This role steps away from abstract ESG theory to focus on the practical integration of sustainability into a high-growth insurance business. You will own the day-to-day delivery of the sustainability strategy, ensuring that environmental and social factors are not just reported but actively used to guide underwriting decisions, risk management, and board-level reporting. By bridging the gap between governance and operations, you ensure the firm scales responsibly across multiple international jurisdictions.
The significance of this position lies in its power to influence sustainable underwriting. For a specialist insurer like CFC, ESG is not a separate mission but a core component of risk assessment in a changing climate. You will help define the company’s ESG appetite and translate complex regulatory demands into actionable frameworks that protect both the business and its global portfolio from emerging systemic risks.
This suits someone who is analytically minded and thrives in fast-paced commercial environments. You should be comfortable navigating technical governance structures while maintaining the soft skills needed to influence senior stakeholders across underwriting and finance teams.
Job FAQs
What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?
The core of this role involves translating high-level sustainability ambitions into practical frameworks that work for a commercial insurance environment. You will lead the delivery of the ESG strategy, ensuring it is embedded in daily underwriting and risk management activities while maintaining the group's policy governance framework.
A significant portion of your time will be dedicated to ESG reporting and disclosures. This includes managing board-level outputs, committee reporting, and specific regulatory submissions for Syndicate 1988, ensuring all documentation meets evolving international standards and shareholder expectations.
You will also act as a central coordinator for governance initiatives. This means managing the relationship with insurance brokers, overseeing policy renewals, and ensuring that sustainability risks are identified and mitigated within the broader corporate risk management framework.
Key learning opportunities for this job
You can expect deep exposure to the Lloyd’s of London market and the specific sustainability regulations that govern the global insurance sector. This includes mastering frameworks like TCFD or emerging UK sustainability disclosure standards as they apply to financial services and underwriting portfolios.
Beyond ESG technicalities, this role offers significant development in board-level communication and corporate governance. You will learn how to present complex risk data to senior committees, gaining an insider’s view of how a high-growth fintech-driven insurer operates its legal and compliance functions during global scaling.
The position also provides an educational bridge between sustainability and data science. Because CFC leverages technology for underwriting, you will likely learn how to use data-driven insights to measure and report on ESG appetite and performance across diverse business lines.
How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?
The ideal candidate brings a background in ESG, sustainability, or governance specifically within financial services or insurance. Familiarity with the Lloyd’s market is a major advantage, as is experience producing high-stakes reports for board or committee review.
Technical knowledge of sustainability regulations is essential, but you must also possess the pragmatic ability to translate those regulations into commercial actions. We are looking for someone who doesn't just see the 'what' of compliance, but understands the 'how' of risk management and policy oversight.
Soft skills are paramount, particularly stakeholder management and influence. You need to be comfortable working cross-functionally with underwriters and finance professionals who may have different priorities, using a solutions-focused approach to integrate ESG goals into their existing workflows.
Advice to stand out and make a successful application
To stand out, demonstrate your ability to be commercially pragmatic. Avoid purely academic or 'activist' approaches to ESG; instead, show how you have successfully integrated sustainability into a firm's core business processes or risk frameworks in your previous roles.
Specifically highlight any experience you have with policy governance or regulatory reporting. If you can provide examples of how you simplified complex regulatory changes for a non-expert audience, you will demonstrate the clear communication skills CFC values.
Familiarize yourself with CFC’s 'Challenge Everything' philosophy. Your application should reflect a mindset of continuous improvement—show that you aren't just looking to maintain the status quo, but to refine governance and sustainability processes as the company continues its high-growth trajectory.
What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?
The role focuses heavily on the Environmental and Governance pillars of ESG. A major effort will be directed toward 'sustainable underwriting,' which involves defining what types of risks the company is willing to insure based on environmental impact and climate risk resilience.
On the Governance side, you will be the custodian of the policy framework. This ensures that as the company grows, its internal controls and ethical standards remain consistent across different jurisdictions, protecting the firm against greenwashing and regulatory non-compliance.
There is also a strong emphasis on transparency and accountability. Through rigorous reporting and board-level oversight, you will ensure that the company’s sustainability commitments are measured against real data and that progress is clearly communicated to shareholders and regulators.
What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?
One of the steepest challenges will be embedding ESG into underwriting. Underwriters operate in a fast-moving, performance-driven environment, and introducing new sustainability criteria requires tact, persistence, and a clear demonstration of how these factors improve long-term risk management.
Managing regulatory fragmentation is another hurdle. As CFC operates in 90 countries, staying ahead of differing sustainability and governance requirements across the UK, USA, Europe, and Australia requires meticulous attention to detail and a highly organized approach to policy management.
Finally, the pace of the business itself can be demanding. Moving from high-level strategy to the 'day-to-day management' of policy and insurance renewals requires a candidate who can switch contexts quickly without losing sight of broader strategic objectives.
How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?
A typical day might begin with reviewing draft ESG disclosures or board reports to ensure they accurately reflect recent performance data and comply with local regulations. This often involves a morning meeting with the Finance or Risk teams to align on data sources.
Mid-day could be spent in a consultative session with Underwriting. You might help them refine ESG appetite for a specific portfolio, providing guidance on how to interpret new climate-related risk metrics or identifying where policy updates are needed to reflect emerging governance standards.
Afternoons are often dedicated to the policy governance framework. This might involve managing a policy renewal, liaising with insurance brokers, or coordinating with the Head of Risk to ensure that sustainability risks are properly escalated and documented for the next committee meeting.
What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?
This role is a springboard for a career in Sustainable Finance or Corporate Governance. Because you sit at the intersection of Risk, Compliance, and ESG, you are developing a uniquely well-rounded profile that is increasingly in demand for C-suite and Director roles in the insurance sector.
Internal growth is supported by the company’s high-growth nature. As CFC expands its global footprint and its Syndicate operations, the scope of this role is likely to broaden, potentially leading to leadership positions over specific risk or sustainability departments.
You will also benefit from high visibility with the Board. Managing the production of reports for the most senior leaders in the business provides unique networking and mentorship opportunities that are rarely available in more siloed sustainability roles.
The main stakeholders you might be interacting with
Your primary internal partners will be Underwriting and Risk Managers. You will work with them to ensure that ESG risk is treated with the same rigor as financial risk, helping them navigate new frameworks without slowing down commercial momentum.
You will also interact frequently with Finance and Legal teams. These interactions usually center on regulatory reporting, external disclosures, and ensuring that group policies remain legally sound and aligned with shareholder expectations across different markets.
Externally, you will manage relationships with insurance brokers and potentially engage with regulators or industry bodies. These stakeholders are crucial for the company's insurance program renewals and for maintaining CFC's reputation as a market leader in governance and emerging risk.
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