Job Summary

Purpose

This role sits at the centre of the ESG and Reputational Risk agenda, offering direct exposure to global regulatory developments and the opportunity to help shape how the Bank responds across markets. Working on high-profile, forward-looking topics, the role supports the interpretation of emerging requirements, strengthens frameworks and helps translate regulatory change into practical action across the organisation. It offers broad visibility across jurisdictions and functions, with the chance to influence how ESG and reputational risk is embedded in key business processes.

The VP, ESG Regulations & Strategic Initiatives will:

• Lead ESG and Reputational Risk regulatory horizon scanning and regulatory change activity for an assigned region, including consultations, impact assessments and forward-looking analysis.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for regional and country Chief Risk Officers and Sustainability Officers on evolving ESG and reputational risk matters.
• Support the Bank’s ongoing attestations to regulatory authorities by helping ensure compliance with relevant ESG-related requirements.
• Provide insight to ESG and Reputational Risk Framework Owners on control environment weaknesses and opportunities to strengthen execution.
• Support the development of local variations, including Country addenda, to ESG and Reputational Risk frameworks, policies and standards in line with regulatory expectations.
• Support the assessment of regulatory impacts and the translation of requirements into clear policy and framework implications.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives linked to emerging ESG and reputational risks, helping shape the Bank’s approach as the external landscape evolves.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Liaison and Change

• Coordinate horizon scanning for ESG-relevant publications and obligations, assess consultations from regulators and industry associations, and help shape responses to priority developments in partnership with Business and other Bank Functions.
• Support advocacy efforts with regulators and industry associations, working jointly with first- and second-line Group and Country stakeholders where engagement is required.
• Identify binding regulations and relevant industry standards, determine materiality, and escalate extra-territorial requirements where needed.
• Interpret obligations, derive practical requirements and assess their implications for Bank policies and standards, including where expectations come from quasi-regulators or industry bodies.

Strategic Initiatives

• Play a leading role in delivering the Bank’s strategic approach to ESG and Reputational Risk management, particularly in relation to new and emerging risks, innovative projects and the design of future-fit responses.
• Guide Businesses, Supply Chain Management and other Functions to embed ESG and Reputational Risk considerations into first-line processes in a practical and effective way.
• Where required, support the operational risk requirements of risk areas aligned with ESG and Reputational Risk

Framework and Policy Management

• Support the interpretation of obligations, translate them into clear requirements and assess their impact on Bank policies and standards.
• Draft updates to policies, standards and Country addenda arising from regulatory obligations, and coordinate review with relevant stakeholders.
• Review and track deviations and dispensation requests linked to obligation change implementation, including associated risk treatment plans.
• Monitor implementation progress and help ensure first line teams close gaps identified through validation activities in order to meet regulatory requirements.

Risk culture

• Help to build the appropriate culture and values.  Work collaboratively with all relevant partners.
• Uphold the integrity of risk/return decisions, by challenging business to demonstrate that risk origination and control decisions are properly informed and consistent with the ESG and Reputational risk strategy and risk appetite.

• Provide support across ESG and Reputational Risk, ensuring compliance with the highest standards of regulatory and business conduct and compliance practices as defined by internal and external requirements.

• Ensure that material risk exposures and related issues are reported to the responsible risk governance committees.

Regulatory & Business Conduct

• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.

Key stakeholders

• ESG and Reputational Risk
• Country Heads of businesses and functions
• Country Chief Risk Officers
• Chief Sustainability Office
• Members of Group COO in WRB and CIB
• Members of Regional Risk Committees
• CFCC
• Business Heads
• Members of the ERM management team

Other Responsibilities

• Embed Here for good and Group’s brand and values in Risk; Perform other responsibilities assigned under Group, Country, Business or Functional policies and procedures;

Skills and Experience

• Sustainable Finance 
• ESG
• Banking Products
• Regulations for Climate and ESG
• Risk and Control 
• Data handling skills
• Effective writing and communication 

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of risk management in financial services, with experience in ESG risk, climate risk and/or sustainable finance preferred.
• Experience in regulatory policy, advocacy and/or regulatory change management.
• Experience working in a global financial services environment.
• Knowledge of financial and non-financial risks, including emerging risk themes, regulatory developments and market trends.
• Strong judgement, curiosity and problem-solving ability, with the confidence to navigate ambiguity and develop practical, well-reasoned solutions.
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility quickly and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders across teams, functions and markets.
• A self-starter with strong drive, sound judgement and the ability to deliver in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.