Consultant, Climate Change and Sustainability Services Financial Services, Zurich

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Are you passionate about sustainability and thrive in solving challenging tasks that directly contribute to a better environment and society? Do you enjoy working with financial sector in supporting their sustainability ambitions and challenges? Join our growing Climate Change and Sustainability Services Team as part of a wider Assurance Advisory team within EY!

The world is facing one of the biggest challenges of humankind – constant changing of climate under today’s way we conduct economic activities. Climate change is no longer a distant sustainability concern but an immediate and systemic risk. Increasingly severe physical impacts (such as extreme weather events, resource scarcity, and infrastructure damage) combined with accelerating regulatory and market transitions are forcing governments and companies to fundamentally adapt their strategies, moving away from business-as-usual models.

When the financial services industry works well, it creates growth, prosperity, and peace of mind for hundreds of millions of people. No other industry touches so many lives or shapes so many futures. At EY Financial Services, we share a single focus — to build a better financial services industry, not just for now, but for the future.

Sustainability is at the heart of our EY brand. It is at the heart of our strategy, what we value and measure and what we do every day with our clients and within our own business. We are proud to be advocates of change to make businesses across the world more sustainable because we believe in long-term value. Delivering sustainable long-term value in Financial Services means new strategies, a new approach to managing risks, new products and services and new ways of engaging stakeholders.

Opportunity

We are looking for a high performing Consultant to join our Climate Change and Sustainable Services team dedicated to Financial Services. You will join a rapidly growing team of climate change and sustainability practitioners globally, with your base in Zurich, Switzerland, embracing a unique opportunity to make a real difference. You will be working on market leading projects, building networks, and consulting on key strategic issues in sustainable finance.

There is a wide range of exciting projects that you will be able to get involved in, across banking, insurance, pensions, wealth and asset management and private equity. You will work with clients at all levels to deliver first-class services helping them navigate the rapidly evolving sustainability agenda. Topics we cover include:

• Sustainable Finance regulatory developments and requirements by the financial sector from the EU regulatory side (such as CSRD, EU Taxonomy and SFDR) and Swiss regulatory side (such as RBI, FINMA requirements and AMAS, SBA, SIA self-regulations);
• Reporting and disclosure, including the application of ESRS, ISSB, TCFD, GRI, TNFD and other frameworks;
• Sustainable finance and net zero strategies, such as transition plans, for financial services;
• Climate change metrics and targets, greenhouse gas reporting, including the SBTi, Greenhouse Gas Protocol and PCAF;
• Responsible, sustainable and impact investment strategies and implementation;

What We Look For

• You have an agile, growth-oriented mindset. What you know matters. But the right mindset is just as important in determining success. We’re looking for people who are innovative, motivated, committed, can work in an agile way and keep pace with a rapidly changing world.
• You are curious and purpose driven. We’re looking for people who see opportunities instead of challenges, who ask better questions to seek better answers.
• You are inclusive. We’re looking for people who seek out and embrace diverse perspectives, who value differences, and team inclusively to build safety and trust.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Delivery of projects to our clients on a wide range of sustainability topics we work on, such as Regulation implementation, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance engagements for our clients from financial services organizations.
• Create innovative commercial insights for clients, adapt methods and practices to fit operational team and cultural contexts, and contribute to thought leadership.
• Actively contribute to improving operational efficiency on projects and internal initiatives, consistently driving projects to completion making sure that the work delivered is industry leading.
• Working closely with colleagues, create a positive learning culture.
• Contribute to the development of EY capabilities in technical areas and engage with clients regarding the application of these methodologies to their businesses.
• Collaborate with colleagues outside of CCaSS to deliver multi-disciplinary and cross-geographical work.

Skills And Attributes For Success

As Consultant within the team, you will be exposed to a range of assurance and advisory work in direct exchange with the clients. It is therefore essential that you bring the competencies that will allowing you to do so:

• High motivation and shared values for sustainability, social matters, governance-related topics and finance;
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills;
• Familiarity with AI topics and tools (e.g., data analytics, generative AI) and the ability to leverage them in a consulting context;
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Ability to manage multiple deliverables in parallel projects;
• Ability to work effectively in team-oriented, multi-cultural environment.

Qualifications

We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, but are particularly interested in individuals that have the following qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in finance, economics, environmental sciences or related fields of study;
• Internship or experiences within ESG, sustainable finance environment or climate risk, ideally focusing on advisory/consulting, assurance in financial institutions or in consulting firms;
• Ideally experience in projects in the field of non-financial information and/or integrated reporting, assurance of non-financial, ESG data (as ESG specialist / Investor Relation department, controlling, financial reporting etc) or as an external consultant. Good knowledge of SDGs, GHG-accounting, PCAF, carbon foot printing or Life Cycle Analysis is a plus
• A keen interest in, and understanding of ESG as it relates to financial services (banking, wealth and asset management, insurance, and/or private equity)
• Interest in and understanding of emerging technologies, including AI, and their application to sustainability, reporting, and financial services transformation
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a pragmatic approach to problem solving, dynamic working style, well organized and structured
• A demonstrated capacity to take initiative, overcome challenges and work collaboratively through relevant work or project experience;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in German and English, French is a plus

What’s In It For You

Here at EY, you’ll have the chance to build a truly exceptional experience. We’ll empower you with the latest technology, surround you with high-performing teams, and provide the global scale and diverse and inclusive culture you need to discover your full potential. Through our coaching and training programs, you’ll develop the skills you need to stay relevant today and, in the future, – all while building a network of colleagues, mentors, and leaders who will be on the journey with you at EY and beyond.

Click here to find out more about our benefits and corporate social responsibility.

Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.

To help create an equitable and inclusive experience during the recruitment process, please inform us as soon as possible about any disability-related adjustments or accommodations you may need.

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