Swiss Re’s Head of Group Sustainability Office will set the direction for sustainability across the Group and turn it into shared standards, governance and practical decisions. The role links enterprise strategy with underwriting, risk management and client-facing business priorities, while leading an experienced specialist team.
The office is designed as a centre of competence, connecting sustainability expertise with the risk judgements at the heart of reinsurance. Its work could shape how environmental, social and governance considerations inform underwriting referrals and methodologies, and how Swiss Re explains its approach to employees, clients and external audiences. That puts sustainability close to both commercial choices and the company’s stated aim of contributing to resilience.
This suits a seasoned sustainability or risk leader who can guide a global organisation, work credibly with senior decision-makers and translate complex issues into sound business practice, while balancing underwriting realities with sustainability goals.
Job FAQs
What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?
The role would set Group-wide sustainability priorities and turn them into governance, standards, targets and performance reporting. It also owns sustainability-related underwriting methodologies and ESG referral processes, working with underwriting and risk teams to make complex topics usable in risk decisions.
A further strand is guiding sustainability narratives and coordinating initiatives across business units. The Head would lead a specialist team, advise senior leaders, and represent Swiss Re in relevant external discussions.
Key learning opportunities for this job
The position could deepen expertise in how sustainability considerations are applied to reinsurance underwriting, risk assessment and client propositions. It also offers exposure to group governance, performance management and executive-level reporting in a global financial services organisation.
The leader may gain further experience in climate risk modelling, scenario analysis, nature-related disclosures and industry or regulatory engagement, depending on the projects underway. Leading an established specialist team also provides scope to develop senior people-leadership and organisational change skills.
How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?
The posting calls for more than 10 years of experience in sustainability, ESG, risk management or a related field, ideally in financial services, insurance or reinsurance. The strongest fit would bring enterprise-level strategy and governance experience, plus a sound grasp of sustainability-related underwriting or risk assessment methods.
This is a senior leadership role requiring clear judgement, commercial understanding and the ability to influence executives and cross-functional teams in a global matrix. Experience with ESG referrals, climate scenarios or TNFD, and a relevant degree or certification, could be useful additions.
Advice to stand out and make a successful application
Show how you have taken a sustainability strategy from design through implementation, with concrete examples of governance, targets and performance reporting. Where possible, explain how your work changed risk assessment, underwriting guidance or business decisions, rather than focusing only on policy commitments.
For interviews, prepare to discuss the balance between underwriting pragmatism and sustainability objectives. A strong application would also demonstrate how you have influenced senior stakeholders across a matrix organisation and led specialists through complex, cross-functional work.
What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?
The role is likely to focus on integrating sustainability into Swiss Re’s group strategy and the decisions that shape its insurance and reinsurance business. A central area is sustainability-related underwriting, including methodologies, tools and ESG referrals that help inform risk decisions.
Governance, targets and performance management are also in scope, alongside internal and external communication about sustainability and underwriting. The posting additionally points to data, analytics, climate risk and nature-related topics as relevant areas for the office’s work.
What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?
A key challenge could be aligning sustainability standards and execution across a large global organisation with varied business needs. The leader must make group-wide guidance practical for underwriting teams while respecting the commercial and risk considerations of individual decisions.
The role also combines strategy, implementation, executive reporting and external engagement. Maintaining clear, credible narratives while data, methodologies and expectations evolve may require careful coordination across teams and stakeholders.
How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?
A typical day could combine discussions with underwriting and risk colleagues on methodologies or referrals, reviews of sustainability targets and performance information, and coordination with business units on shared standards. The role may also involve preparing executive briefings or advising leaders on a sustainability initiative.
Other days could include team leadership, cross-functional project reviews, workshops or external meetings with regulators, investors, NGOs and industry groups. The balance would likely shift between strategic decisions and practical guidance for ongoing work.
What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?
The role offers scope to shape enterprise-level sustainability governance and underwriting integration, building experience that spans strategy, risk and commercial decision-making. It could also develop expertise in climate risk, nature-related financial topics, sustainability data and external engagement.
As Head of a group office, the position provides broad exposure to senior leadership and business units. Longer-term development could include wider executive responsibilities or deeper leadership across sustainability, risk or underwriting, depending on organisational needs and results.
The main stakeholders you might be interacting with
The Head would work closely with the Group Chief Underwriting Officer, Group Executive Committee sponsors, underwriting teams, risk management and sustainability specialists. Business units and functional teams would be partners in adopting common standards, delivering initiatives and reporting performance.
External engagement could include regulators, investors, NGOs, industry bodies and conference participants. The role would also represent Swiss Re in industry projects and communicate the company’s sustainability approach to relevant audiences.
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