Director, Corporate Sustainability & ESG

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

The Director, Corporate Sustainability & ESG is here to drive our business unit's transformation towards a truly sustainable future. This means taking our overarching sustainability vision and translating it into concrete, actionable programmes across the organisation, ensuring we meet our ambitious environmental and social commitments. You'll work at the intersection of executive leadership, operational teams, and external stakeholders, making sure everyone's on the same page about what needs to happen and why. When this role is done well, we'll see tangible reductions in our environmental footprint, a stronger reputation with investors and customers, and a more resilient business model. When it's not, we risk falling behind on regulatory requirements, losing investor confidence, and missing out on significant market opportunities. The challenge is navigating complex internal politics and external pressures while delivering measurable change at scale. The reward is knowing you're genuinely shaping the company's long-term success and contributing to a better world.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) or CEO
• Direct reports: Roughly 25-100+ individuals, including managers and their teams
• Matrix relationships: Head of Sustainability, VP of ESG Strategy, Director of Responsible Business, ESG Lead,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• C-Suite (CEO, CFO, COO, CHRO)
• Board of Directors (especially the Audit and Risk Committees)
• Heads of Business Units (e.g., Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Development)
• Legal & Compliance
• Investor Relations

External:

• Institutional Investors and ESG Rating Agencies
• Regulators (e.g., FCA, SEC, EFRAG)
• Industry Bodies and Trade Associations
• Key Strategic Partners and Major Suppliers
• NGOs and Advocacy Groups

Organisational Impact

Scope: This role directly drives our multi-year business unit transformation, shaping our overall business strategy and market position. You're accountable for ensuring our sustainability commitments are integrated into financial planning, operational execution, and risk management. Basically, you're helping future-proof the entire business.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: ESG Rating Improvement
2. Desc: Improvement in key external ESG ratings and benchmarks (e.g., MSCI, Sustainalytics, CDP).
3. Target: Improve MSCI rating from 'A' to 'AA' within 24 months, or achieve top-quartile performance in relevant industry benchmarks.
4. Freq: Annually, following rating agency updates.
5. Example: Achieved a 15% increase in our CDP Climate Change score from 'B' to 'A-' by Q4 2025, reflecting improved data quality and strategy disclosure.
6. Metric: Capital Secured for Decarbonisation Projects
7. Desc: Amount of capital expenditure (CapEx) approved and allocated for significant decarbonisation or circular economy projects.
8. Target: Secure and deploy £10M+ in CapEx for high-impact sustainability projects annually.
9. Freq: Quarterly review with Finance and Operations.
10. Example: Successfully championed and secured £12.5M for a renewable energy transition programme across three major manufacturing sites in Q2 2026.
11. Metric: Scope 1 & 2 GHG Emission Reduction
12. Desc: Absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with our Science-Based Targets (SBTi).
13. Target: Achieve a 7% year-on-year reduction in absolute Scope 1 & 2 emissions.
14. Freq: Annually, reported internally and externally.
15. Example: Reduced Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 8.2% in 2025 compared to the 2024 baseline, primarily through energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy procurement.
16. Metric: Supply Chain ESG Performance Uplift
17. Desc: Improvement in key ESG metrics (e.g., carbon intensity, labour practices) within our Tier 1 supply chain, often measured through supplier assessments.
18. Target: Achieve a 10% improvement in average supplier ESG assessment scores for critical suppliers within 18 months.
19. Freq: Bi-annually via supplier engagement platforms.
20. Example: Through our new supplier engagement programme, 60% of our high-impact suppliers showed a measurable improvement in their environmental performance scores by Q3 2026.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: Board & Executive Engagement
2. Desc: The extent to which you're seen as a trusted advisor by the C-Suite and Board, proactively shaping strategic discussions around ESG risks and opportunities.
3. Evidence: Regular invitations to executive strategy sessions; direct requests for your input on M&A targets or new market entries; positive feedback from Board members on ESG presentations; your recommendations frequently adopted into strategic plans.
4. Metric: Investor Confidence & Dialogue
5. Desc: Our ability to effectively communicate our ESG strategy and performance to investors, leading to improved relationships and reduced scrutiny on sustainability matters.
6. Evidence: Positive feedback from investor relations on your participation in roadshows; fewer challenging ESG questions during earnings calls; increased engagement from long-term ESG-focused funds; successful resolution of shareholder proposals related to sustainability.
7. Metric: Regulatory Foresight & Compliance
8. Desc: Our proactive identification and preparation for emerging ESG regulations, ensuring timely and robust compliance without last-minute scrambling.
9. Evidence: Early identification of upcoming regulations (e.g., CSRD, SEC climate rules); well-defined action plans in place months before compliance deadlines; no regulatory fines or public reprimands related to ESG disclosures; internal audit reports confirming strong controls.
10. Metric: Organisational Integration of ESG
11. Desc: How deeply sustainability is embedded into core business processes, rather than existing as a standalone function. This means it's 'just how we do business'.
12. Evidence: Sustainability KPIs integrated into business unit performance reviews; ESG considerations routinely part of new product development gates; procurement decisions consistently weighing environmental and social factors; employee engagement scores showing high understanding and commitment to sustainability goals.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Strategic Influencer
• Manifestation: You're the person who can walk into a room with the CEO and CFO, present a multi-million-pound investment for a decarbonisation project, and walk out with their agreement. You tailor your message to their priorities—whether it's ROI, risk mitigation, or brand reputation. You build coalitions across departments before issues even hit the executive agenda, ensuring buy-in at every level. It's about persuading without direct authority over the budgets you need to change.
• Benefit: At this level, you have to drive enterprise-wide transformation. That means shifting mindsets and budgets in areas you don't directly control. Your ability to influence senior leaders, articulate complex ESG concepts in business terms, and secure strategic alignment is absolutely critical. Without it, even the best plans stay on paper.
• Trait: Long-Term Resilient Visionary
• Manifestation: You can articulate a compelling 5-10 year vision for our sustainable future, even when facing quarterly earnings pressure or economic headwinds. You absorb significant pushback—from the board questioning costs to operational teams resisting change—and you don't just bounce back; you refine your approach and come back stronger. You see setbacks as opportunities to learn and adapt, not reasons to give up. You're in this for the long haul.
• Benefit: Sustainability transformation isn't a sprint; it's a marathon with plenty of hurdles. You'll encounter cynicism, budget constraints, and competing priorities. If you can't maintain momentum, inspire your team, and keep the long-term vision in sight despite constant challenges, we won't achieve our goals. Your resilience directly impacts our ability to deliver multi-year programmes.
• Trait: Enterprise Systems Architect
• Manifestation: You don't just see a single problem; you see how that problem connects to every other part of the business. You understand that changing a raw material in product A impacts procurement, manufacturing, logistics, waste, and customer perception. You can design the data flows from our ERP to our ESG platform. You anticipate the second and third-order consequences of strategic decisions, ensuring we're not solving one problem only to create three new ones elsewhere. You think about the entire value chain, from supplier to customer and beyond.
• Benefit: ESG issues are inherently interconnected and span the entire organisation. A siloed approach simply won't work. We need someone who can design holistic solutions, understand complex dependencies, and ensure our sustainability strategy is integrated seamlessly into our core business systems and processes. Without this, we risk fragmented efforts and missed opportunities.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Pragmatic Idealist
• Desc: You're driven by a deep commitment to sustainability but understand the realities and constraints of running a large business. You can find practical, implementable solutions that balance environmental impact with financial viability, rather than advocating for unrealistic 'perfect' scenarios.
• Trait: Data-Driven Storyteller
• Desc: You can take complex ESG data, technical reports, and regulatory jargon and translate them into a compelling narrative that resonates with diverse audiences—from the board to frontline employees. You use data not just to inform, but to inspire action and build consensus.
• Trait: Diplomatic & Tenacious
• Desc: You know how to navigate complex organisational politics with grace and tact, building strong relationships even with those who might initially resist change. At the same time, you're relentlessly persistent in pursuing our long-term sustainability goals, never letting critical initiatives fall by the wayside.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Driving Enterprise-Wide Transformation
2. Daily: You'll be leading large-scale programmes that fundamentally change how we operate, from our supply chain to our product design. Seeing your strategic roadmap translate into tangible business unit shifts is what gets you up in the morning.
3. Motivator: Influencing Board & Investor Strategy
4. Daily: You'll regularly present to the Board, engage with major institutional investors, and shape the company's external narrative around ESG. The chance to influence top-level strategic decisions and market perception is a huge draw.
5. Motivator: Building High-Performing Teams & Capabilities
6. Daily: You'll be responsible for recruiting, developing, and mentoring a large team of sustainability professionals, building out our internal expertise and capabilities. Seeing your team grow and deliver impactful work is a key satisfaction.

Potential Demotivators

Honestly, this role isn't for everyone. You'll often find yourself trying to secure buy-in for long-term investments that don't show immediate quarterly returns, which can be frustrating when facing short-term financial pressures. You'll also have to deal with the constant tension between ambitious environmental goals and the practical realities of operational constraints. Sometimes, you'll feel like you're the 'corporate conscience' constantly pushing against the status quo, and not everyone appreciates that. If you need quick wins and immediate gratification from every initiative, you'll struggle here. This is about playing the long game.

Common Frustrations

1. The 'Quarterly Earnings' Wall: Presenting a compelling 5-year business case for a multi-million-pound capital project that reduces emissions, only to be told 'we can't take the margin hit this quarter' by the CFO.
2. Regulation Whiplash: Just as you've finally implemented a robust process for TCFD reporting, a new, more demanding regulation like CSRD/ESRS comes along, requiring a complete overhaul of your systems and processes.
3. Accountability without Direct Control: Being ultimately responsible for driving enterprise-wide transformation and hitting ambitious targets, while much of the actual execution (and budget) sits within operational departments you don't directly manage.
4. The 'Fluff' Perception: Being viewed as the 'corporate conscience' or a cost centre by some operational and financial colleagues, only to be suddenly deemed 'mission-critical' when a big investor asks a tough ESG question in an earnings call.
5. Data Quality Headaches at Scale: Managing the challenge of getting assurance-ready ESG data from dozens of business units, often dealing with legacy systems, inconsistent reporting, and a general lack of understanding from data owners.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 working pattern with no urgent requests.
2. A role where you can simply execute tasks without needing to influence or persuade others.
3. A environment where every single project you champion makes it to full deployment without compromise.
4. The luxury of working in a silo without constant interaction across diverse functions and external bodies.

ADHD Positives

1. The strategic, high-level nature of this role, with its constant need to connect disparate ideas and drive multiple initiatives forward, can be incredibly engaging for an ADHD brain. You'll be thinking big-picture, innovating, and problem-solving across complex systems.
2. The fast-paced, often unpredictable environment, with its mix of board presentations, regulatory changes, and urgent investor queries, can provide the novelty and stimulation that supports focus and energy.
3. The opportunity to lead and inspire large teams, championing a compelling vision, can tap into natural strengths in charisma and driving change.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. Managing a large team (25-100+) and their performance, along with extensive administrative tasks, might be challenging. We can provide executive assistant support and clear delegation frameworks.
2. Sustained focus on highly detailed compliance documentation can be arduous. We'd ensure you have strong managers and specialists in your team who excel at this, allowing you to focus on strategy.
3. The need for meticulous planning and execution of multi-year programmes. We use robust project management platforms (like Asana or Monday.com) and encourage breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable sprints.

Dyslexia Positives

1. Dyslexic individuals often excel at 'big picture' thinking, pattern recognition, and connecting seemingly unrelated concepts—all crucial for understanding complex ESG systems and developing holistic strategies.
2. Strong verbal communication and storytelling abilities, common in dyslexic leaders, are highly valued for influencing stakeholders and presenting to the board.
3. The role demands innovative problem-solving and thinking differently about business challenges, which can be a natural strength.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. Extensive reading and drafting of complex regulatory documents, reports, and board papers could be demanding. We use AI tools for summarisation and offer proofreading support.
2. Ensuring absolute accuracy in detailed financial and ESG disclosures. We have robust review processes and dedicated data quality teams to support this.
3. We offer tools like Grammarly Premium, text-to-speech software, and flexible document formats. Presentations can be delivered verbally with visual aids, not just dense text.

Autism Positives

1. The deep, analytical thinking required to understand complex ESG frameworks, data models, and regulatory nuances can be a strong fit for autistic individuals who excel in systematic analysis.
2. A strong sense of integrity and commitment to ethical principles, often a hallmark, aligns perfectly with the core mission of sustainability.
3. The ability to identify patterns, spot inconsistencies in data, and focus intensely on specific areas of expertise can be invaluable in ensuring data quality and strategic coherence.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. The role involves extensive, often nuanced, social interaction with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including board members and investors. We can provide clear agendas for meetings, pre-briefings, and support for navigating complex social dynamics.
2. Dealing with frequent changes in priorities, unexpected crises, and ambiguous situations, which are common at this level. We aim for clear communication of strategic shifts and provide structured support for managing uncertainty.
3. Sensory considerations: Our main office is a modern, open-plan space which can be busy. We offer quiet zones, noise-cancelling headphones, and flexible working arrangements to manage sensory input. We're happy to discuss specific needs.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: Director, Corporate Sustainability & ESG (L6)
2. Responsibilities: Drive the multi-year sustainability transformation strategy for our core business unit, translating board-level objectives into actionable programmes and measurable targets. This isn't just theory; it's about making it happen across dozens of operational sites.
3. Own the business unit's ESG performance and reporting, ensuring all disclosures (e.g., CSRD, TCFD, SASB) are accurate, assurance-ready, and strategically positioned to enhance our reputation with investors and regulators. Frankly, you're on the hook for this.
4. Build and lead a high-performing team of sustainability managers and specialists (25-100+ people), fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. You'll be responsible for their development, performance, and overall well-being.
5. Influence C-Suite and Board-level decisions by presenting compelling business cases for sustainability investments, demonstrating clear ROI, risk mitigation, and strategic advantage. You'll need to speak their language, whether it's finance, operations, or market share.
6. Represent the company externally as a thought leader on sustainability, engaging directly with institutional investors, ESG rating agencies, key regulators, and industry bodies. You'll be shaping our public narrative and defending our progress.
7. Architect the integration of ESG considerations into core business processes like M&A due diligence, product development lifecycles, and supply chain management. This means embedding sustainability into the very fabric of how we operate, not just bolting it on.
8. Manage the business unit's sustainability budget (typically £2M-£10M+), making strategic allocation decisions across various programmes and initiatives to maximise impact and efficiency. You're accountable for every pound spent.
9. Supervision: You'll operate with a high degree of autonomy, reporting directly to the CSO or CEO. Your focus will be on strategic alignment and objective setting, with monthly or quarterly check-ins to discuss progress, major risks, and strategic shifts. Day-to-day execution is delegated to your leadership team.
10. Decision: You have full strategic authority within your domain, including budget allocation up to £10M+, hiring and firing for your direct reports (managers), and approving major programme designs. Decisions impacting overall company P&L, M&A strategy, or board-level policy require alignment with the C-Suite and, where appropriate, board approval. You'll be presenting recommendations to the board regularly.
11. Success: Success looks like measurable improvements in our ESG ratings, significant progress against our Science-Based Targets, successful integration of ESG into core business functions, and a highly engaged, effective sustainability team. You'll know you're succeeding when our sustainability strategy is seen as a competitive advantage by investors and customers alike.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Strategic Programme Approval
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: Proposes and designs programmes for approval by Director/VP.
• Type: Budget Allocation (within Sustainability)
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: Manages budget up to £500K for specific workstreams.
• Type: ESG Reporting Content
• Entry: N/A
• Mid: N/A
• Senior: Drafts and reviews specific sections, ensures data accuracy.

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

As a Director, your foundation skills need to be rock solid, but also applied at a strategic, enterprise-wide level. This isn't just about doing the work, it's about leading others to do it, influencing decisions, and navigating complex organisational landscapes.

• Category: Strategic Communication & Influence
• Skills: Executive-level Presentation: Articulating complex ESG concepts to the Board and C-Suite, tailoring messages to their priorities (e.g., financial risk, brand reputation).
• Investor Relations: Engaging confidently with institutional investors and ESG rating agencies, representing the company's sustainability strategy and performance.
• Negotiation & Consensus Building: Securing buy-in for multi-million-pound investments and strategic shifts from diverse internal stakeholders without direct authority.
• Crisis Communication: Effectively managing public and internal communications during sustainability-related incidents or scrutiny.
• Category: Organisational Leadership & Development
• Skills: Team Leadership & Mentorship: Building, developing, and inspiring a large, multi-functional team (25-100+ people), including managers, to deliver ambitious sustainability goals.
• Change Leadership: Designing and leading large-scale organisational change programmes to embed sustainable practices across the business, often using frameworks like Kotter's 8-Steps.
• Talent Management: Identifying, recruiting, and retaining top sustainability talent, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and high performance.
• Delegation & Empowerment: Effectively delegating strategic initiatives and empowering your leadership team to drive execution.
• Category: Enterprise Problem-Solving & Innovation
• Skills: Strategic Foresight: Anticipating emerging ESG risks and opportunities (e.g., climate policy shifts, new technologies) and proactively positioning the company.
• Complex Problem Solving: Deconstructing multi-faceted, ambiguous enterprise-level sustainability challenges and developing innovative, practical solutions.
• Systems Thinking: Understanding the interconnectedness of ESG issues across the entire value chain and designing holistic, integrated strategies.
• Risk Management: Integrating climate and broader ESG risks into the company's enterprise risk management (ERM) framework.
• Category: Business Acumen & Financial Literacy
• Skills: P&L Management: Owning and managing a significant departmental budget (£2M-£10M+), making strategic allocation decisions.
• Business Case Development: Constructing robust financial business cases for sustainability investments, demonstrating ROI, cost savings, and risk reduction.
• M&A Due Diligence: Assessing ESG risks and opportunities during mergers and acquisitions, influencing deal strategy and integration plans.
• Market Analysis: Understanding competitive landscapes, consumer trends, and investor expectations related to sustainability.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

You'll need a deep, strategic mastery of core sustainability methodologies and the ability to direct their application across a large organisation. This isn't about doing the detailed work yourself, but knowing how to define, oversee, and challenge it.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: ESG Reporting Frameworks (GRI, SASB/IFRS S1/S2, ESRS)
• Desc: Strategic oversight and ultimate accountability for the company's adherence to global and regional ESG reporting standards. You'll define the reporting strategy, ensure data quality and assurance readiness, and sign off on public disclosures.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Double Materiality Assessment
• Desc: Leading the enterprise-wide double materiality assessment process, including defining scope, engaging executive stakeholders, and using the results to prioritise strategic initiatives and reporting topics. You'll defend the methodology to auditors and the board.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) & Carbon Accounting
• Desc: Defining the corporate carbon accounting methodology (Scopes 1, 2, & 3), setting the strategy for LCA application across product portfolios, and ensuring the integrity of all environmental footprinting data for external disclosure. You'll be the ultimate approver of our corporate footprint.
• Level: Architect
• Skill: Climate Scenario Analysis (TCFD) & Risk Integration
• Desc: Leading the company's TCFD scenario analysis programme, integrating climate-related financial risks and opportunities into the enterprise risk management framework, and ensuring robust disclosure in line with regulatory expectations. You'll present these findings to the board.
• Level: Architect
• Skill: Science-Based Target Setting (SBTi) & Decarbonisation Strategy
• Desc: Defining and overseeing the company's long-term decarbonisation roadmap, ensuring alignment with SBTi requirements, and securing the necessary capital and operational changes to achieve these targets. You'll be accountable for delivering on our Net Zero commitments.
• Level: Architect
• Skill: Large-Scale Change Management Programmes
• Desc: Designing, sponsoring, and overseeing enterprise-wide change management programmes to embed sustainability across all operational functions, ensuring successful adoption of new processes and behaviours. This means working with HR and Operations leadership to make it stick.
• Level: Expert

Digital Tools

• Tool: ESG & GRC Platforms (e.g., Workiva Wdesk, OneTrust ESG, Sphera)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: You'll lead the selection, procurement, and strategic design of our enterprise-wide ESG data architecture, ensuring the platform supports our reporting, risk management, and performance tracking needs. You approve major configuration changes and ensure data integrity for board-level reporting.
• Tool: LCA & Carbon Accounting Software (e.g., SimaPro, GaBi, Watershed, Persefoni)
• Level: Architect
• Usage: You'll set the corporate carbon accounting methodology, decide on the strategic application of LCA across our product portfolio, and sign off on the final corporate footprint for external disclosure and investor engagement. You'll ensure the tools support our SBTi commitments.
• Tool: Data Analytics & Visualisation (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: You'll define the key ESG metrics and executive-level dashboards that the business will track, commissioning their creation and using the insights to influence C-suite strategy, board discussions, and investor communications. You'll interpret the 'story' the data tells.
• Tool: Enterprise Data Sources (e.g., SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite, Workday HCM)
• Level: Architect
• Usage: You'll influence the configuration of our core ERP/HCM systems to ensure critical ESG data points are captured at the source. You'll architect the data flow from these enterprise systems to our ESG platform, ensuring data integrity and auditability.
• Tool: Project & Programme Management Suites (e.g., Asana, Monday.com, Jira)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: You'll manage the entire portfolio of sustainability initiatives, allocating resources across major programmes and reporting on overall progress to the steering committee and board. You'll ensure strategic alignment and efficient execution across your large team.

Industry Knowledge

• Area: Global Sustainability Trends & Geopolitics
• Desc: A deep understanding of global environmental and social trends, geopolitical shifts impacting supply chains, and their potential implications for our business and sustainability strategy. This includes climate science, biodiversity loss, human rights, and social equity.
• Area: Sustainable Finance & Investment Landscape
• Desc: Expert knowledge of sustainable finance markets, green bonds, ESG integration by investors, and the expectations of key ESG rating agencies. You'll understand how our sustainability performance impacts our cost of capital and investor attractiveness.
• Area: Circular Economy Principles & Business Models
• Desc: Strategic understanding of circular economy principles (e.g., design for longevity, resource recovery, waste as a resource) and how to integrate them into product design, supply chain, and business model innovation.
• Area: Corporate Governance & Board Dynamics
• Desc: A thorough understanding of corporate governance structures, board responsibilities, and how to effectively engage with and influence board members on sustainability matters. You'll know how to navigate board politics and secure their support.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) & ESRS
• Usage: You'll be ultimately accountable for our company's compliance with CSRD and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), overseeing the double materiality assessment, data collection, and assurance processes. You'll ensure our disclosures meet all legal requirements.
• Reg: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
• Usage: You'll lead the integration of TCFD recommendations into our financial reporting and risk management, overseeing climate scenario analysis and ensuring robust disclosure of climate-related risks and opportunities to investors and regulators.
• Reg: SEC Climate Disclosure Rule (US)
• Usage: If applicable to our operations, you'll ensure our US-based disclosures align with SEC requirements for climate-related financial risk, working closely with Legal and Finance teams to prepare for compliance.
• Reg: Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) (EU)
• Usage: You'll understand the implications of SFDR for our financial products or investment activities, ensuring our sustainability claims and disclosures meet the regulation's requirements, particularly for funds with ESG integration.

Essential Prerequisites

• Proven track record (16-20 years) of leading and delivering complex, enterprise-wide sustainability transformation programmes in a large, multi-national organisation.
• Extensive experience managing and developing large teams (25+ direct and indirect reports), including other managers, with a focus on performance and talent development.
• Demonstrable experience in engaging with and influencing C-Suite executives and Board members on strategic sustainability issues, with a history of securing significant investment for ESG initiatives.
• Deep expertise in at least two major ESG domains (e.g., climate strategy, circular economy, human rights in supply chain) and a broad understanding of all others.
• Significant experience managing departmental budgets (£2M+), with a strong understanding of financial planning, P&L management, and business case development.
• A comprehensive understanding of global and regional ESG regulatory landscapes, including direct experience with major reporting frameworks like CSRD/ESRS and TCFD.

Career Pathway Context

We're looking for someone who has already operated at a senior leadership level, probably as a Principal or Manager (L5) in a large organisation, or as a Director in a smaller, but complex, business. You should have a clear vision for how sustainability drives business value and the leadership skills to make that vision a reality.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: Geopolitical & Climate Resilience Strategy
• Why: Increasing geopolitical instability, extreme weather events, and resource scarcity are directly impacting global supply chains, operational resilience, and market access. As a Director, you'll need to integrate these macro-trends into our long-term business strategy to ensure our continued viability.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Climate Adaptation & Mitigation Finance', 'description': 'Understanding how to access and deploy capital for both reducing emissions and building resilience to physical climate risks.'}, {'concept_name': 'Resource Security & Supply Chain Diversification', 'description': 'Strategies to de-risk our supply chain from climate shocks and geopolitical tensions, ensuring access to critical materials.'}, {'concept_name': 'Just Transition Principles', 'description': 'Ensuring our climate and sustainability strategies consider the social and economic impacts on workers and communities, particularly in energy transition.'}, {'concept_name': 'Nature-Positive & Biodiversity Impact Assessment', 'description': 'Moving beyond just carbon to assess and enhance our positive impact on natural ecosystems and biodiversity across our operations.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Engage with industry reports from WEF, IPCC, and UN on global risks and climate resilience.
• Next 6 months: Commission a deep dive into our top 10 critical raw materials, assessing their climate and geopolitical risk exposure.
• Next 12 months: Develop a 'Nature-Positive' strategy outline, identifying key dependencies and impacts on biodiversity.
• Ongoing: Build relationships with experts in climate science, geopolitics, and international development to stay informed.
• QuickWin: Start by mapping our most climate-vulnerable operational sites and supply chain nodes. A simple risk matrix is a good first step, even if it's high-level initially.
• Skill: AI Ethics & Governance in ESG
• Why: As we increasingly use AI for ESG data aggregation, analysis, and reporting, ethical considerations around data bias, transparency, and accountability become critical. You'll need to establish governance frameworks to ensure our AI use aligns with our values and avoids 'greenwashing' by algorithm.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'AI Bias Detection & Mitigation', 'description': 'Understanding how AI models can perpetuate or amplify biases in ESG data, particularly for social metrics, and strategies to address this.'}, {'concept_name': 'Explainable AI (XAI) for ESG', 'description': 'Ensuring that AI-driven insights and predictions in ESG are transparent and interpretable, especially for audit and disclosure purposes.'}, {'concept_name': 'Data Privacy & Security in AI-powered ESG', 'description': 'Protecting sensitive environmental and social data when using AI tools, especially with third-party vendors.'}, {'concept_name': 'AI for Greenwashing Detection', 'description': 'Using AI to proactively identify and prevent instances of greenwashing in our own communications and supply chain.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Review our current and planned AI tools for ESG, identifying potential ethical blind spots.
• Next 6 months: Develop a draft 'AI for ESG' ethical use policy, working with Legal and IT.
• Next 12 months: Pilot an AI bias detection tool on a specific ESG dataset.
• Ongoing: Engage with industry forums on AI ethics and responsible AI development.
• QuickWin: Ensure all AI-generated ESG content is clearly labelled and undergoes human review. Start with a simple 'AI output, human verified' protocol.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Advanced ESG Data Architecture & Integration
• Why: The volume and complexity of ESG data are exploding, driven by new regulations and investor demands. You'll need to strategically design and oversee robust data architectures that seamlessly integrate data from disparate enterprise systems into our ESG platforms, ensuring scalability, accuracy, and auditability.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Data Lake & Data Mesh Architectures', 'description': 'Understanding how to build flexible, scalable data infrastructures for diverse ESG data sources.'}, {'concept_name': 'API-First Integration Strategies', 'description': 'Ensuring our ESG platforms can seamlessly connect with other enterprise systems (ERP, HCM, IoT) via APIs for real-time data flow.'}, {'concept_name': 'Data Governance for ESG', 'description': 'Establishing clear policies, roles, and responsibilities for ESG data ownership, quality, and security across the organisation.'}, {'concept_name': 'Blockchain for Supply Chain Traceability', 'description': 'Exploring how distributed ledger technology can enhance transparency and verifiability of ESG data in complex supply chains.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Meet with our Head of IT/Data to understand our current enterprise data architecture and its limitations for ESG.
• Next 6 months: Commission an external review of our current ESG data architecture, identifying gaps and future needs.
• Next 12 months: Develop a multi-year roadmap for ESG data architecture enhancements, including technology investments.
• Ongoing: Stay abreast of new data management technologies and best practices in the ESG space.
• QuickWin: Ensure all new data initiatives within your team have a clear data governance plan from day one, including ownership, quality checks, and audit trails.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: A Bachelor's degree in Sustainability, Environmental Science, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
• Alts: We're pragmatic; extensive, demonstrable experience (20+ years) in a senior leadership role driving sustainability transformation, coupled with relevant professional certifications, could be considered in lieu of a specific degree.
• Level: Preferred
• Req: A Master's degree (e.g., MBA, MSc in Environmental Management, MSc in Sustainability Leadership) from a reputable institution.
• Alts: An Executive MBA or equivalent senior leadership development programmes are highly valued.

Experience Requirements

You'll need at least 16-20 years of progressive experience in corporate sustainability, ESG, or a related field, with a significant portion (at least 5-7 years) spent in a senior leadership role managing large teams (25+ people, including managers) and driving enterprise-wide transformation. We're talking about a proven track record of influencing C-Suite and Board-level decisions, managing multi-million-pound budgets, and delivering measurable ESG outcomes in a complex, multi-national organisation. Experience in a relevant industry (e.g., manufacturing, consumer goods, finance) is also a big plus.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: SASB FSA (Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting) Credential
• Prod: IFRS Foundation
• Usage: Demonstrates a deep understanding of financially material sustainability information and its integration into financial reporting, crucial for investor engagement and TCFD.
• Cert: GRI Certified Sustainability Professional
• Prod: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
• Usage: Shows expertise in applying the world's most widely used sustainability reporting standards, essential for our public disclosures and CSRD compliance.
• Cert: Certified Change Management Practitioner (e.g., Prosci ADKAR)
• Prod: Various (e.g., Prosci)
• Usage: Underpins your ability to lead large-scale organisational change programmes and ensure the successful adoption of new sustainable practices across the business.
• Cert: Carbon Accounting & SBTi Training
• Prod: Various (e.g., GHG Protocol, SBTi partners)
• Usage: Crucial for overseeing our decarbonisation strategy, setting science-based targets, and ensuring the accuracy of our carbon footprinting.

Recommended Activities

• Regularly attending executive-level sustainability conferences and forums (e.g., World Economic Forum, GreenBiz, Responsible Business Summit) to stay abreast of global trends and network with peers.
• Participating in leadership development programmes focused on strategic influence, change management, and board engagement.
• Engaging with relevant industry associations and working groups to shape policy and share best practices.
• Mentoring emerging talent within the sustainability field, both internally and externally.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: From Principal / Manager, Sustainability Transformation (L5)
• Time: 3-5 years at L5
• Path: From Director of Sustainability (in a smaller/mid-sized company)
• Time: 2-4 years in a Director role
• Path: From Head of ESG Consulting Practice
• Time: 3-5 years leading a consulting practice

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) / VP of Corporate Affairs (L7)
• Time: 3-5 years as Director
• Pathway: Head of ESG for a Larger / More Complex Organisation
• Time: 3-5 years as Director

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
• Time: 5-8 years from current role
• Title: Board Member (Non-Executive Director) with ESG Specialism
• Time: 8-12 years from current role
• Title: ESG Advisor / Consultant to Private Equity or Investment Funds
• Time: 7-10 years from current role

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.