Head of Sustainability, Europe

Job content

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Role Overview: This role is responsible for defining our European ESG strategy, objectives and philosophy and driving a path to execution on appropriate programmes in collaboration with senior leadership and other stakeholders. The successful candidate will participate in industry events and consult with external stakeholders such as investors/clients, tenants, industry organizations, and government bodies on sustainability issues. Internally, this role will be responsible for training and implementing best practices that will be utilised by professionals across business functions, especially Asset Management, Acquisitions and Fund Management. The role spans both direct and indirect real estate as well as real estate debt investments. The successful candidate will manage the European sustainability team.

Accountabilities
Working closely with the Global Head of ESG and CEO of Europe to further develop Europe’s ESG philosophy, policies, and practices as applicable to the firm’s investments. This includes the firm’s initiatives on climate change, responsible consumption, social value (inc health & wellbeing) and rewilding, that affect our clients and investment performance.

Manage the European sustainability team with three direct reports.

Sit on the Global Sustainability Committee and lead the European Sustainability Task Force

Work with the in house legal and compliance team, ensure compliance with ESG regulation/legislation such as SFDR and EU Taxonomy.

Manage European ESG reporting, including GRESB and TCFD.

Serve as an internal thought leader on ESG trends, practices and technologies.

Work with ESG stakeholders on implementation of key initiatives; ensure consistency with LaSalle’s global strategy and values, while also appropriately adapting to local requirements and/or constraints.

Assess the sustainability and financial attributes of potential and completed environmental and social projects for potential acquisitions and standing investments, including existing buildings, renovations/refurbishments and new developments.

Manage the development of ESG-related educational and marketing materials that align with the senior leadership’s vision and the organisation’s broader mission statement.

Present regular updates on ESG progress to the European Management Board.

Collaborate with senior leadership and various internal departments (Fund Management, Asset Management, Transactions, Debt, Indirect (GPS), HR, Investor Relations, Research & Strategy, Corporate Communications, others as needed) to lead multi-disciplined teams on sustainability initiatives and promote throughout the organization.

Represent the company in industry forums such as the Better Buildings Partnership and at conferences.

Lead internal and external communication efforts on ESG including client presentations and client ESG reporting, lead ESG research initiatives, and develop sustainability resources for the firm’s direct, indirect and debt real estate investments.

Oversight of team Sustainability Managers and external consultants responsible for working with the Asset and Property Management teams to develop programmes for asset-level sustainability initiatives, including certifications and energy/water/waste efficiency projects as well as projects to improve the ESG and financial performance of our investments.

Required Qualifications & Experience:
At least 10 years’ experience in the real estate industry with a minimum of 5 years’ experience leading sustainability programmes in Europe.

BA/BS degree in environmental science, real estate, finance, accounting, business, engineering, or related field with strong record of academic achievement.

Strong financial and analytical ability with solid organizational skills and ability to multi-task.

Highly developed verbal and written communication skills.

Good PowerPoint and Excel skills.

Ability to work independently and as part of a team in cooperation with the business.

Proactive thinking with detail-oriented and creative problem-solving approach.

Experience or knowledge of GRESB, SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD and carbon reporting standards.

Project management and team management experience, including ability to organise and direct high-quality work.

Ideally multi-lingual skills, preferably French or German.

LaSalle is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from all sections of the community