Sustainability Communications Manager

Location Manchester
Discipline: Internal
Job type: Permanent
Contact name: Laura Kurfurst

Contact email: careers@co-operativebank.co.uk
Job ref: 013722
Published: over 1 year ago

External Communications & Sustainability Manager

Manchester / Remote

Band C

 

The Co-operative Bank has been rooted in distinctive co-operative values and ethics, underpinning how we run our business and providing customers with a real ethical alternative for 150 years. 2022 marks our 150th anniversary of ethical banking, we remain committed to our co-operative heritage, and values in all that we do. It is our unwavering commitment to these values and our unique customer-led Ethical Policy, which has made us a natural leader in environmental and social issues today, resulting in the bank being rated as the UK’s best Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rated high street bank by leading ESG ratings agency Sustainalytics.

 

We have pioneered the banking industry on ethical issues for 150 years, but we know there is more to do. There has never been a more pressing time for our bank to focus our efforts on causes that matter to our customers and colleagues. So why not join the UK’s original ethical bank in our values, ethics as we continue our ambitions to lead the industry on environmental and social issues in 2022 and beyond.

 

The role:

 

Drive forward and lead aspects of the Bank’s Values, Ethics and Sustainability strategy, aligning activities to the Bank’s strategic aims, delivering commercial objectives, driving productivity and managing risk to ensure the Bank continues to pioneer ethical banking and maintains its leadership in ESG.

 

Delivery of integrated communications activity to engage key internal and external stakeholders across sustainability, values and ethics, culture, and commercial objectives. Communications will be focussed on our ethical difference, achieving media coverage that reinforces our differentiated ethical brand.

 

Take a lead role in supporting and strengthening the Bank’s corporate relationships with key stakeholders, including our charity partners, key interest groups and political stakeholders with a focus on ESG and Sustainability.

 

Key Accountabilities:

 

Values, Ethics and Sustainability:

*       Drive the Bank’s Values, Ethics and Sustainability strategy, aligning activities to the Bank’s strategic aims, delivering commercial objectives, driving productivity and managing risk.

*       Support the delivery of CSR programmes to drive positive social and environmental change.

*       Lead on the development and delivery of the Bank’s charity and corporate partnership strategy to drive social and environmental change.

*       Support the Bank’s Net Zero strategy working closely with our third party specialist consultancy to delivery an ambitious Net Zero target date.

*       Support on the relationship with key ESG ratings agencies and co-ordinate rescoring projects with multiple leading agencies to ensure consistent ratings across all agencies.

  • Support in the development of the Bank’s annual Sustainability Report and ESG content within the Annual Report and Accounts, including TCFD and UNEPFI reporting.
  • Support the ongoing development and reporting of ESG targets and commitments including in the Sustainability Report and internal bank performance scorecard.

External Communications & Corporate Relationships:

*       Delivery of integrated communications activity to engage key internal and external stakeholders across sustainability, values and ethics, culture, and commercial objectives. Including, but not limited to, public relations, public affairs, colleague communications and media relations.

*       Take a lead role in supporting and strengthening the Bank’s corporate relationships with key stakeholders, including our charity partners, key interest groups and political stakeholders with a focus on ESG and Sustainability.

*       Support the delivery of the ESG and Sustainability elements of the external communications strategy, alongside proactive and reactive messaging that furthers the Bank’s ESG credentials.

*       Development of new and strengthening of existing corporate and charity relationships, ensuring alignment to business plans.

*       Delivery of any sponsorship activity the Bank is involved with, ensuring comprehensive plans are in place.

*       Content creation / write and edit copy, including press releases, news articles, infographics, presentations, reports and video / interview briefs along with engaging video content / editing where appropriate.

 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required:

  • Demonstrates business, commercial and operational understanding
  • Ability to translate issues and information into clear messages for stakeholders, at pace
  • Experience of transition and change
  • Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence (persuasion, empathy, diplomacy), with an awareness of the media’s different audiences and sensitivity to how they are addressed.
  • The ability to identify, build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with internal and external contacts, including media and key public affairs stakeholders
  • Resilient and copes under pressure and in crisis
  • Credible in approach with a robust understanding of risk and reputational risk
  • Experience across some key areas of environmental and social issues:

o    Reporting of scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions / Net Zero target setting and delivery

o    Green products / sustainable finance

o    Wider environmental / sustainability activities / policy

o    Social factors / D&I

o    Human Rights / Modern Slavery

o    Supply chain / Circular economy

o    ESG Regulation inc. TCFD / SFDR

 

  • Experience of working in a regulated environment and finance sector experience ideal, but not essential
  • Good bachelor degree qualification preferred

 

What You Can Expect From Us:

 

*       Flexible and remote working

*       27 days holiday, plus opportunity to buy 5 extra days

  • Competitive pension / income protection / life assurance

*       Positive, friendly work culture that promotes work life balance

*       Commitment from employers on continued learning & development

*       Wellbeing support ‘Help@Hand’ offers mental health support, physiotherapy, GP’s for both you and your family.

  • 2 paid days for volunteering per year
  • ‘MyReward’ corporate discount for over 800 retailers and Cycle to Work Scheme.
  • Family friendly policies and supportive working environment
  • Recognition scheme and a culture in which we celebrate success
  • Colleague network groups committed to inclusion and diversity within our Bank.

 

Our Bank is committed to continuing to create a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment where all colleagues can fulfil their potential. We welcome applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and lifestyles who can work with us in maintaining a culture of belonging, where people are valued and respected.

 

If you require more information or this document in a different format, please contact careers@co-operativebank.co.uk

 

As a reputable employer regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, all offers of employment for this role are subject to a series of background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks.