ESG Reporting Accountant (fixed term)

mgpru; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Wellbeing support

Job summary

M&G, a leading UK asset management and life insurer, seeks an ESG Reporting Accountant for a 6-month assignment within Group Sustainability.

You will own end-to-end sustainability disclosures, coordinate with external auditors, and help deliver the Group Sustainability Report under TCFD, SDR and SFDR.

Flexible working arrangements are available to support successful delivery across governance forums and reporting cycles.

Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant with experience in sustainability reporting.
• Familiar with TCFD, SDR and SFDR reporting requirements.
• Experience producing disclosures for financial services.
• Understanding of internal controls and audit processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end ESG disclosures for external reporting.
• Coordinate with auditors on ESG disclosures.
• Draft governance papers and manage reporting calendars.
• Support change agenda and governance processes.

Skills

Stakeholder communication

Regulatory reporting

Financial analysis

Project management

Education

Qualified Accountant

Job description

At M&G, our purpose is to give everyone real confidence to put their money to work. With a heritage dating back more than 175 years, we have a long history of innovation in savings and investments, combining asset management and insurance expertise to offer a wide range of solutions.

Our two distinct operating segments, Asset Management and Life, work together to provide access to balanced, long-term investment and savings solutions.

Through telling it like it is, owning it now and moving it forward together with care and integrity; we are creating an exceptional place to work for exceptional talent.

We will consider flexible working arrangements for any of our roles and offer workplace adjustments to ensure you have the support you need to succeed in your role.

Role Summary:

We are looking for an ESG Reporting Accountant to join the Group Sustainability team for a 6 month period. It's an exciting time to be involved in this fast-moving space, with companies coming under growing pressure to disclose more information on their sustainability efforts, and with regulations and disclosure frameworks evolving to allow for reporting in more standardised and comprehensive formats.

The ESG Reporting Accountant is responsible for leading on the delivery of the Group's subsidiary sustainability reporting under TCFD, SDR and SFDR and plays a vital role in the delivery of the Group Sustainability Report in the Annual Report and Accounts. The role includes the end to end production of reports including managing the external audit relationship and ensuring complete, accurate and compliant reporting of external disclosures.

The role will incorporate a broad range of responsibilities including: supporting on the sustainability reporting change agenda; peer analysis; presentation of papers at governance forums; managing key controls and associated risks; and content drafting through collaboration with internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Working collaboratively with various subject matter experts to design ESG disclosures for inclusion in external reporting documents including the Group's Annual Report and Accounts.
• End to end production of entity reports including planning, managing change, understanding peers, metrics analysis, content drafting and content verification.
• Coordinating responses to auditor queries in relation to ESG disclosures.
• Responsibility for the team's Key Controls and risk management returns.
• Taking personal accountability for maintaining and enhancing controls you are responsible for to support improvement of the overall control environment.
• Keeping abreast of developments in the ESG disclosure space (peers and regulations) to ensure all disclosures are in line with latest requirements of various regulatory bodies and emerging best practice.
• Supporting the team planning including management of governance processes.
• Writing governance papers for submission to boards and committees.
• Supporting the project team where necessary in tasks associated with the implementation of new sustainability regulations.

Knowledge & Experience:

To ensure your success in this role you will be/have:

• Qualified Accountant with some experience or knowledge of sustainability reporting.
• Some understanding of key reporting regulations including TCFD, SDR and SFDR.
• Experienced in production and delivery of disclosures in a financial services organisation, or experience of auditing such disclosures.
• An understanding of controls.
• Experience of working with external auditors or knowledge of key audit concepts.
• Good analytical skills in relation to financial metrics or sustainability metrics.

It is desirable for the candidate to have:

• Sound understanding of sustainability reporting regulations including but not limited to ISSB/UK SRS, SFDR, SDR, TCFD, GHGP and PCAF including accounting for GHG emissions across the value chain.
• Some knowledge of industry trends, best practice and developments in sustainability and sustainability reporting.
• Good networks / links with external bodies and individuals in the same field.
• Experience of system implementation in an accounting or sustainability context.
• An understanding of greenwashing.

Additional Personal and Technical Skills:

• Proactive self-starter who takes ownership, and has a strong track record of driving delivery of results.
• Ability to communicate effectively and influence effectively with productive, successful relationships with demanding senior stakeholders.
• Able to apply logic and problem solving to complex accounting problems.
• Ability to understand complex data.
• Ability to assess, react quickly and decisively to problems, taking tough decisions where needed or escalating issues as appropriate.
• Ability to make decisions while managing ambiguity.
• Able to align actions with vision and purpose.

What we offer:

We're dedicated to supporting your wellbeing and helping you thrive, both at work and beyond. Our benefits are designed to help you balance your professional