Manager - Sustainability Risk

The core mission is to provide an independent opinion on whether the information clients submit through HSBC's Transition Engagement Questionnaires is of sufficient quality to support the bank's Net Zero objectives. You will perform quality assurance reviews across Tier 1, 2 and 3 submissions, applying the sampling criteria defined in the TEQ QA Methodology and ensuring each review is completed within agreed service levels. Day to day, this means reading client responses, checking them against evidence and internal standards, documenting findings and feeding back to relationship managers. You will act as a process expert, sharing best practice and helping RMs improve the quality of what they submit. You will also escalate issues that could affect turnaround times or business outcomes to the TEQ QA Manager. Longer term, you will support the TEQ QA Manager in preventing high-risk or repeat findings during group audits and internal control reviews. Adhering to operational risk controls, compliance standards and HSBC's code of conduct is part of the role, as is contributing to a culture of continuous improvement within the team.

You will deepen your understanding of climate risk concepts, particularly physical risk, including acute and chronic hazards, and transition risk, and how these affect different sectors and client operating models. The role offers practical exposure to TCFD principles and to how a major bank translates climate commitments into client-level assessment. You will also build assurance and quality testing skills. Working within a defined QA methodology, you will learn how to sample, test, document and report findings in a way that stands up to audit scrutiny. This is transferable knowledge that applies across risk, compliance and audit functions. HSBC may support formal qualifications such as the GARP Sustainability and Climate Risk certificate, which the job description mentions as advantageous. Beyond formal training, you will gain exposure to banking systems, project management practices and the internal workings of a global financial institution's risk framework.

The ideal candidate will have a solid understanding of climate risk, covering both physical and transition risk, and a working knowledge of how these play out across higher-risk sectors. Awareness of national and international climate commitments and frameworks such as TCFD is expected, and a qualification like the GARP SCR would strengthen an application. Experience in quality testing, assurance, compliance or audit is important, because the role is fundamentally about checking whether information meets a standard. You will need to apply judgement and critical thought to identify risks and issues in TEQ submissions, rather than simply ticking boxes. Familiarity with banking processes, systems and project management will help you navigate the internal environment. On the soft skills side, the role requires autonomy, attention to detail and the confidence to escalate concerns appropriately. Strong written and verbal communication matters, since you will be giving feedback to relationship managers and documenting findings that may be reviewed during audits.

Tailor your application to show that you understand what a Transition Engagement Questionnaire is and why quality assurance matters to a bank's Net Zero commitments. If you have experience in audit, assurance or compliance, make that explicit, because the role is as much about testing and evidence as it is about climate knowledge. Demonstrate familiarity with climate risk concepts, particularly the distinction between physical and transition risk, and mention any relevant frameworks such as TCFD. If you hold or are pursuing the GARP SCR qualification, highlight it, as the job description flags it as advantageous. Concrete examples of applying judgement to incomplete or ambiguous information will resonate. In your cover letter, avoid generic statements about sustainability. Instead, explain how you would approach reviewing a client submission that looks plausible but lacks supporting evidence, and how you would handle feedback to a relationship manager. Showing that you can balance independence with collaboration is likely to set you apart.

The role centres on climate transition risk and how HSBC's clients are progressing toward Net Zero. By quality-assuring the Transition Engagement Questionnaires, you help ensure that the bank's understanding of client maturity is grounded in accurate information, which in turn feeds into lending, portfolio management and disclosure decisions. You will likely touch on both physical risk, including acute and chronic climate hazards, and transition risk, such as policy shifts, technology changes and market expectations. The work supports HSBC's broader climate commitments and its reporting obligations under frameworks like TCFD, even though the role itself is operational rather than policy-setting. Because the TEQ outputs are used across multiple internal use cases, your reviews contribute indirectly to how the bank manages its own climate-related financial risks and how it engages clients on their transition plans.

One challenge is the inherent tension between speed and depth. TEQ reviews must meet defined service level agreements, yet assessing whether a client's transition narrative is credible requires careful reading and judgement. Balancing those demands could be difficult during peak submission periods. Another challenge is the variability in client submissions. Some clients will provide detailed, evidence-backed responses, while others may give vague or optimistic answers that require persistent follow-up. Applying consistent standards across such different inputs, without becoming either too lenient or too rigid, takes discipline. Finally, because the role sits in the first line of defence and must remain independent, you may occasionally have to deliver unwelcome feedback to relationship managers or escalate issues that slow down a client process. Handling those conversations diplomatically while maintaining quality standards is a real part of the job.

A typical day will revolve around reviewing submitted Transition Engagement Questionnaires, applying the sampling criteria for the relevant tier and recording findings in the standardised QA tools. You might spend the morning working through a batch of Tier 2 submissions, flagging gaps or inconsistencies and drafting feedback for the relationship managers who own those client relationships. Afternoons could involve follow-up conversations with RMs to clarify evidence, checking whether escalated issues affect service level agreements, or updating the TEQ QA Manager on progress. Because the role spans different tiers and sectors, the mix of reviews changes regularly. The pace is shaped by submission volumes and review deadlines, so there is a steady rhythm of independent analysis punctuated by short coordination calls. You will likely work with minimal supervision once trained, which means your day is largely self-directed.

The role provides a strong foundation in climate risk assurance within a global bank, which can open paths into broader risk management, sustainability strategy or compliance functions. HSBC is large enough that lateral moves into related teams, such as climate risk policy, portfolio management or regulatory reporting, are plausible for someone who performs well. Success in the TEQ QA team could also lead to more senior assurance or team leadership positions, particularly as the bank's transition risk work matures and the volume of client assessments grows. The job description notes that transition requirements will evolve, which suggests the team and its remit are likely to expand. Because the role involves interaction with audit and internal control reviews, there is visibility to senior stakeholders. Delivering consistently high-quality work with no repeat findings would position you well for advancement within HSBC's risk or sustainability functions.

The closest working relationship will be with the TEQ QA Manager, who provides guidance and to whom you escalate issues. You will also work alongside other QA team members, sharing findings and maintaining consistency in how the methodology is applied across reviews. Relationship managers are a key group of internal stakeholders. They own the client relationships and rely on your feedback to understand where submissions fall short. Your interactions with them will be advisory and corrective, helping them see what a good TEQ looks like without damaging the client relationship. Beyond that, you may interact with compliance, audit and risk functions, particularly when findings need to be tracked or when group audits and internal control reviews take place. External regulators are a background presence, since the work must align with regulatory expectations, but direct contact is unlikely.