Overview
Role: Finance Sector Lead
Location: UK Flexible
Role ID: 2023-1867
Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. Our company vision is to create a safe and sustainable world, which is the driver behind everything we do as a business. Ricardo’s shared values – create together, be innovative, aim high and be mindful - actively guide our behaviours and reflect how we work together. Putting our values into action is what binds us together and makes Ricardo not only a great place to work but a company with which our customers want to do business.
We are seeking an experienced individual with a finance sector background with risk management, ESG, sustainability and climate change experience to lead and build a team tasked to support our finance sector clients through ESG, sustainability and climate change reporting, strategy and metrics.
This is a new and exciting role within Ricardo that will extend and focus our current corporate sustainability offerings to service a growing number of finance sector clients. You will benefit from our broad and deep existing expertise across ESG, net zero, scope 3, carbon footprinting and reporting, life cycle assessment, circular economy, sustainable procurement, heat, energy and transport decarbonisation.
We’d love to hear from you if you have the following competencies and experience:
- A passion for sustainability and a financial growth mindset that is solutions focused with strong business judgement and desire to build the profile and brand of the team.
- Proven experience in a finance sector ESG role delivering projects and winning business advising clients on finance sector ESG regulation, climate risk and scenario stress testing, due diligence, carbon markets, green taxonomy, sustainable investment strategy and implementation.
- Have a higher education qualification (Bachelor’s Degree) in finance or economics, or be accountancy trained, or otherwise have a strong track record working in this field, so that you can evidence your knowledge.
- Experience and good technical knowledge of the ESG landscapes for Corporates and financial institutions and in-depth knowledge of key reporting frameworks and standards for example, TCFD, TNFD, IFRS/ISSB, UN PRI, GRI, EU SFRD, EU Taxonomy, UK Green Strategy and SDR.
- Have a sharp focus for understanding and demonstrating current and emerging compliance for finance sector clients with all applicable laws, regulations, expectations set out by the local regulators such as the PRA and FCA, as well as accounting and assurance practices.
- Consultancy sector experience and/or ability to evidence necessary commercial awareness e.g., candidates currently performing finance sector ESG and sustainability roles directly within industry who can demonstrate strong commercial acumen.
- Be able to advise clients on the current and upcoming trends and developments shaping the finance sector ESG, sustainability, net zero and climate change landscape – and the organisations driving this agenda (across NGOs, ratings and rankings agencies etc.).
- Lead and contribute to the development of market-leading propositions and solutions across ESG, sustainability and climate change strategy, implementation, measurement, and disclosure.
Your main responsibilities would be:
- Work with clients and prospective clients to identify market leading finance sector ESG, sustainability and climate change propositions.
- Be the finance sector ESG, risk management, sustainability and climate change lead for client projects, demonstrating experience of working face-to-face with clients and delivering excellence.
- Develop new strategic insights and commercial solutions to position Ricardo as a leading organisation for finance sector ESG, risk management, sustainability, and climate change services. This will include leading a range of activities, including:
- Grow a team of finance sector focused ESG, risk management, sustainability and climate change professionals delivering our services, and coach and develop junior team members.
- Provide thought leadership in the creation of marketing materials to ensure successful and appropriate profile raising and marketing of Ricardo’s services and capabilities.
- Undertake research on market financial participants using ESG data and other information to identify opportunities.
- Develop productive and positive relationships with external partners in the market including legal advisory firms and digital platforms relevant to the finance sector.
You need to have the following skills and behaviours:
- Analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to identify, develop and implement solutions.
- Excellent writing skills to communicate clearly and without errors – accuracy and attention to detail are vital. Particularly when working with clients’ finance teams.
- Strong client and stakeholder communication skills (e.g. influencing, negotiation, presentation, and relationship management skills).
- Project management and project direction skills that demonstrate ability to manage and account for time spent, and to deliver work on time and budget.
- Team working and leadership and ability to coordinate and prioritise activities to ensure delivery of agreed targets.
- Assisting with the development and promotion of our ESG, sustainability and climate change services to finance sector current and potential clients through thought leadership, marketing and networking that elevate our external profile.
- High levels of drive and commitment; a self-starter, problem solver with the ability to turn ideas into reality.
- Assisting with mentoring and developing others to support the growth of the business area.
- High level of computer literacy, including familiarity with the full Microsoft Office software suite and potentially industry analysis tools.
- A flexible approach – able to see where help is needed and support colleagues as necessary.
- Be comfortable juggling a variety of tasks in a sometimes fast-paced operational environment.
Working here
You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.
We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on. Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.
Work life balance
We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.
Benefits
We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health.
Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus eight flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.
Next steps
If our application process does not align with your requirements, please email recruit.ee@ricardo.com and we will make necessary arrangements to meet your needs.
Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive the role and, in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.