Business Risk Partner - Sustainability

Our purpose is to give everyone real confidence to put their money to work. With a heritage dating back more than 175 years, we have a long history of innovation in savings and investments, combining asset management and insurance expertise to offer a wide range of solutions. 

Our two distinct operating segments, Asset Management and Life, work together to provide access to balanced, long-term investment and savings solutions.

Through telling it like it is, owning it now, and moving it forward together with care and integrity; we are creating an exceptional place to work for exceptional talent.

We will consider flexible working arrangements for any of our roles and also offer work place accommodations to ensure you have what you need to effectively deliver in your role.

The Role

We are seeking a proactive and experienced Sustainability Risk Lead to oversee end-to-end sustainability risk management across our Asset Management business.

This role provides hands-on 1st Line Risk support to the Sustainability & Stewardship team, ensuring effective integration of ESG considerations into operational and strategic activities. Acting as a horizontal risk specialist, you’ll collaborate with functional business areas and risk leads to embed sustainability risk practices, support stewardship initiatives, and enhance firm-wide ESG risk oversight within the 1st Line of Defence.

Key Responsibilities

1. Asset Management Sustainability Risk (Firm-wide)

• Act as the central point of contact within the 1st Line for firm-wide sustainability-related risks across investment, product, and operational areas to ensure the processes and controls are designed to reflect sustainability related horizontal risk
• Support the ownership and embedding of sustainability risk across the end to end value chain in Asset Management
• Coordinate ESG risk input into new product approvals, governance forums, and regulatory change assessments.
• Assist in mapping ESG risks across the value chain (e.g., data providers, investment processes, disclosures)
• Prepare papers/MI for Key Management Meetings and Committees.
• Identify and manage emerging risks with regards to sustainability, proactively for their relevant Business Area, e.g. via trend analysis, Project/Change impact analysis, etc.
• Perform or support with thematic reviews/Deep dives as required.  
• Support the Business with the identification of business self-identified issues and actions. Record and manage issues and actions on MetricStream/Internal Risk systems for AM wide sustainability risks including those within S&S.
• Monitor, track and support the Business with timely closure of issues and actions.
• Prepare papers/MI for Key Management Meetings and Committees.
• Support the First Line with the maintenance and roll out of their risk and control framework, including liaison with Group CSO office. Provide relevant subject matter expertise to the First Line when required on sustainability risk
• Lead and/or provide risk management support, advice and guidance for risk remediation activity, training needs and implementation/embedding of Second Line Risk Frameworks, specifically with regards to sustainability requirements.

2. Sustainability & Stewardship Risk Support (Team-Specific)

• Partner with the Sustainability & Stewardship team to embed robust risk and control processes in day-to-day activities.
• Support risk identification, incident management, and issue resolution related to ESG data, research, engagements, and voting.
• Review and challenge internal stewardship processes (e.g., voting decision documentation, engagement tracking, record-keeping).
• Liaise with Compliance on regulatory developments impacting stewardship (e.g., SFDR, SDR, UK Stewardship Code).
• Develop and maintain risk and control self-assessments (RCSAs) for the Sustainability & Stewardship function.
• Organize and oversee Key Control Assessments (“KCAs”) testing in support of RCSAs through maintenance of Risk & Control Matrices; and liaise with other assurance reviews (e.g. led by Audit).
• Support Identification and management of conflicts of interest and mitigating actions/controls with the Conflict Owner. Maintain the relevant Conflicts of Interest Register in MetricStream and support deep dive activity on key areas of conflict/controls.
• Support and monitor risk and control environment, e.g. MI across risk types, KRIs, RAS and STIP metric monitoring.

Key Experience, Knowledge & Skills:

• Desired candidate must have significant experience in Financial Services/Asset management, ideally within first/second line risk and control roles;

Experience

• 5–8+ years of experience in financial services risk, sustainability/ESG risk, or stewardship operations.
• Strong knowledge of ESG integration, stewardship practices, and relevant regulatory frameworks (SFDR, TCFD, SDR, etc.).
• Exposure to asset management risk & control frameworks highly desirable.
• Excellent level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Reporting experience – working skills with excel/PowerPoint/Power BI for an executive audience.
• Ability to work to strict deadlines - under pressure from varied stakeholders. 
• Forward thinking and driven.
• An open/effective communication style.
• Excellent planning and organizing skills.
• Stakeholder Management

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of risk and control principles (RCSA, control testing, risk event analysis).
• Ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders and challenge constructively.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to translate technical ESG content into practical risk actions.
• Comfortable working across multiple priorities and managing cross-functional relationships.

 Desirable but not essential:

• Relevant qualification or experience in Asset Management and ESG.   
• Operational Risk Systems such as MetricStream
• Asset Management Operational knowledge

Work Level: Manager or Expert

Recruiter: Hannah Curtis

What we offer:

At M&G, we’re committed to helping you thrive and supporting your wellbeing, both at work and beyond. Our benefits are designed to help you balance your professional and personal life, while planning confidently for your future. Our UK benefits include:

• As a savings and Investments firm we are proud to offer a valuable pension scheme of 18%, with 13% made up of Employer Contributions and 5% Employee Contributions. We also offer Share Save and our Share Incentive Plan, together with access to financial wellbeing and support services - to help give you real confidence to put your money to work.

• Enjoy 38 days annual leave including bank holidays, with the opportunity to purchase up to 5 extra days and additional flexibility through our Time Off When You Need It policy – to balance your work and personal commitments.  

• Our market leading Inspiring Families policy includes comprehensive support and paid parental leave covering maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and paternity leave - as supporting families is a core aspect of our inclusive culture.

• Health & Protection cover including Private Healthcare, Critical Illness cover and Life Assurance for you, with family options - for peace of mind.

To explore more about life at M&G and our full benefits offering, visit Life at M&G

We have a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture at M&G, underpinned by our policies and our employee-led networks who provide networking opportunities, advice and support for the diverse communities our colleagues represent. Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability or long term condition, we are looking to attract, promote and retain exceptional people. We also welcome those who take part in military service and those returning from career breaks.

M&G is also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, and we welcome applications from candidates with long-term health conditions, disabilities, or neuro-divergent conditions. 

If you need assistance or an alternative means of applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know by contacting us at: [email protected]