Responsabile Sustainability Operations, Metrics & Targets

The core mission is to make Unipol's ESG commitments measurable and reportable. You would be responsible for defining environmental, social and governance impact objectives for the group and translating them into an operational annual Sustainability Plan, ensuring that each action has an owner, a timeline and a metric. A central part of the job is building and maintaining the data flows that allow management systems to feed the sustainability reporting platform correctly. You would develop scores and metrics on impacts, risks and opportunities, producing the reports that go to the Board of Directors and its internal committees. This includes constructing the data base needed for CSRD-compliant sustainability reporting and collaborating on the sustainability balance sheet and impact reports aligned with GRI, CSRD and ESRS frameworks. Another key responsibility is regulatory watch: periodically verifying compliance with national and EU rules and anticipating evolutions in the sustainability legislative framework. You would also coordinate the working group that runs and maintains the ESG datawarehouse, overseeing data collection, validation and analysis, and manage the implementation of the annual Sustainability Plan across departments.

This role offers deep exposure to the practical implementation of CSRD and ESRS in a large financial institution, which is a rare and increasingly valuable skill set. You would likely gain hands-on experience with sustainability data platforms such as CCH Tagetik ESG & Sustainability, learning how to structure, validate and audit ESG data at group level. You would also develop advanced expertise in defining and calculating sustainability KPIs, building scores for impacts, risks and opportunities, and preparing reporting for board-level committees. Working closely with top management, investors and external auditors would sharpen your ability to communicate complex ESG information to non-specialist audiences. On the project management side, coordinating a cross-departmental datawarehouse project and the annual Sustainability Plan would strengthen your leadership and change-management capabilities within a highly regulated industry.

The ideal candidate likely holds a master's degree in economics, finance or management engineering, possibly complemented by a specialised master's in sustainability management or ESG markets. More importantly, they would bring at least seven to eight years of professional experience in managerial roles that included developing sustainability reporting for the financial industry, ideally within the sustainability function of a bank or insurer, or in strategic consulting on ESG projects for financial institutions. Technical fluency is essential: familiarity with GRI, CSRD and ESRS reporting standards, sustainable finance criteria, and proven ability to define and calculate sustainability KPIs while managing large volumes of structured data. Knowledge of sustainability data management software such as CCH Tagetik ESG & Sustainability would be a strong plus, alongside advanced Excel and Office skills and good English. Soft skills matter too: a results-oriented mindset, strong coordination and project management abilities to drive cultural and operational change across departments, and the capacity to communicate with top management, investors and external auditors, translating complex data into clear strategies.

To stand out, you should demonstrate not just familiarity with CSRD and ESRS but concrete experience of having built or significantly improved a sustainability reporting process, ideally in a bank or insurer. Quantify your achievements: how many entities did your datawarehouse cover, which KPIs did you design, what reporting cycles did you manage? Unipol's role is heavily operational and data-centric, so evidence of managing large structured data sets and coordinating cross-functional projects will resonate more than broad statements about passion for sustainability. In your cover letter, connect your experience to the specifics of this role: building scores on impacts, risks and opportunities, preparing board-level reports, and contributing to the sustainability balance sheet. Mentioning familiarity with tools like CCH Tagetik ESG & Sustainability would be a plus. For interviews, prepare to discuss how you would anticipate regulatory changes and how you would drive cultural change across departments that may not see sustainability as their priority. Showing that you understand the insurance context and Unipol's position as a large Italian insurer would signal genuine alignment with the company.

The role sits at the heart of Unipol's ESG reporting and target-setting machinery. Its primary focus would be environmental, social and governance metrics as defined by the CSRD and ESRS frameworks, with a strong emphasis on how sustainability impacts, risks and opportunities are quantified and disclosed. This means building the data foundation that underpins the group's sustainability balance sheet and impact reports. Because Unipol is an insurer, the sustainability angle likely extends to sustainable finance criteria and the integration of ESG factors into underwriting and investment decisions, even if the role itself is data- and reporting-oriented. The annual Sustainability Plan probably includes environmental targets such as emissions reduction, as well as social commitments linked to customers, employees and communities. Governance is another key dimension: the role feeds the Board and endoconsiliar committees with the metrics they need to oversee sustainability performance, so its focus is as much about transparency and accountability as about environmental outcomes.

One of the biggest challenges would be the data itself: insurance groups often have complex, fragmented legacy systems, and building a reliable flow from those systems into a sustainability datawarehouse is as much an organisational challenge as a technical one. Convincing different departments to adopt consistent data practices and timelines could require persistent stakeholder management. Another challenge lies in the regulatory pressure. CSRD and ESRS are demanding and still evolving, so the role must anticipate changes rather than simply react, all while keeping the reporting credible for auditors and investors. Balancing the ambition of the annual Sustainability Plan with the operational capacity of the business is a further tension. Finally, translating complex ESG data into clear strategies for top management requires strong communication skills and the ability to influence senior decision-makers who may not be sustainability specialists.

A typical day would probably alternate between technical data work and high-level coordination. You might start by reviewing the status of the sustainability datawarehouse with your working group, checking whether the ESG data flows from management systems are complete and correctly mapped. Mid-morning could bring a meeting with the IT or finance teams to resolve a gap in a KPI calculation, followed by a review of the latest CSRD/ESRS requirements to confirm the reporting framework is up to date. The afternoon might be dedicated to preparing scorecards on impacts, risks and opportunities for an upcoming board or Sustainability Committee meeting, translating complex data into a clear narrative for top management. Around reporting season, the rhythm intensifies, with more time spent validating figures, liaising with external auditors and coordinating contributions from different departments. Outside those peaks, the role likely involves project meetings on the annual Sustainability Plan and periodic alignment with the broader Area Sostenibilità team.

Within Unipol, this role sits in a senior, high-visibility position with direct exposure to the Board and its committees. Successful performance could lead to broader responsibilities within the Area Sostenibilità, such as heading the entire sustainability function or taking on group-level ESG strategy roles. The organisational evolution of the CSR and regulatory area suggests that the function is expanding, which may create room for advancement. Professionally, the role builds a rare combination of regulatory expertise, data management and board-level communication that is highly transferable. You would deepen your mastery of CSRD and ESRS at a time when these frameworks are becoming mandatory across Europe, making you a sought-after profile in banking, insurance and beyond. There may also be opportunities to represent the group externally in industry working groups or sustainability initiatives, further raising your profile in the Italian and European ESG community.

Internally, the role would interact closely with the Area Sostenibilità team and the working group responsible for the ESG datawarehouse, which you would coordinate. You would also work with IT and management-system owners to ensure data feeds are reliable, and with finance and control functions to align sustainability metrics with official reporting. A significant part of your stakeholder map would be at the top of the organisation: the Board of Directors, the Sustainability Committee and the Risk and Control Committee, to whom you would present scores and reports. You would also engage with other departments as part of the cultural and operational transition required by the Sustainability Plan, acting as a coordinator and internal advisor. Externally, you would likely deal with auditors, who need to verify sustainability data, and potentially with investors and rating agencies interested in the group's ESG performance. Consultancies or software providers supporting the reporting platform could also be part of your regular contacts.