Job Purpose
The Sustainability Solutions Group (SSG) team within SMBC APAC has grown and evolved over the last few years, and we are now looking for an experienced and trusted sustainable finance leader to join the team as a Deputy Head and Commercial Lead. The team covers Japanese and non-Japanese corporates, and financial institutions across all products and sectors in APAC, based in our regional headquarters, Singapore.
This is an exciting and high-profile role with responsibilities including growing and developing our sustainable finance and solutions offering to corporates in the region, proactively managing senior stakeholders across regions, leading and influencing market enabling working groups, managing the performance and career development of key members of the team.
We are looking for an adaptable and dynamic leader who is passionate about advancing the sustainability agenda across APAC, has deep relationships with corporates and industry peers in the region, strong sales and relationship management experience and enjoys nurturing talent
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
