Principal, Sustainable Finance & Climate Risk

CAGBC; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Hybrid working arrangements

Group Benefits membership

Job summary

CAGBC seeks a Principal, Sustainable Finance & Climate Risk to advance enterprise-wide strategies at the intersection of finance, building performance, and policy. The role drives applied research, market intelligence, and strategic engagement with financial institutions, investors, insurers, and government stakeholders.

The position emphasizes translating climate-risk considerations into practical programs, standards, and tools to support low-carbon, resilient buildings and real estate

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of sustainable finance, real estate finance, ESG investing, climate risk, and their relevance to real estate and infrastructure.
• Ability to assess how financing mechanisms, incentives, guarantees, credit enhancement, insurance, physical and transition risk, and resilience measures influence project feasibility and asset value.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to engage senior stakeholders.
• Ability to translate market insights into strategic recommendations and policy guidance.
• Experience developing applied research, market analysis, briefing materials, and presentations for diverse external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Monitor evolving developments in sustainable finance, real estate finance, valuation, risk, resilience, and disclosure frameworks.
• Translate insights into practical decision frameworks for financial institutions, investors, insurers, and policy makers.
• Shape market-facing outputs such as framing papers, crosswalks, and practical tools.
• Collaborate across teams to align finance, climate risk, and strategy goals.

Skills

Sustainable finance

Climate risk

Real estate finance

Stakeholder engagement

Policy framing

Research

Communication

Project management

Education

Post-secondary degree in a relevant field

Job description

ABOUT CAGBC

For over 20 years, CAGBC has led the movement for high-performing, green buildings. We believe that by transforming the built environment, we can create a more sustainable future and communities where people can thrive in resilient, healthy buildings and homes.

JOB PURPOSE

Under the direction of the Director, Strategy and Advocacy, the Principal, Sustainable Finance & Climate Risk, serves as an enterprise-wide strategic resource to advance CAGBC’s sustainable finance and climate risk priorities. The role supports CAGBC’s efforts to strengthen its relevance, insight, and market impact at the intersection of finance, building performance, climate risk, and sustainable real estate investment. With a primary focus on the evolving role of sustainable finance and climate risk in the real estate sector, the Principal will help shape how financial institutions, investors, insurers, governments, and building owners assess, support, and enable high-performance, low-carbon, and resilient buildings. The individual will contribute to applied research, market intelligence, technical framing, and strategic engagement with financial institutions, investors, policymakers, and industry partners. The role requires translating financial-sector interests, financing tools, risk-sharing mechanisms, and climate-risk considerations into practical programs, standards, guidance, and tools, as well as policy recommendations that support the finance sector in advancing sustainable real estate. The role will also advance pathways that reinforce the value of third-party standards, certification systems, and verified performance in sustainable finance.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Market Insight and Organizational Support

• Monitor and assess evolving developments in sustainable finance, real estate finance, valuation, physical and transition risk, resilience, adaptation, disclosure frameworks, taxonomies, regulatory environments, insurance, and related financial-sector considerations relevant to building performance.
• Identify emerging challenges and opportunities and provide recommendations on how CAGBC can strengthen its role at the intersection of building performance, finance, valuation, insurance, and public policy.
• Translate building performance, climate-risk, and resilience considerations into practical decision frameworks for financial institutions, investors, insurers, governments, and building-sector stakeholders, including implications for investment, valuation, insurance, capital planning, and asset performance.
• Work across the organization to align sustainable finance and climate-risk considerations while supporting internal understanding of market drivers and implications for CAGBC programs, standards, tools, and strategy.

Program, Risk, and Market Relevance

• Identify how CAGBC programs, standards, and tools can better support sustainable finance, valuation, disclosure, building performance, climate risk, resilience, and financial-sector needs.
• Demonstrate how third-party certification and verification can align with sustainable finance criteria and metrics, disclosure requirements, climate-risk expectations, and emerging market demands.
• Advance opportunities to position certification and verified performance as a credible, consistent, and comparable foundation for sustainable finance, disclosure, and risk management among owners, investors, lenders, insurers, and asset managers.
• Gather insights and shape organizational understanding of resilience and adaptation across building performance, standards development, climate risk, and financial decision-making, and identify practical measures that strengthen asset resilience and support real estate investment.

Research, Partnerships, and External Engagement

• Shape sustainable finance and climate risk priorities and support the development of research scopes, proposals, partnership initiatives, and market analysis related to financing mechanisms, incentives, risk-sharing tools, and investment structures.
• Engage and maintain stakeholder relationships across finance, real estate, government, valuation, insurance, and related sectors to understand market needs and identify areas for collaboration.
• Support CAGBC’s role in external initiatives related to taxonomy development, valuation, disclosure, transition planning, physical and transition risk, resilience, insurance, and verified performance.
• Develop market-facing outputs, including framing papers, crosswalks, presentations, and practical tools that communicate insights and reinforce CAGBC’s role as a trusted convenor.

Other Responsibilities

• Perform related responsibilities and duties as assigned by your supervisor.

Direct Reports

• None

NOTE:

This job description highlights the general nature and level of the assignments required by this position. This is not a completely exhaustive list of responsibilities; additional duties will be assigned.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong understanding of sustainable finance, real estate finance, ESG investing, climate risk, and their relevance to real estate and infrastructure.
• Ability to assess how financing mechanisms, incentives, guarantees, credit enhancement, insurance, physical and transition risk, and resilience measures influence project feasibility, investment decisions, real estate transactions, asset value, and policy outcomes, then translate those implications into clear, actionable insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to engage senior stakeholders.
• Ability to connect market insights, research findings, and organizational priorities into strategic recommendations.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to convene and influence diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to operate effectively in evolving areas where market frameworks are still developing.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams while maintaining accountability.
• Comfort working in virtual, hybrid, and in-person settings.
• Ability to travel within Canada.

Experience/Qualifications

• Approximately 5–8 years of relevant experience in sustainable finance, real estate finance, sustainability strategy, project finance, climate risk, applied research, policy, market development, or related fields.
• Understanding of sustainable finance frameworks, taxonomies, disclosure, transition finance, and project-level financing tools is an asset.
• Familiarity with physical and transition risk, resilience, insurance, and real estate risk frameworks is an asset.
• Familiarity with international sustainability, climate risk, disclosure, reporting, and benchmarking frameworks used in real estate, investment, and asset-performance decision-making is an asset.
• Experience working at the intersection of finance, sustainability, and the built environment is strongly preferred.
• Experience developing applied research, market analysis, briefing materials, presentations, and strategic recommendations, and engaging external stakeholders across finance, government, real estate, and industry.
• Post-secondary degree in a relevant field, including commerce, business, economics, sustainability, real estate, public policy, planning, engineering, or a related discipline.
• French language proficiency is an asset.

Personal Attributes

• Collaborative and effective in multidisciplinary environments.
• Curious, analytical, and comfortable working in evolving contexts.
• Strong sense of accountability and sound judgment.
• Diplomatic and thoughtful in stakeholder interactions.
• Committed to learning and continuous improvement.
• Passion for sustainability and CAGBC’s mission.

Why Work at CAGBC?

• Competitive salary.
• Group Benefits membership.
• Flexible working hours (7:00 am - 5:30 pm).
• Generous paid time off.
• Hybrid working arrangements, with up to two work from home days per week.
• Be part of an industry that makes a meaningful, positive impact on our environment.