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Senior Management

Senior Manager – Social and Environmental Sustainability

Job ID: 009574

Location: Leeds, UK, LS1 8EQ

Job type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Salary: £Competitive + Bonus & Benefits

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We have an exciting new opportunity for a Senior Leader to join our Social and Environmental Sustainability leadership team. As the leader of the Social and Environmental Sustainability team, you’ll have the opportunity to make a real difference in a purpose driven organisation. You’ll develop and lead a best in class Social and Environmental Sustainability Strategy. You will also provide expert advice and support to the Board, Executive Committee and the business on sustainability issues to ensure the successful embedding of sustainability across the Society.

This is a hybrid role, where you can blend working from home, with office presence dependent on business and other requirements at our Leeds & Bradford offices.

Please note, this role is a Fixed Term Contract for 12 months.

About the role

  • Develop an overall impact driven Social and Environmental Sustainability strategy, which provides clarity on ambition, governance and accountability.

  • Lead the development and implementation of a best-in-class social sustainability strategy as well as a Climate and Nature strategy which aligns to our purpose and corporate strategy. This will include ensuring YBS has a code of ethics and responsibility, modern slavery and human rights policy and a programme of work that builds a strong reputation internally and amongst our communities.

  • Develop and lead our Charity of the Year partnership, colleague volunteering approach and community investment strategy.

  • Conduct ongoing external market horizon scanning to ensure YBS is sighted as best practice, emerging UK and global social and environmental trends, regulation, government policy and thought leadership.

  • Build and manage high quality stakeholder relationships internally and externally including with investors, government (local and national), partners and other stakeholders.

  • Produce clear, simple and articulate, strategy papers to Executive Committee, Board and relevant Committees as required.

  • Identify appropriate benchmarks and indices for YBS to participate in (e.g. CDP, Principles for Responsible Business) and provide submissions which position YBS well in the external market.

  • Ensure the Society is compliant with all relevant Environmental and Social Sustainability regulatory requirements.

  • Lead a high performing team of expert social and environmental experts.

About you

  • Experience of leading a high performing social and environmental team in an equivalent or larger organisation.

  • In-depth understanding of how to successfully embed sustainability within an organisation aligned to purpose and business objectives.

  • In-depth understanding of the UK regulatory landscape with regards to Environmental Sustainability, Climate and Nature Change.

  • Detailed knowledge of corporate environmental and social sustainability trends in the UK.

  • Understanding of the impact Climate and Nature Change poses to the balance sheet of a UK based mortgage-lender.

  • Experience in developing and managing sustainability metrics, such as metrics around carbon emissions, water usage and waste production.

  • Ability to translate high level strategy and goals into operational plans.

  • Ability to oversee management of budgets and resources.

  • Knowledge of relevant sustainability legislation, compliance, corporate governance and quality assurance.

Our Head Office teams are known as Enabling Functions. They're open, innovative, collaborative and always focused on doing what’s right.

And they’re here to support our colleagues by providing a range of high quality, head office services, including risk, HR, finance and marketing. Whatever team you join, you’ll discover that it’s a welcoming, supportive and inclusive place to be, with all the flexibility you need to make work a rewarding part of your life.

About Our Benefits

Everyone’s different. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits and rewards that we think you’ll love – whatever’s important to you, and whatever stage of life you’re at. Such as…

  • Our pension scheme (where you can get up to 11% from us)

  • Competitive bonus package

  • Access to brilliant health benefits

  • Life assurance at 6 times your salary

  • 25 days’ holiday (and the option to buy more)

  • Cycle to work or an interest-free loan for an annual ticket

  • Wellbeing resources and tools

  • Retail and Leisure discounts

Find out more about what we offer

Learning & Development

Everyone can build a career path they love here. And that’s because we offer a wide range of programmes, opportunities and more to help you learn, grow, and develop – and reach your full potential.

Colleague working on laptop at home

These include...

  • Personal Growth Toolkits - a range of materials that help you discover your strengths, identify your goals, and your next steps.
  • Secondment and Stretch opportunities – helping you gain experience in different areas of our business and new ways of working.
  • Learning Champion Network – opportunities to work outside of your immediate area and build new skills.
  • Apprenticeships and Professional Qualifications – a range of brilliant apprenticeships and programmes available to everyone.
  • REACH Diverse Leadership Programme – helping our Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse leaders progress into senior leadership roles.
Learn about developing your career here

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

You’ll find people from all walks of life here, with different cultures, beliefs, ages, outlooks and more. And we’re proud of our differences. So we’re dedicated to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome, supported, and empowered to be their whole self at work.

Our five Colleague Networks play an important role in helping that happen – and have a real impact on our everyday working life here. Each is closely linked to our Inclusion and Diversity committee, and sponsored by a member of our Senior Leadership Team.

Proud Network icon
Women's Network icon
Accessibility Network icon
Parent and Carers' Network icon
Ethnicity Network icon

And we also have other colleague groups, such as ManKind and Family Foundations, where colleagues can connect, and start conversations that can be taken into the Networks.

Community and Charity

Ever since we started back in 1864, we’ve had a clear purpose – to do some good in our communities through helping people keep their savings safe. And helping everyone have a place to call home. Today, that purpose is still a huge part of who we are. And every one of our colleagues helps that happen.

We’re committed to volunteering our time, resources, skills and knowledge – more than 50% of colleagues contribute to thousands of volunteer hours every year. And our Charitable Foundation has now donated over £9 million to charities and good causes across the country.

Hear from some of our people about what working at Yorkshire Building Society is like, and what it means for them…

The people and the culture within Yorkshire Building Society is great to work with.

Lauren

Senior Project Manager, Leeds

Our ways of working and flexibility

Colleague smiling at phone in the office

We know there’s no single right way of working that fits everyone. That’s why we’re not trying to find one. Instead, we’re doing everything we can to make sure that when we’re working flexibly, together and apart, we’re working at our best. We help our colleagues get the most out of work, and take care of themselves, wherever they’re working.

We offer a range of flexible working options without unsocial hours, which can help you find a healthy work-life balance. Whether it’s finishing early for an appointment or fitting your studies and hobbies in around your working hours, we can help make it work for you. We’re happy to talk flexible working and you can reach out to us anytime during the recruitment process to discuss this.

Find out more about our Ways of Working

Meet the Recruiter(s)

Jessica Wilkinson

Executive Resourcing Specialist

Connect with Jessica Wilkinson

Since being at YBS I have been fortunate enough to have gained experience recruiting in most of our head office functions including People, Rick, Finance, Commercial and Audit.

I am currently working in our Exec Resourcing team working on senior level recruitment in Risk, Commercial and Internal Audit and would love to hear from you if you are interested in senior opportunities in these areas!

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Senior Manager – Social and Environmental Sustainability

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