Sustainability & Transformation Lead

Sustainability & Transformation Lead** (Contract)

Duration: 6 Months (Possibility for extension)

Location: London/Hybrid (4 days per week on site)

Rate: A highly competitive Umbrella Day Rate is available for suitable candidates

Role Overview

The successful candidate will report within the Sustainability Hub and will serve as the senior coordination and delivery lead for global sustainability regulatory programmes.

This role demands the ability to translate evolving regulatory requirements into scalable operating models, effective governance frameworks, robust controls, and high-quality disclosures across both enterprise and legal entity reporting.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and execute the firm's global sustainability regulatory strategy, ensuring alignment between enterprise sustainability objectives, regulatory requirements, and legal entity obligations. Provide subject matter expertise and regulatory insight on sustainability and climate-related developments, assessing impacts, and advising senior management on emerging risks, opportunities, and priorities for implementation. Translate regulatory requirements into actionable implementation strategies, governance frameworks, operating model enhancements, disclosure requirements, and delivery roadmaps. Maintain a proactive view of regulatory changes, supervisory expectations, industry developments, and peer practises to inform strategic decision-making and enterprise prioritisation. Coordinate the implementation of sustainability regulatory requirements across global and legal entity reporting obligations, ensuring a seamless transition from regulatory interpretation to implementation, disclosure readiness, and integration into business-as-usual processes. Manage sustainability regulatory initiatives, ensuring accountability, effective prioritisation, timely delivery, and resolution of execution risks. Foster cross-functional alignment among Sustainability, Risk, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Corporate Functions, and regional stakeholders to ensure coordinated execution. Maintain traceability of regulatory requirements, documentation of implementation processes, and disclosure inventories to support transparency and audit readiness. Oversee sustainability and climate-related disclosures across enterprise and legal entity reporting, ensuring compliance and alignment with regulatory expectations. Enhance the firm's disclosure readiness through robust documentation standards, evidencing frameworks, controls, and assurance support mechanisms. Collaborate with Finance, Risk, Legal, Compliance, and Internal Audit to integrate sustainability regulatory requirements within the firm's governance and control environment. Drive continuous improvements in reporting capabilities, controls, and processes to enhance efficiency and regulatory resilience. Design and oversee the sustainability regulatory governance framework, including steering forums, governance engagement, escalation protocols, and reporting to the Board and Committees. Establish and maintain a scalable global operating model that balances enterprise-wide consistency with jurisdictional and legal entity-specific regulatory requirements. Enhance governance, accountability, and control initiatives to ensure effective ownership, monitoring, and execution of regulatory obligations across the organisation. Manage, coach, and develop sustainability regulatory professionals, fostering a high-performing team environment and building organisational capability. Act as a trusted advisor to senior executives and governance forums, influencing strategic decisions and aligning on sustainability regulatory priorities. Represent the Sustainability Hub in interactions with internal governance forums, auditors, regulators, industry groups, investors, and other key stakeholders.

Skills & Experience:

Significant experience in sustainability regulation, sustainable finance, ESG reporting, risk management, finance, or related disciplines. Deep expertise in global sustainability and climate-related regulatory frameworks, including CSRD, EU Taxonomy, ISSB, SEC climate-related requirements, CRR3, CRD VI, and Pillar 3 ESG reporting. Proven track record in leading complex regulatory transformation programmes across multiple jurisdictions and corporate functions. Strong experience in designing governance frameworks, operating models, disclosure processes, and assurance-ready reporting environments.

Candidates will need to show evidence of the above in their CV in order to be considered.

If you feel you have the skills and experience and want to hear more about this role 'apply now' to declare your interest in this opportunity with our client. Your application will be observed by our dedicated team.

We will respond to all successful applicants ASAP however, please be advised that we will always look to contact you further from this time should we need further applicants or if other opportunities arise relevant to your skillset.

Pontoon is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone's chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them thrive.

As part of our standard hiring process to manage risk, please note background screening checks will be conducted on all hires before commencing employment.

We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure a fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention