Senior Sustainability Manager - Climate & Nature Standards

Job Title: Senior Sustainability Manager - Climate & Nature Standards

Location: 100VE, London

Work Level: 2C

Role purpose:
Unilever is seeking a dedicated expert to strengthen its capacity for standards and frameworks engagement and advocacy across its climate and nature goals. This role will ensure alignment and coordination across internal teams and be a strong external voice in shaping global standards and frameworks such as the GHG Protocol, Science Based Targets initiative, Science Based Targets for Nature and key certification schemes.

Key responsibilities:
Standards analysis & alignment
• Assess implications of evolving standards (including GHG Protocol, SBTi, SBTN, certification schemes) for Unilever’s climate and nature goals.
• Translate technical requirements into actionable strategies for renewable energy, deforestation-free sourcing, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable procurement.
• Ensure Unilever’s approach to climate- and nature-related measurement and disclosure requirements align with Unilever’s climate and nature strategies, Climate & Nature Fund priorities, and integrated climate-nature transition planning.
• Translate the impacts of changes across global standards into Unilever’s climate and nature strategies, and identify opportunities for complementary targeted advocacy programs.

Internal coordination
• Act as the central resource connecting Sustainability, Foods BG, Procurement and SERS teams on climate and nature standards.
• Develop and maintain unified Unilever positions on key issues related to the relevant standards.
• Translate evolving external standards into clear internal guidance, supporting robust, credible and auditable disclosures that meet regulatory requirements (e.g. CSRD/ESRS) and investor expectations while avoiding unnecessary complexity or parallel systems.
• Integrate climate and nature metrics, targets and scenarios into enterprise risk management, double materiality assessments, and strategic decision-making, working closely with Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, R&D and Legal teams.

External advocacy
• Represent and advocate Unilever’s position to GHG Protocol, SBTi, SBTN, and certification bodies (e.g. RSPO, RTRS, FSC) as well other stakeholders.
• Engage via industry groups (e.g. WBCSD, Value Change Initiative) to ensure the development of robust, clear standards that effectively incentivise corporate climate and nature action.

Thought leadership (internal and external)
• Shape the broader standards ecosystem through collaboration, publications and participation in working groups.
• Provide expert input on emerging topics such as biomethane, RECs, regenerative agriculture, carbon markets and removals.
• Build understanding of climate and nature standards across the business through guidance, training and tools, ensuring teams can apply standards consistently and focus on outcomes that strengthen resilience, credibility and long-term value creation.

Key focus areas:
• Scope 3: Boundary setting, regenerative agriculture, deforestation, landscapes, nature targets (SBTN), removals & permanence
• Scope 1: Biomethane and biomethane certificates
• Scope 2: Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs); more granular (temporal and spatial) scope 2 accounting
• Nature: Nature risk & dependency assessment (TNFD), biodiversity & ecosystem metrics, water stewardship (basin-level), landscape outcomes & aggregation
• Markets: Nature and carbon credits, claims, accounting and market-based instruments
• Cross-cutting: Evaluation, monitoring, reporting, data quality, assurance readiness

Qualifications & Experience
• Advanced expertise in GHG accounting methodologies and climate and nature disclosure, measurement and target setting frameworks.
• Strong technical background in energy, agriculture, and land use sectors.
• Proven experience engaging with global standards bodies (e.g. SBTi, GHG Protocol).
• Ability to synthesise complex technical documents into clear strategic positions.
• Track record of engagement and advocacy in sustainability standards or certification schemes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills across diverse teams.

Preferred background:
• Experience in or with sustainability standards organisations (e.g., WRI, WBCSD, Value Change Initiative, AIM Platform).
• Prior involvement in corporate sustainability, procurement or ESG reporting.
• Familiarity with certification schemes.

Role details:
• Location: Preferred location is100 Victoria Embankment (hybrid, three days in the office per week)
• Reporting Line: Head of Sustainability - Climate, CCAS

What we offer 

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.  

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (unilever.com). 

Location

In September 2020, Unilever announced the intention to build a new sustainable campus site in Kingston, London.  This site will house some employees who currently work in 100 Victoria Embankment in Blackfriars together with colleagues who are currently located in Lever House in Kingston. We are excited to be creating our own Unilever sustainable, agile work environment. The campus is due to be completed in 2026.

Relocation to the UK  

Please be aware if you are applying for this role from outside the UK, if successful, your application will be treated as a self-initiated Change Location Outside of Country (CLOC) transfer. This means any relocation costs must be self-funded with the potential to reclaim some specific pre-approved expenses up to £5,000. Please speak to your Talent Partner if you have any questions.