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Head of RISK ESG

BNP Paribas Spain Added on Sep 15, 2026
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This leadership position commands the expansion of the ESG Risk Hub in Madrid, acting as a pivotal second line of defense for one of Europe’s largest banking groups. You will oversee a growing team of experts, ensuring that environmental and social risk drivers are rigorously integrated into the global risk management framework. The role balances high-level people management with the production of strategic insights for top-tier executives, effectively bridging the gap between technical risk modeling and corporate strategy.

Sustainability is no longer a peripheral concern but a core pillar of financial stability, and this role sits at the heart of that transformation. By translating emerging environmental signals and nature-related risks into actionable banking book intelligence, you directly influence how capital is steered toward a more sustainable economy. It is a rare chance to shape the governance structures that will define the financial sector’s resilience in the face of climate change.

This suits someone who is a seasoned risk professional with a deep interest in people development and the analytical rigour to navigate complex regulatory landscapes. You should thrive in international, multi-stakeholder environments where clarity and strategic foresight are essential.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The primary mission is to lead and scale the RISK ESG Madrid Hub, ensuring high-quality delivery of risk analysis across credit, market, and operational risk types. You will act as a senior leader within the international ESG risk community, overseeing the onboarding and coaching of a specialized team of experts while managing resource planning across multiple geographies. On the strategic side, you are responsible for driving transversal workstreams that inform the Group’s risk appetite. This includes producing sharp, analytical notes on emerging sustainability themes for the Group Chief Risk Officer and the Board, ensuring the bank remains ahead of both regulatory shifts and environmental performance signals.

Key learning opportunities for this job

In this role, you will gain unparalleled exposure to the integration of nature and biodiversity risks into traditional financial risk frameworks, a frontier field in modern banking. You will work closely with experts in Paris and London, deepening your knowledge of ESG-A questionnaires, portfolio analysis, and supervisory on-site inspection (OSI) protocols. Furthermore, the role offers significant leadership development, specifically in managing a multi-manager and multi-location setup. You will learn how to align local hub delivery with global strategic priorities, refining your ability to translate complex environmental data into boardroom-ready intelligence.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate brings over 15 years of experience in Risk Management, Audit, or Inspection Générale within a large-scale financial institution. While a deep understanding of ESG is a significant advantage, the ability to apply rigorous risk methodologies to these emerging topics is the core requirement. Soft skills are just as critical as technical ones; you must be an experienced people manager who enjoys coaching talent and building a team culture from the ground up. Fluency in English and French is required to navigate the group's international reporting lines, while Spanish proficiency supports local hub operations.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, demonstrate your ability to synthesize complex information for executive committees. Providing examples of where you have led transversal projects that required buy-in from multiple departments will be more effective than simply listing technical risk skills. Research the specific ECB supervisory expectations regarding ESG risk management. Showing that you understand the transition from high-level policy to granular risk embedding—such as nature-related risk or operational ESG frameworks—will signal that you are ready to hit the ground running in this specific regulatory context.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role focuses heavily on Environmental and Social (E&S) risk integration as a second line of defense. This means moving beyond reporting to ensure that ESG factors are quantified and managed within credit and counterparty risk assessments. You will likely spend significant time on nature risk embedding and analyzing portfolio resilience against climate-related physical and transition risks. The goal is to ensure that the bank's lending and investment activities remain compatible with its long-term sustainable development strategy and risk appetite.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the main challenges is the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Staying ahead of supervisory priorities requires constant learning and the ability to pivot the team's focus dynamically without losing momentum on core deliverables. Additionally, managing a team in a multi-location matrix structure can be complex. Ensuring consistent quality and culture between Madrid, London, and Paris while maintaining local autonomy requires exceptional communication and organizational discipline.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with a coordination meeting with the ESG Management Committee to align on group-wide priorities. You would then likely transition to 1-on-1 coaching sessions with team members in Madrid, reviewing progress on specific ESG-A portfolio deep dives or operational risk frameworks. Afternoons are often dedicated to high-level synthesis, such as drafting a strategic note on an emerging nature-related risk for the CRO. You might also interact with counterparts in Paris to prepare for a supervisory audit or to refine the team's data analysis methodology.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

Given the high visibility of this role, there are clear paths to senior executive leadership within the broader RISK function or into Group-level sustainability strategy roles. Leading a strategic hub in a domestic market like Spain provides a strong platform for international mobility. As ESG becomes increasingly central to banking regulation, you will be positioned as a top-tier subject matter expert. This expertise is highly transferable and offers opportunities to lead larger, global risk divisions or to transition into specialized C-suite advisory roles.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will report directly to the Head of RISK ESG and interact frequently with the Group Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and other RISK ESG Team heads in London and Paris. These relationships are vital for steering the bank's strategic agenda. External interactions will include regulatory supervisors and auditors during on-site inspections. Internally, you will collaborate with business line managers in Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) and other divisions to ensure the risk framework is applied effectively on the ground.

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