The role

This role requires an experienced responsible business (RB) sustainability ESG professional who brings experience (consultancy and/or in-house professional services) expertise, gained at a global level.

It demands passion, senior stakeholder management experience and a blend of sustainability/RB and ESG technical experience gained embedding sustainability and ESG within large complex organisations. 

RB is well established in the firm, it is developing rapidly and this person must be excited by the prospect of defining, developing and implementing RB and ESG best practices and engaging our employees and senior internal stakeholders, clients and external audiences.

This person must share our ambition to become best in class and work with the Director drive operational change and strategic ESG improvement across the firm, lead key ESG project delivery and proactively seek cross-sector collaboration.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with the Director and team to refine and implement the RB and ESG strategy and take the lead in delivering aspects of ESG operational change. Working closely with support areas and senior stakeholders, facilitate continued integration of material ESG factors covering risks and opportunities and support the director to deliver the operational change as informed by the materiality assessment and lead the firm’s external ESG reporting strategy and ensure its delivery
• Develop and deliver wider sector leading ESG reporting
• Support the director and team in organising regular ESG and RB updates for senior management, engage and persuade stakeholders to deliver ESG change so the firm leads in the sector
• Proactively stay ahead of client and stakeholder expectations on ESG reporting, ESG transparency, and opportunities for client ESG collaboration
• Maintain close working relationships with the responsible business and pro bono teams globally, to understand the programmes to support RB and ESG innovation and best practice
• Develop and deliver more ambitious roadmaps and delivery against our material issues, further improve, refine and stress-test existing and new RB and ESG-related policies
• Work with the director to support key contacts and teams in each of the business service areas who are helping to deliver RB and ESG
• Manage the ESG analyst/senior analyst to ensure sector-leading ESG data management across the firm in support of the ESG strategy and work with key contacts in business services to collate, manage and report
• Work with the RB social impact manager and pro bono team to develop leading measurement and evaluation of programmes, ensuring best practice and use of technology
• Support the wider team to raise internal awareness and understanding of ESG and RB.  Develop internal and external training materials for specific policies, support pitch teams and inputs to external ESG platforms.
• Work with the director and support the risk management and compliance team to collate and report sustainability data and support the firm’s global sustainability initiative
• Work with the RB communication manager to showcase the firm’s commitments and impacts to internal and external stakeholders, support a research programme on key RB and ESG related areas that are also client facing. Work with the team to manage key stakeholder engagement and external positioning
• Remain up to date on ESG and RB developments and use these to support the team improve the firms performance. Support the director in working with the pro-bono team to leverage insights and impacts
• The job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time

ABOUT YOU

• A responsible business and ESG leader, with experience developing and implementing RB and ESG strategies and change programmes to a very high standard, ideally but not exclusively within a professional services environment
• The ability to manage high profile, fast moving ESG operational projects that demand change and innovation
• Experience of working in any one of the priority responsible business focus areas relevant to the legal sector in the UK and or globally examples include but not limited to: pro bono, social mobility/equality of opportunity, business and human rights, rule of law, access to justice, community investment, responsible/sustainable advice
• The ability to respond to request from clients and lawyers on ESG collaboration and the development of innovative ESG solutions
• ESG and responsible business reporting, and development of measurement frameworks coupled with use of technology and IT to collect, manage and report data focused on impact measurement to support reporting
• Excellent project management skills, able to lead and report on project delivery against plan and objectives. You will be expected to have strong probing, consultative listening skills coupled with the ability to negotiate and persuade
• The ability to influence and catalyse change to improve ESG and RB performance through the application of excellent interpersonal, relationship building and collaboration skills. This will include the ability to demonstrate credibility and confidence in interaction with senior management, colleagues across the business and external stakeholders
• Demonstrate stakeholder management communication skills, diplomacy and negotiation skills with the ability to exercise tact and diplomacy to influence others to modify their behaviours and attitudes where necessary and maintain relationships with other functions and disciplines within DLA Piper
• Maintain an ambitious and innovative approach to responsible business and ESG for professional services with a desire to seek thought leadership and best practice
• Able to work with internal teams including procurement, operations, HR, risk management, IT and lawyers across practice areas that are providing ESG advice
• Commercial, creative and pragmatic thinking about improving ESG and RB practices, display a consistently positive attitude and adopt a ‘can do’ hands-on approach as well as being able to work well on own initiative and also as part of a wider team; collaborative working style
• Have experience in dealing with a demanding workload and conflicting priorities
• Be able to multi-task and work to deadlines, be methodical and logical, as well as thrive in a robust and fast-paced environment
• Have the ability to see delegated tasks through to completion at a high standard
• Have the ability to stay calm and composed in often demanding situations
• Relevant technical and education qualifications, including a degree or advanced degree in for example:  environment management, sustainability, ethical business, business management and sustainability/CR, finance, economics etc.

ABOUT US
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES
In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.
Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING
We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING
In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.