Head of ESG

Head of ESG

Salary from £85,000 to £100,000 depending on experience

Permanent

Hybrid / London / Kent

We are looking for our next Head of ESG to join us at Saga. Here you will be in a pivotal stand-alone role, fully owning the design and implementation of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda at Saga. We need you to continue Saga’s exciting journey with ESG and our future growth and development plans in this area.

You’ll be the thought leader, with the ability to impact and drive change through exceptional interpersonal, relationship building and collaboration skills. You will already be creative, strategic and analytical in this space. With the proven capability to make a substantial impact on the future plans of a business like Saga.

We work in a hybrid way at Saga both at home and in the office. When you do come into the office, it’ll be with a real purpose in mind – to meet with your team, to work together, and of course to socialise and celebrate too! It is likely that you would attend one of our offices once a week in this role. Saga has office hubs in Kings Cross, London and Ashford, Kent.

Package Description

Everyday our colleagues deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. We believe exceptional work deserves even more exceptional rewards, that's why we have put together an amazing benefits package for all colleagues.

BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO ALL COLLEAGUES:

1. 25 days holiday + bank holidays
2. Option to purchase additional leave up to 5 extra days
3. Pension scheme matched up to 10%
4. Annual bonus - Up to 15%
5. Car Benefit – cash allowance - £4800 per annum
6. Free private medical insurance after 1 years' service
7. Life assurance policy on joining us
8. Wellbeing programme
9. Colleague discounts including family discounts on cruises and holidays
10. Range of reductions and offers from leading retailers, travel groups and entertainment companies
11. Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
12. Grandparents leave
13. Income protection
14. Access to Saga Academy, our bespoke learning platform

Main Responsibilities

Our Head of ESG will lead the development and implementation of Saga’s ESG strategy and ensure ESG initiatives are aligned with business practices, stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements.

ESG Strategy

1. Being seen as Saga’s ESG expert, understanding evolving standards and frameworks as regulatory requirements are updated.
2. Developing and leading a multi-pronged strategy for Environmental, Social and Governance, and updating strategies over time to reflect changes in the business and external markets.
3. Establishing ESG objectives and milestones to achieve both short and long-term goals within Business Units and functions.

Reporting and communications

1. Supporting communication to all stakeholder groups on Saga’s ESG performance and progress, including creation and updates to Saga’s double materiality matrix.
2. Developing both internal and external ESG reporting, working collaboratively across Business Units and functions to drive successful progress and outcomes. Establish the link between sustainability and financial performance.
3. Designing, developing and publishing Saga’s external reporting on ESG within year-end disclosures in a standalone ESG report aligned to best practice frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
4. Managing colleague engagement on ESG through campaigns and posts via Saga’s internal communications platform.
5. Representing Saga at company meetings, industry events, conferences and forums on ESG topics.

Climate change, energy and emissions

1. Calculating Saga’s Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions footprint, and disseminating reporting on emissions calculations to relevant teams and business units.
2. Developing climate change strategy, governance arrangements, scenario analysis, risks and opportunities registers, targets and reporting in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
3. Developing Saga’s targets and pathway to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (in line with the UK Government’s legally binding commitment in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement), accredited by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
4. Ensuring compliance with legislative requirements including the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) (through energy audits, energy calculations and relevant returns to the regulator).

Governance

1. Presenting strategic updates to Boards, Committees and key internal stakeholders on Saga’s ESG strategic progress, risks and opportunities.
2. Establishing, administering and reporting to an ESG Steering Committee tasked with supporting and monitoring delivery of the Saga Group’s ESG strategy and targets.

Ratings and scores

1. Managing relationships with key ratings agencies and bodies, including investor proxy agencies, and ratings agencies including MSCI and Sustainalytics.
2. Developing Saga’s annual response to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), in the “Climate Change”, “Water” and “Forests” questionnaires.

Charitable giving

1. Overseeing and administering Saga’s charitable giving activities and portfolio, including charitable partnerships, outreach, and donations.
2. Managing relationships with partners, charities and community organisations supported by Saga.

The Ideal Candidate

Saga Plc is a complex business, operating in various markets, Travel, Cruise, Insurance, Financial Products and Publishing. Therefore, we need candidates to demonstrate previous experience of working at a similar level and demonstrate the following skills and knowledge:

1. Commercial, creative and pragmatic thinking on improving ESG practices.
2. A creative thinker, with a strong interest in executing new strategies that will deliver increased value to all stakeholders.
3. Demonstrate excellent presentation skills, able to present at board level.
4. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to develop metrics and interpret data.
5. Able to adhere to our Business Code of Conduct, always acting with integrity and due diligence.

Desirable:

1. Holds a Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to ESG, such as sustainability, environmental management or business.
2. Strong ESG knowledge and understanding of reporting standards, frameworks and regulatory standards.
3. Familiarity with frameworks such as TCFD, sustainable development goals and science-based targets and ratings agencies such as MSCI and FTSE4Good.

Saga Values: Make it Happen, Do the Right Thing, Customer First, Excellence Every Day.

About The Company

Over the past 70 years we have become the UK's specialist provider of products and services to people aged over 50 in the UK. The Saga brand has become one of the most recognised and trusted brands amongst UK consumers in this demographic, recognised for its high-quality products and exceptional standards of service. These include cruises and holidays, insurance, personal finance and publishing.

We are a dynamic and forward-looking business with a clear, single-minded purpose; to create exceptional experiences every day whilst being a driver for positive change in our markets and communities. Our focus on exceptional experiences empowers our colleagues to create moments that are simple, personal and special for our customers and for each other. Our values underpin our approach and help guide us to deliver our purpose.

At Saga, we are committed to treating all colleagues fairly and to offering equal opportunities in all aspects of employment and advancement. We value diversity not just because it is the right thing to do, but because diverse teams perform better.

We’re passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Championing diversity is important to us, and diverse teams really are the best ones. We’re dedicated to creating a culture where every colleague feels like they belong. So that at Saga, more than anywhere else, you can be your best, be yourself and make a difference.

Fair consideration is given to all applicants, including those with disabilities and those over who are over the age of 50. As champions of age inclusivity and signatories of the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, we are proud of our multigenerational teams. We are also an official Disability Confident Committed employer and ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible, we will make reasonable adjustments as required. For more information on our DEI&B policies please visit our Saga Careers page.

Saga does not accept agency CVs unless specifically engaged on the role by the Talent Acquisition Team. Please do not forward CVs to our recruiters, colleagues or any other company location. Saga will not be responsible for any fees related to CVs received in this unsolicited manner.