’ll also need:

  • Experience as an in-house legal counsel
  • Experience managing teams, providing support and coaching to team members
  • Experience providing pragmatic, commercial, risk-based advice, in a jargon-free manner that wins the confidence of senior stakeholders
  • Experience engaging in and influencing external or internal policy debates
  • Experience of pro-active engagement with other stakeholders to identify and implement improvements to risk management operating models
  • Experience of working with data to develop insights that lead to process enhancements

Given the skills and experience outlined above, this role is likely to be suitable for someone in the region of 10-20 years PQE. However, this is for guidance only, and any candidates with the appropriate skills will be considered.