US Environmental Sustainability Director

About us

National Grid is committed to being a responsible business in everything we do. Our purpose is to Bring Energy to Life. We do this by delivering the electricity and gas that our customers and communities rely on. We apply responsibility as a principle every day, by doing the right thing, finding a better way and making it happen. Society expects it of us, and we know we can make a positive impact in doing so. 

We are committed to shaping a sustainable business, having a positive impact on our environment and our communities, delivered through a diverse workforce with the right skills and capabilities.

In the sustainability team our focus is on the environment. We drive environmental sustainability through National Grid, from supporting and setting the strategic direction, through influencing the external environment to helping to embed it across the business. To ensure success we partner with all Business Units and Functions, providing expertise and coaching as they develop commercial and credible sustainability plans. We also provide transparency on delivery to ensure we meet our targets.  

Through all of this we aspire for National Grid to be recognized as a business leader on sustainability in the UK, the US and internationally.

National Grid is hiring a US Environmental Sustainability Director for our Strategy & Regulation Department. This position can be located in Boston, MA or Brooklyn, NY.

Job Purpose

The US Environmental Sustainability Director is an excellent opportunity for an experienced leader with a pro-active strategic mindset, business experience and sustainability capability to help support National Grid’s environmental sustainability goals as set out in the Responsible Business Charter (RBC).

Working across the US business, this role leads a small team of subject matter experts, joining the dots across NY and NE, working closely with the team in the UK, as part of a global centre of excellence for sustainability. 

This role provides expertise to NY and NE on issues such as supply chain emissions, retail gas emissions and nature. In this role you will also be expected to champion National Grid externally, showcasing what we are doing to lead the energy transition. 
 

Key Accountabilities

•    Working closely with NY and NE, lead the monitoring of our environmental sustainability commitments in the US including:

           o    holding BUs accountable for the delivery of their targets 
           o    managing a colleague to facilitate US collection of performance data where required 
           o    managing a colleague to coordinate and align US input into public disclosures such as the Responsible Business Report and Climate Transition Plan, as well as overseeing federal reporting requirements and assurance
           o    collaborating with Finance colleagues to ensure successful audit and assurance outcomes 

•    Partnering with the NY and NE Environmental Sustainability teams, ensuring alignment and coordination as well as providing expertise, advice and insights including best practices from across the business & externally to develop our approach to environmental sustainability in the US and remain an industry leader in this area. 

•    Providing support to NY and NE on rate cases spotting opportunities for collaboration and alignment and providing expertise as required.

•    Work closely with the UK Environmental Sustainability Senior manager to support US input to Group environmental sustainability commitments, the development of environmental sustainability Communities of Practice (CoPS) and develop policies, getting NY and NE input and working with both BUs to embed the policies once agreed. 

•    Represent and drive the company’s sustainability priorities externally including engagement with investors, industry partners, peers, and working groups, so that key external stakeholders recognize us an industry leader and we understand stakeholder expectations.
•    Provide SME capability and direct support to Investor Relations and Treasury to meet equity and fixed-income investors and answer investor questions on Environmental Sustainability.
•    Leading a small team of sustainability professionals, building a trusting team environment, where all are equally welcomed and valued, and the team is supported and championed so they can perform at peak and reach their potential. 
 

Qualifications

o    Bachelor’s degree in sustainability, environmental science, engineering, business, sustainability, or a related field or equivalent experience is desirable.
o    High personal and professional integrity and strong work ethics.
o    Authoritative and emotionally intelligent, able to challenge and influence at senior levels across a large, complex organisation. 
o    Passionate and pragmatic about sustainability, with high levels of enthusiasm and drive to achieve results. 
o    Ability to relate to and articulate vision to business stakeholders.
o    Willingness to accept change and provide direction.
o    Strategic thinking and goal setting, aligning key performance indicators with team and company objectives.
o    Demonstrated ability to manage adversity and challenging situations. 
o    Strong coaching and collaboration skills, within and across diverse and dispersed teams.
o    Ensure the professional development of team members in ways that advance the skills and capabilities of the team and support individual career goals.
o    Pro-active, can-do attitude. A self-starter with the drive to make an impact.
o    Ideal to have expertise in environmental sustainability, including in key areas such as climate change, nature, GHG emissions accounting, science-based targets, decarbonization levers in the energy sector etc.
o    Awareness of US influences on environmental sustainability, such as state policy and plans.
o    Ability to manage senior relationships across business areas.
o    Ability to build a trusting team environment, where all are equally welcomed and valued.
o    Ability to develop cooperative and constructive working relationships.
o    Ability to build trusted relationships at all levels of the organisation.

More Information

#LI-MR1 

#LI-HYBRID