Nz Senior Manager Climate-related and Esg Risk

Job Overview & Purpose:
The Senior Advisor, Climate-related and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Risk plays an important role in strengthening Rabobank’s approach to climate-related and ESG risk in Region Australia, New Zealand (RANZ).

This is a critical role within the regional Climate-related & ESG Risk team. The role supports the bank’s broader climate related and ESG risk strategy, and involves establishing and maintaining the necessary research, data and analytics, and risk assessment capability.

Context of Job:
Rabobank - both globally and in RANZ - recognises climate-related and ESG risk as an emerging business and strategic risk, with the potential to adversely affect our value proposition, threaten the viability of our business model, and prevent us from realising our mission and executing our strategy. Climate-related and ESG risk arises from a wide range of risk factors that shape the business environment in which the bank operates. These interconnected risk factors act as drivers or amplifiers of our existing material risks (credit, market, liquidity, and operational risk), with the potential for financial, regulatory and reputational impacts.

The Climate-related & ESG Risk team is responsible for strengthening the bank’s approach to climate-related and ESG risk, by ensuring that these risks are effectively considered in corporate governance, business strategy, risk management and disclosure frameworks, reflective of emerging regulatory requirements, stakeholder expectations and best practice. To this end, the team is responsible for developing and maintaining the bank’s regional strategy and roadmap that defines how we need to evolve our approach to this topic, and for overseeing roadmap implementation.

The team is part of the Business & Strategic Risk Management department within the Risk Management division. It is a dedicated second line-of-responsibility team, independent from the bank’s commercial business lines and support functions. The team is the primary point of contact within the region on climate-related and ESG risk, and acts as the centre-of-excellence within the Risk Management division and the bank more broadly with regard to this topic. This includes providing expertise and advise to other Risk Management departments, as well as to the broader business, senior management and Boards. It is also responsible for managing the relationship with Rabobank Group and Wholesale & Rural on this topic and for representing the bank externally.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

- Supporting the design, development, implementation and continued evolution of the bank’s approach to climate-related and ESG knowledge development and management, including research, data and analytics, and the use of scenarios and projections.
- Partnering with the relevant regional/local and global stakeholders on integration of climate-related and ESG risk assessments into the bank’s risk management processes, including the client credit journey, capital and provisioning models, and stress testing.
- Partnering with RaboResearch and the business to oversee, support and lead as required research, data collection and analysis on climate-related and ESG issues - including advising on any required revisions to the bank’s sustainability tools to support data collection and analysis for risk management purposes.
- Providing expertise and advice on climate-related and ESG issues to other Risk Management departments, as well as to the broader business, senior management and Boards.
- Supporting business and product development by providing second line opinions pertaining to climate-related and ESG issues, and assessing the risks associated with sustainable finance products and services.
- Proactively engaging with Rabobank Group and Wholesale & Rural, influencing the global approach to climate-related and ESG risk assessment, and promoting alignment across regions.
- Establishing and maintaining positive and productive relationships with external stakeholders.
- Demonstrating and promoting the Rabobank values and standards of behaviours, including supporting the establishment of an effective risk culture within the bank.
- In-depth technical knowledge of relevant climate related and ESG issues (climate and/or environmental expertise preferable)
- Broad understanding of the global and local regulatory/legislative environment and emerging best practice around climate related and ESG risk management
- Understanding of financial and non-financial risk management practices (desirable)
- Experience in or heavy exposure to the banking sector.
- Knowledge of the F&A sector (desirable)

**Skills**:

- Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills - able to frame and analyse complex open-end problems
- Excellent oral and written communication skills - able to synthesise and simplify complex technical information
- Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills - able to