London Office - Internal Director of Sustainability

London

Who we are:

L.E.K. Consulting is a global strategy consulting firm that addresses the most critical commercial issues for the leaders of some of the world's most successful businesses.

With over 2000 professionals located across five continents, L.E.K. specializes in Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) support with clients across the full range of corporates and private equity.  

As we grow, L.E.K. is seeking to further invest in achieving our sustainability and ESG goals through a dedicated Director of Sustainability who will lead the firm in delivering our sustainability strategies, and related implementation plans.

Job Summary 

Directly reporting to the Global Managing Partner, the Director of Sustainability will have responsibility for the delivery of L.E.K’s sustainability ambitions across all priorities identified in the L.E.K. Sustainability Report and transition plans as well as advising the Partnership on our future sustainability commitments.

Working closely with our global functions, Finance, People, Legal and Commercial, the Director of Sustainability will provide professional support, guidance, and insights to ensure we deliver a connected strategy and communications internally and externally whilst simultaneously educating our own people on our sustainability commitments, and how they can support the firm achieving these commitments.

Skills Required:

Sustainability strategy and project management

  • Experience in building senior level buy in on sustainability strategy
  • Continually developing the sustainability ambition to ensure we remain in line with external developments and industry best practice
  • Drive change in the firm, particularly in decarbonisation, but also across all aspects of ESG relevant to L.E.K.
  • Develop a global program of and manage this across multiple functions 

Operations

  • Develop the internal L.E.K. Sustainability function and capabilities.
  • Design the operational plan, roadmap, and work-streams, with the overarching goal of managing the change across the organisation.
  • Deliver the L.E.K. transition plans including designing carbon budget mechanisms to achieve our decarbonisation targets; working with the L.E.K. senior global and regional leadership to establish options, choices, and trade-offs for managing the firm’s plans to reduce its emission profile over the next 4 years to our 2027 SBTi near-term target and beyond
  • Deliver external reporting and disclosure regulatory and voluntary commitments, with annual performance improvement.
  • Project manage work-steams and lead the cross-functional efforts required.
  • Regularly monitor the firm’s emissions profile, including management of an emissions reporting system with overall responsibility for emissions calculations (both annual GHG and regular tracking of business travel emissions), emissions data quality assurance, controls and process development, producing L.E.K.s annual GHG report (audited and verified to ISO 14064), and driving improvements in the accuracy of emissions calculations.
  • Identify and implement an ESG software solution for L.E.K. to achieve reporting and process improvement in carbon accounting, risk management and governance. Lead specification, process development and implementation.
  • Support ESG/Sustainability related queries for client propositions and input into thought leadership for client-side projects 
  • In partnership with marketing, strengthen L.E.K.s reputation for sustainability and differentiation with clients, employees, and broader society.

Compliance

  • Support in the continued definition and refinement of sustainability targets for L.E.K., identifying tangible measures to ensure success.
  • Report on and deliver improvement in the sustainability metrics identified in the 2022 L.E.K. Sustainability Report Data Performance Tables
  • Provide regular reports to the L.E.K. ESG Committee, Sustainability Steering Committee and L.E.K. Global Operating Committee Report on progress, anticipating changes that the firm needs to make, and suggesting solutions to achieve L.E.K.s goals
  • Ensure sustainability risks are updated and escalated into L.E.K.s group-wide enterprise risk management and reporting; escalate and manage risks via the L.E.K. ESG risk register as appropriate.

 Team and Near-Term Goals

  • Manage and direct the Environmental Sustainability Manager, and manage ESG data, reporting, certifications, and compliance.
  • Set annual carbon budget on the trajectory to achieve L.E.K.’s SBTi approved near-term (2027) and long-term (2050) emissions targets.
  • Design and implement L.E.K.s carbon offsetting strategy to deliver L.E.K.s pledge to have net zero impact by 2030 through decarbonisation and the use of high-quality removals and offsets
  • Complete analysis and reporting required for L.E.K.’s annual sustainability regulatory and voluntary disclosures including for 2023: Task Force for Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) report; CDP (Customer data platforms) Climate Survey; UN Global Compact Communication on Progress; UK Carbon Reduction Plan; L.E.K. Transition Plan
  • Deliver annual EcoVadis sustainability rating, achieving Gold medal rating or better.
  • Deliver the 2023 L.E.K. Sustainability Report
  • Manage the internal sustainability function financial budget

Responsibilities:

  • Related leadership experience, preferably within a professional services firm or similar environment; experience in sustainability within professional services is considered a plus.
  • Experience in driving positive global change through a business or organization and demonstrated ability to influence change through others and win over a variety of audiences
  • Previous experience within an internally facing corporate sustainability role with a strong understanding of the complex sustainability topics applicable to L.E.K.
  • Project and program management skills and experience.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high calibre and dynamic environment.
  • Great organizational skills, able to organize a varied workload, prioritise effectively and keep stakeholders updated as appropriate, while managing a team
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, and ability to influence, inspire, and persuade interlocutors of all seniority levels, both internally and externally
  • Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, independent judgement and be a self-starter while also being a strong team player.
  • Willingness to coach and mentor senior team members
  • Proficient in MS Office Applications; including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
  • The position will require travel to other L.E.K. offices.