Rabobank New Zealand are currently recruiting for an exciting new position as Chief Sustainability Officer. This role is the first of its kind for Rabobank NZ and is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a larger Global F&A organisation who are focused on the topic of Sustainability and Growing a Better World Together.

The Chief Sustainability Officer will head up the sustainability function in New Zealand, covering both Wholesale and Country Banking. The Chief Sustainability Officer is responsible for developing and driving delivery of the New Zealand sustainability strategy and objectives in alignment with our global ambition of moving from “here to greener” and reaching our goal of net zero by 2050.

This role acts as a centre of expertise and sparring partner for the business and is the primary point-of-contact for the W&R Sustainable Business Development team at Head Office in the Netherlands.

The goal of the Chief Sustainability Officer is to capture the opportunities arising from the transitions in the Food & Agricultural and energy space, and to position Rabobank New Zealand as a frontrunner on these topics. This individual will do so by working with subject matter experts in the business to integrate sustainability in the way we do business, from our internal policies, business strategies, plans and portfolio steering, through our client conversations and the products and services we offer.

The Chief Sustainability Officer New Zealand is a member of the New Zealand Leadership Team.

The Chief Sustainability Officer will be responsible for:

• Supporting Country Banking New Zealand and Wholesale Banking in rolling out new sustainable business development opportunities, including engaging directly with clients if and where relevant and managing collaboration with the Rabo Carbon Bank around carbon sequestration and reduction initiatives
• Managing collaboration with The Food System Transition team
• Managing collaboration with the Innovation department
• Representing New Zealand in global initiatives and ensuring the translation of global initiatives to the New Zealand context (e.g., development and roll-out of Planet and the Rural Client Photo, sustainable finance framework, Climate-related & ESG risk assessment, Food System Transition, etc.)
• Engaging in advocacy, awareness and knowledge sharing with external stakeholders in the region (e.g., universities, research institutes, producer organisations and industry bodies)
• Ensuring that New Zealand is compliant with local and European regulations around sustainability and external (voluntary) commitments like the Net-Zero Banking Alliance
• Organising & driving capability building activities for colleagues in the region on sustainability
• Performing In-depth Sustainability Assessments for high-risk clients (formerly known as “expert opinions”)
• Managing the New Zealand sustainability investment budget setting and monitoring KPIs on sustainability to track progress including against regulatory requirements

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

The Chief Sustainability Officer is responsible for delivering on the New Zealand sustainability strategy across Country Banking and Wholesale Banking. As such, they will:

• Lead the identification and development of sustainability-related commercial opportunities, together with the business (e.g., new clients, products and services) and Rabo Carbon Bank & the Food System Transition Team.
• Actively position Rabobank externally on the topic by maintaining a wide network of relevant relations and by speaking at relevant events. Be an internal and external thought leader on sustainable business development for the New Zealand business.
• Engage directly with clients at the request of the business
• Build and lead a cross-functional sustainability community within New Zealand that will help embed sustainability in our day-to-day way of working
• Work in close cooperation with the Risk domain in embedding sustainability as well as climate related & ESG risks in credit processes
• Work in close cooperation with the COO/CTO domain to progress SBTI measurements and metrics in the primary business units of Country Banking and Wholesale Banking.
• Ensure that New Zealand is adequately represented in internal global steerco's, committees, etc. (either directly or by delegating to a member of the team)
• Ensure the delivery and use of sustainability tooling (e.g., carbon calculator) and training for our clients and colleagues
• Work closely with their equivalent in Australia to ensure Region Australia, New Zealand alignment.

The Chief Sustainability Officer will display the following skills and experience:

• 15+ years' work experience, including in CSR/Sustainability
• An experienced professional who convinces through influence, not hierarchy
• In-depth knowledge of sustainability to be a credible counterpart to clients and colleagues
• Strong business acumen to be a sparring partner to clients and colleagues
• Must be comfortable working as both a member and leader of a team
• Must be able to work well under time constraints
• Interest and/or some knowledge of rural sector and finance/or banking industry experience.

• Strong ability to correlate the impact of proposed changes to the employee and client experience
• Exceptional ability to turn concepts into actionable plans
• Experience leading cross functional initiatives
• This position requires travel (approximately 15-20% percentage of time travelling.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the New Zealand agricultural industry
• Agriculture-related background
• Industry experience in banking, financial services, lending, customer service, or business process
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Agribusiness, Agriculture, Business (Finance or Economics or related field

Rabobank operates in New Zealand under a dual registration from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Rabobank New Zealand Limited (RNZL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group and is governed by a Board of Directors, led by an independent Chairman. Leading products are provided to farmers and growers through the Country Banking business unit with retail deposits provided to the wider New Zealand population also undertaken in RNZL. Wholesale banking products are provided to processors, exporters and large corporate farming clients through the Rabobank New Zealand Branch.

Expertise in sustainability currently sits within the Country Banking, Wholesale, Risk and Operations with this role providing functional oversight and leadership of Sustainability.

If you are interested in this position, please apply! Applications for this role close on Friday 24th March 2023.