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Sustainability & Reputational Risk Manager - Climate and Thematic

M&G • United Kingdom • Added on Aug 7, 2026
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This senior-level position acts as a critical oversight lead within the second line of defense, focusing on climate and nature-related risks. You will provide independent challenge and expert advice to ensure the business integrates environmental risks into its core investment processes, risk management framework, and strategic decision-making. Much of the role involves validating complex climate scenario analyses and ensuring external disclosures remain robust and evidence-based.

Working for a major investment house, you will help mitigate the risk of greenwashing and ensure the firm remains aligned with evolving standards like the UK SRS and TCFD. This is a high-impact opportunity to influence how billions of pounds in assets are managed against the backdrop of the global energy transition and biodiversity loss. Your work directly protects the firm’s reputation while driving transparent environmental accountability in financial services.

This suits someone who possesses a deep technical understanding of climate science and risk frameworks but can translate those complexities into clear, actionable advice for senior executives and governance committees.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The primary mission of this role is to act as a second-line expert who provides independent oversight and challenge regarding how the company identifies, monitors, and manages sustainability risks. You will be responsible for reviewing climate scenario analysis methodologies, ensuring that the assumptions and data used are robust enough to inform long-term business strategy and investment decisions. Furthermore, you will oversee the delivery of regulatory requirements such as SS5/25 and the Group's Climate Transition Plan. This includes reviewing external sustainability reports to prevent greenwashing and ensuring all public-facing climate commitments are grounded in verifiable data and aligned with current best-practice reporting frameworks.

Key learning opportunities for this job

A professional in this role will gain deep exposure to leading-edge climate and nature risk frameworks, including the intricacies of TCFD and emerging UK SRS standards. You will develop a sophisticated understanding of how environmental dependencies and impacts are translated into financial risk metrics within a large-scale asset management context. Additionally, the role offers a unique vantage point to observe how nature-related strategy is evolving in real-time. By staying close to academic research and regulatory shifts, you will enhance your expertise in complex scenario analysis, model uncertainty, and the integration of sustainability outcomes into corporate risk appetite.

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

The ideal candidate is a technical specialist with a strong background in financial services risk management or sustainability. You should have a proven track record in climate scenario analysis and be comfortable navigating the nuances of transition and physical risks. Analytical rigor and a sharp eye for detail are essential for reviewing complex reporting outputs. Soft skills are equally vital; you need the assertiveness and credibility to provide constructive challenge to senior stakeholders. While a background in finance, risk, or actuarial science is highly valued, a deep-seated curiosity about climate science and biodiversity loss is what will truly distinguish a successful applicant.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, move beyond general sustainability knowledge and demonstrate a specific understanding of risk management's 'three lines of defense' model. Highlight your experience in translating technical environmental data into concise risk opinions that can be understood by non-specialist board members or investment committees. Mentioning your familiarity with climate data providers and the specific challenges of data gaps in emerging nature-related disclosures will show you are ready for the practical realities of this role. Tailor your application to reflect how you balance the need for commercial progress with the necessity of rigorous, independent risk oversight.

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

The role is heavily focused on the Environmental (E) and Governance (G) pillars of ESG, specifically addressing climate-related financial risk and biodiversity. You will likely spend significant time on the firm's Nature Strategy, helping the business understand its dependencies on natural capital and how these might pose systemic risks over time. Governance is another major focus, as you ensure the company maintains its integrity through robust greenwashing risk management. You will play a key part in ensuring that the firm's net-zero commitments and transition plans are not just aspirations, but are backed by solid controls and governance structures.

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

One of the primary challenges will be navigating the evolving regulatory landscape and data limitations currently present in the 'nature' space. Unlike climate risk, nature and biodiversity metrics are less standardized, requiring you to exercise significant judgment and analytical creativity to provide effective oversight. You may also face the challenge of influencing senior stakeholders who are balancing immediate commercial goals with long-term environmental risks. Providing an effective second-line challenge requires a delicate balance of diplomacy and firm independence to ensure that sustainability risks are treated with the same weight as traditional financial risks.

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

A typical day might begin with a review of climate scenario outputs, checking that the latest assumptions reflect current market trends and regulatory expectations. This could be followed by a meeting with the investment team to provide advice on how a new product's sustainability claims are verified and supported by internal data. The afternoon might involve drafting a formal risk opinion for a governance committee or reviewing a draft of the annual sustainability report. You would also likely spend time monitoring external developments, such as new industry guidance or academic research, to ensure the firm's risk framework remains at the cutting edge of best practice.

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

This role provides high visibility within a global financial institution, offering a platform to become a recognized internal expert on sustainability risk. Successfully managing a 12-month FTC in this high-impact area can lead to permanent senior leadership roles within Risk, ESG, or Strategy functions. Moreover, the skills gained in climate and nature risk management are currently among the most sought-after in the financial sector. The experience of implementing complex regulatory frameworks like SS5/25 will position you as a prime candidate for global head of risk or sustainability director roles in the future.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will interact frequently with senior management and governance forums, providing the technical insights they need to make informed decisions. This includes close collaboration with the First Line investment teams and business planners who are responsible for the day-to-day management of M&G's portfolios. External interactions are also a possibility, potentially engaging with regulators and industry bodies to discuss reporting standards and risk expectations. Within the firm, you will also work alongside the legal, compliance, and audit teams to ensure a consistent and integrated approach to managing the firm’s reputational and environmental risks.

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