Senior Risk Manager - Sustainability

A permanent position exists within the Risk Governance & Portfolio Management Department for Senior Risk Manager
- Sustainability at the IDC Head Office, reporting to the Head: Risk Governance & Portfolio Management.

JOB PURPOSE

• The role is to ensure that internal and external sustainability risks faced by the IDC are properly identified, managed, monitored and controlled.
• Responsible for leading the risk input in the development of risk-based systems and procedures that will drive sustainability management initiatives within the Corporation.
• To work in close collaboration with the Sustainability Specialist to ensure the IDC’s strategic positioning, action plan and activities effectively address key risks.
• Responsible for the development and review of the IDC risk policies from a sustainability perspective.
• Provide risk appetite guidance and expertise to the business on all sustainability-related matters including ESG, SDGs and drive internal communication.
• Role will include participation and input in: 1) Green finance; 2) Support for integrated reporting in line with Integrated Reporting standards 3) Integrity of sustainability data 4) Support for IDC compliance with various standards and principles - e.g. Principles for Responsible Investing, etc.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and maintain a good working knowledge of relevant legislation in South Africa and countries where IDC operates with regards to risk parameters within the Sustainability sphere;
• Develop Sustainability lending risk parameters that will underpin a coherent approach for the Corporation to meet its ESG and SDG vision;
• Work across lending divisions in the identification of risks and provide advisory capacity and complementarity with other specialists in Business;
• Develop policies, including a Sustainable Development Risk Framework, that will drive environmentally friendly and sustainable investments, which reduce climate change impacts of industries;
• Work in collaboration with other Divisions to ensure that Sustainability initiatives within the Corporation are backed by policies and frameworks that are up to date and in line with current leading practices;
• Provide independent second line audit and oversight on carbon footprint for the Corporation and its subsidiaries;
• Drive effective sustainability risk analysis, feedback and reporting for easy and meaningful consumption by internal stakeholders and for decision making;
• Undertake research and broad reading on evolving risk management techniques and practices with a focus on compliance, public policy, legislation/regulatory issues, sustainability reporting, and strategy development;
• Monitor progress towards sustainability outcomes and flag risks and opportunities for the IDC, undertaking risk forecasting and identification across impact risk types;
• Understand and interpret for ease of implementation regulatory policy changes that could impact the sustainability framework of the IDC and of its clients;
• Be aware of sustainability developments in key strategic industries and develop policy responses to and coordination of such emerging risks and initiatives;
• Provide a sustainability risk perspective into the Corporate Plan and for the long-term planning of the IDC;
• Be a key participant in the development, monitoring and evaluation framework of IDC’s Sustainable strategy;
• Provide specialist risk management input into sustainability strategy forums within the IDC;
• Provide mitigations and solutions into complex business projects to ensure IDC’s reputation is protected into the long term;
• Provide critical input and enhancement in the development and updating of operational business plans;
• Review and provide risk assurance sign-off on sustainability, business continuity and resilience management plans of IDC clients, paying attention to client compliance towards stipulated ISO certification;
• Develop sustainability key performance indicators and the associated documents on measurement and specification;
• Provide risk oversight on key programmes on sustainable development and implementation of key strategies and policies to fulfil strategic objectives of the IDC and its clients;
• Influence the strategic direction within and outside the IDC by informing & advising, amongst others, IDC’s investment decision making process in line with organisational strategy and planning;
• Maintain and manage relationships with all key internal and external stakeholders;
• Stakeholder engagement and relations to be coordinated and aligned and to follow agreed IDC protocols to ensure management of reputational risks;
• Address skills & competency gaps through events, seminars and training interventions;
• Facilitate staff training on sustainability risk management processes, advocating for natural resource usage and creating awareness of sustainability initiatives among IDC employees and its stakeholders from a risk perspective;
• Suppo