ESG Manager / Lead

Location: London or Manchester (full-time office attendance during the three-month probationary period, hybrid thereafter)
Contract: Permanent, full-time.
Base Salary: £100,000 – £120,000 depending on experience, plus standard corporate bonus.
Reporting to: CFO/ COO

About the Company

Our client is a London-listed group combining an investment trust with an established independent professional services business, serving institutional and corporate clients across trustee, governance, and corporate services mandates. The Group is now bringing its Environmental, Social and Governance agenda into line with the standards expected of listed investment trusts and their peers, and is building the framework, data infrastructure, and disclosure capability required to meet its reporting obligations as the UK regime moves from TCFD-aligned disclosure towards UK Sustainability Reporting Standards. This is a newly shaped role created to lead that work.

The Role

Our client is seeking to recruit an ESG Manager / Lead to design, embed, and lead the Group’s ESG agenda. The successful candidate will own the ESG framework end to end, from governance and strategy through to regulatory reporting, data, and KPIs, while acting as the central point of stakeholder engagement and the bridge to Communications and Marketing on external ESG positioning.

This is a build role rather than a maintenance one. The successful candidate will take over chairing the ESG Committee, establish the reporting cycle and the systems beneath it, and bring senior stakeholders who have not previously prioritised ESG onside. A high degree of autonomy is expected from day one.

The role is based in London or Manchester, with full-time office attendance during the three-month probationary period and hybrid working thereafter.

Key Responsibilities

Build and Own the ESG Framework

• Governance: design and implement the ESG governance structure, including board and committee reporting lines, policies, roles and escalation routes; take over chairing of the ESG Committee.

• Strategy: develop the Group’s ESG strategy and roadmap, setting priorities, targets and timelines aligned to the business and to investor expectations.

• Reporting: build the end-to-end ESG reporting cycle (data collection, assurance-readiness, narrative and disclosure) across annual report, TCFD statement and other client/stakeholder reporting.

• Regulatory compliance: ensure the Group meets its obligations under applicable ESG regulation, including TCFD and mandatory Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR)/sustainability reporting, and stays ahead of related regimes (e.g. ISSB-aligned standards, UK SRS, SFDR where relevant to clients).

Reporting Infrastructure, Tools and KPIs

• Select, implement and maintain ESG data and reporting tools/systems to support consistent, auditable data capture.

• Define the Group’s ESG KPI framework and dashboard, covering environmental, social and governance metrics, and track performance against targets.

• Establish data governance standards (data quality, ownership, audit trail) to support external assurance and disclosure.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for ESG matters across the Board, Executive Committee, investors, clients, rating agencies and proxy advisers.

• Build relationships with business unit leads to embed ESG ownership and data collection across the Group, including coordinating with the Group’s external investment manager on investment trust data.

• Represent the Group in relevant industry ESG forums and working groups, benchmarking against investment trust peers.

• Lead change management with senior stakeholders who have not previously prioritised ESG, building buy-in for new mandatory reporting obligations.

GHG Emissions Management (Scope 1, 2 and 3)

• Own the Group’s carbon footprint measurement and reporting across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

• Develop and implement a decarbonisation pathway and associated reduction targets, in line with sector best practice and regulatory expectation.

• Coordinate with suppliers and business units to improve Scope 3 data coverage and accuracy over time.

ESG Initiatives — Environmental, Social and Governance

• Design and lead initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and broader environmental impact, including ongoing work with the Group’s landlords on energy reduction.

• Develop and drive Social initiatives (e.g. DE&I, community, wellbeing, responsible employment practices).

• Develop and drive Governance initiatives (e.g. board diversity and effectiveness, ethics, responsible business conduct), including embedding ESG into third-party/supply chain procurement alongside the COO.

Communications, Marketing and External Promotion

• Liaise with, and where appropriate lead, the Communications and Marketing function to promote and showcase the Group’s ESG initiatives and achievements (including website and LinkedIn).

• Own the narrative and messaging for ESG content across investor communications, marketing collateral, website and PR.

• Support client-facing teams and business development with ESG credentials, case studies and pitch content.

Regulatory Horizon Scanning and Compliance Watch

• Maintain an active watch on the evolving ESG regulatory landscape (UK and international) and assess impact on the Group.

• Translate regulatory change into practical action plans, working with Compliance, Legal and Risk to ensure timely readiness.

• Brief the Board and senior management on emerging requirements and associated risks/opportunities.

Qualifications

• Proven experience building or significantly developing an ESG framework, strategy, and governance structure from the ground up, rather than operating within an existing one, is mandatory

• Strong working knowledge of TCFD, UK Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and mandatory sustainability reporting, and the broader ESG regulatory landscape

• Hands-on experience with GHG emissions accounting across Scope 1, 2, and 3, and carbon reduction planning

• Experience designing ESG KPIs, dashboards, and reporting tools, with strong data and analytical skills

• Excellent stakeholder and change management skills, with the credibility to engage at Board level as well as with investors and external partners, and the ability to bring sceptical stakeholders onside

• Strong communication skills, with experience partnering with Marketing and Communications teams to promote ESG achievements externally

• A track record built in an investment trust, asset manager, listed corporate, or professional services environment; a background in financial services is strongly preferred

• No formal ESG qualification is required, although relevant accreditation such as CFA ESG, GARP SCR, or IEMA is an asset

• Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy from day one

What the Organisation Offers

• A permanent, full-time position with end-to-end ownership of the Group’s ESG framework

• A genuine greenfield mandate, building governance, strategy, reporting, and data infrastructure rather than maintaining an inherited framework

• Direct exposure to the Board, the Executive Committee, investors, and external stakeholders, including the chairing of the ESG Committee

• The opportunity to shape the Group’s ESG position as the UK reporting regime evolves towards UK SRS

• A hybrid working arrangement following the three-month probationary period

• A base salary of £100,000 – £120,000 depending on experience, plus standard corporate bonus and benefits

Apply now or explore more ESG and Sustainability opportunities.

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