Associate Director, Environmental Credit Risk Management

The incumbent proposes and executes policy, guidance, process, and enablers to guide the Bank’s leadership regarding environmental, social, and sustainable financing and credit.

Associate Director, Environmental Credit Risk Management (ECRM)

Category: Risk Management

Location: Barbados/ Bahamas / Cayman /Jamaica / Trinidad

About Us:

CIBC FirstCaribbean is a major Caribbean bank offering a full range of market-leading financial services in Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Credit Cards, Treasury Sales and trading and Investment Banking. We are a large, regionally listed bank in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean. The bank has over 2,600 staff; 54 branches, 22 banking centres and offices in 15 regional markets.

About the Role:

The Associate Director, Environmental Credit Risk Management (ECRM) supports the Chief Credit Officer (CCO) / Risk Management with the design, evaluation and management of environmental risks and opportunities, and enables / supports the Bank’s performance and reputation related to the proactive risk management, measurement, and reporting of environmental and climate change risks in the Bank’s lending portfolio. The incumbent proposes and executes policy, guidance, process, and enablers to guide the Bank’s leadership regarding environmental, social, and sustainable financing and credit. The Associate Director leads and informs initiatives and communication of changes to environmental risks by identifying problems and solutions; assesses the impact, effectiveness, and feasibility of proposed changes; provides research, recommendations and support as a subject matter expert for sustainable financing and credit; and participates in and / or facilitates internal / external meetings taking ownership of activities to ensure risk management and regulatory expectations are achieved.

About Success:

• Designs & implements initiatives, that are fit for purpose, including approaches and processes which engender credibility and usability for internal and external stakeholders to enable the Bank to be seen as credible and a leader in regional ESG-financing (climate, green, blue, sustainability) and avoidance of green-washing perception, while ensuring that change management processes are used to ensure adoption.
• Leads & provides support to the CCO and wider Risk Management team in the design, management and implementation of a regionally suitable environmental credit and financing strategy, policy, guidelines, and targets (customized by country and segment as appropriate), from a risk management, regulatory, corporate responsibility perspective to enable the Bank to be seen as a leader in regional ESG-financing (climate, green, blue, sustainability) and avoidance of green-washing perception.
• Prepares, reviews & recommends timely input to regulatory proposals and third-party requests to create proactive engagement with regulators and enable the Bank to be seen as a trusted, responsive, and knowledgeable leader in ESG financing risk management.
• Develops, outlines & facilitates the strategic implementation policy and processes in environmental risk credit and financing, providing oversight for the related initiatives to achieve successful risk management solutions and effective and regionally / segment / country appropriate solutions.
• Supports development / delivery of communication (internal and external) to promote the Bank’s environmental credit risk initiatives and provides recommendations for suitable credit risk solutions to promote the Bank as a lender in suitable regional ESG financing (climate, green, blue, sustainability).
• Supports the implementation of initiatives on employee and client engagement programmes for global, regional, and national events aligned to credit risk policies to educate staff, stakeholders, customers and promote the Bank as a lender in suitable regional ESG financing (climate, green, blue, sustainability).
• Prepares & supports the CCO / Risk Management presenting and / or representing the Bank in external forums, working groups, banking associations and / or industry led credit risk initiatives to promote the Bank as a leader in suitable regional ESG-financing (climate, green, blue, sustainability).
• Facilitates & analyses projects and / or credit risk, using available information, to make recommendations that support the smooth workflow of the credit risk department around ESG processes, procedures / adherence to ensure high standards and quality of technical work. Identifying opportunities for continuous improvement in terms of quality, value, and efficiency while adhering to budgets.

About You:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in environmental management & sustainability, business, organizational development, or related field, or a bachelor’s degree in any of these areas.
• CFA Institute ESG Certificate and / or FRM ESG Certificate preferred.
• Environmental management experience acquired through formal academic training and / or 5 years of hands-on project related work.
• Practical environmental risk management experience is required.
• Prior experience as a frontline lender.
• Previous senior team management experience.
• Thorough experience and detailed understanding of segment specific risk and environmental risk management approaches for the corporate market, capital markets, sovereigns, financial sectors, and real estate.

Position reports to: Chief Credit Officer / Director, Corporate Credit Risk