ED, Sustainability Solutions Group - Deputy Head and Commercial Lead

Job Responsibilities

Business Development:

• Pitch and originate sustainable finance opportunities to corporate customers across sectors and geographies in Asia Pacific
• Ensure deal alignment with market leading industry practices, internal policies, thresholds
• Proactively collaborate with internal relationship managers, product teams, senior management including investee bank partners to advance SMBC’s position in the sustainable finance market
• Shape and advance the bank’s sustainable finance/ solution product offering together with adjacent product teams and in line with customer appetite
• Collaborate closely with relationship managers across geographies to develop targeted and customer-centric sustainability solutions
• Proactive in arranging client meetings, workshops, travel to pursue opportunities

Strategic and Operational Management:

• Supervise the team’s data management, tracking and submission of the team’s commercial progress and regular management reporting
• Provide technical contribution to process improvements in the bank’s evolving ESG policies, risk management and disclosures
• Supervise the team’s data management, commercial progress and management reporting
• Collaborate smoothly with related departments globally and in 1st, 2nd, 3rd Line of Defense roles

Thought Leadership:

• Drive the marketing strategy for the team for strategic events and forums in the region
• Represent SMBC through speaking at and participating in external marketing events
• Form partnerships with strategic industry players, represent the bank to contribute to industry sustainability workstreams in the region.
• Write publications, enable the team to contribute to publications on thematic sustainability and sustainable finance topics.

People Management:

• Design, guide and train junior members to support development of targeted and thematically advanced pitch materials
• Drive the technical sustainability capabilities of the team through direct experience (e.g. specific sectoral strategies, nature-based finance, social finance, sustainable technologies)
• Manage the career development key members in the team through regular feedback, guidance and coaching to help maintain and advance a high performing team
• Support managing the goal setting and annual performance review process for key members in the team

Job Requirements:

• Experienced sustainable finance leader with over 15years of experience across financial services, origination, sales and sustainability, of which at least 5 years experience in a multinational work environment
• Experience in strategizing and delivering commercial outcomes
• Deep practical knowledge of sustainable finance market standards and taxonomies
• Proven financial product knowledge, sales and relationship management skills
• Confident, articulate and structured communicator both in small and large group settings
• Highly technical and meticulous presentation development capabilities
• High attention to detail and skilled in managing data and proficient in Microsoft Excel
• Comfortable navigating, extracting and challenging 3rd party ESG and financial data tools
• Experience leveraging multiple news and data sources to shape strategies and client solutions
• Versed in prevailing climate pathways, scenarios, industry frameworks and ESG models
• Requires strong technical judgement to support team navigate deal opportunities in a quickly evolving landscape, mitigating greenwashing and reputational risks
• Experienced people and performance manager, embodies team spirit and collaboration, a culture carrier who inspires and motivates colleagues
• Flexible and open to adapting new approaches and strategies
• Willing to understand and quickly adapt to internal bank level policies and systems
• Highly self-aware and capable of managing workload and deliverables with minimal supervision
• Organised and structured in managing competing priorities with sound judgement
• Proactive in soliciting feedback and shaping improvements at a personal and team level

• Ideally, possesses academic and/or research experience in sustainability/ sustainable finance
• Experience managing multiple projects across different jurisdictions with diverse stakeholders simultaneously
• Culturally aware and works well in diverse work environments, experience in Japanese work environment desired