Overview

Position

Lead | Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

Job Code

Reports to

ESG Capability Development, Senior Manager

Direct Reports

Sameer Khalid

Division/Section

ESG

Department

NEOM Internal Audit

Sector

NEOM Internal Audit (NIA)

Job Family

Role Purpose

To contribute to and support the implementation of NEOM Internal Audit (NIA)s ESG Capability Development Roadmap, and the ESG audit function. To lead ESG assurance engagements and be an ambassador of NIA, and to support and develop NIA Junior team members and support managing co-source requirements/resources.

Key Accountabilities & Activities

Technical ESG Skills

• Have strong understanding of ESG and ESG assurance.
• Experienced in leading ESG assurance engagements and /or health checks.
• Understand different reporting frameworks GRI, SASB, Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR), and IFRS Sustainability Standards.
• Be able to critically assess ESG double materiality, including issue identification at industry and organisational levels.
• Analyse context and related material issues from internal and external stakeholders perspectives.
• Understand public facing and investor facing Standards and be able to assess appropriateness of frameworks in context.
• Have working knowledge of ESG disclosures under different frameworks and ability to critically evaluate alignment of disclosures with materiality and related issues.
• Can effectively assess qualitative and quantitative disclosures.
• Able to evaluate reported metrics as per relevant Standards.
• Be able to test data integrity, related processes, and governance.
• Have working knowledge of evaluating GHG emission metrics.
  
  

Support Skills

• Support execution of NIA's overall ESG plan.
• Assist in developing ESG audit universe and ESG audit pipeline.
• Support development of an ESG stakeholder engagement plan and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Research, collect, and analyse information on ESG and other areas, as required.
• Take a lead in coordinating weekly ESG meetings; set up agendas and keep track of action items.
• Take ownership of assigned action items.
• Maintain database / library of NEOM-related ESG policies and documents and maintain NIA ESG documents.
  
  

Ownership and Drive

• Demonstrate a wide range of hard and soft skills, including but not limited to high attention to detail, financial and business acumen, and immense integrity.
• Able to quickly discern relevant and valid criteria and think/ operate in a non-linear fashion to work smarter and innovatively.
• Assist Management in planning, design, and implementation of appropriate activities to ensure that assigned deliverables are achieved.
• Foster strong relationships and open lines of communication with all stakeholders within NIA and across NEOM.
• Develop appropriate and relevant reporting for stakeholders, to ensure they are aware of upcoming activities, matters under progress, and the status of open issues.
• Take ownership of drafting reports and other deliverables to ensure that these are delivered on time.
  
  

Working at NEOM Pace

• Able to deliver at pace and produce outputs when confronted by obstacles, delays, competing priorities, and tight deadlines.
• Keep self, colleagues, and stakeholders focused on delivery requirements, managing expectations, removing blockers, and delivering on time and to expected quality.
• Support Management by ensuring work requirements and expectations are communicated to colleagues and partners prior to the start of associated activities in a timely manner.
• Monitor timelines, milestones, and quality of deliverables to ascertain and appropriately manage any time or cost overruns incurred by teams / partners.
  
  

Departmental Leadership

• Ensure effective team working by providing performance guidance and support to the NIA junior team as appropriate, through coaching, feedback, and mentoring.
• Role model NEOM Values demonstrating effective leadership to all NIA team members.
• Understand and proactively manage leading practices and support the evolvement of NIA into a world-class function.
  
  

Digital Skills

• Possess digital skills demonstrating awareness and application of existing and emerging digital technologies, capabilities, practices, and strategies.
• Able to demonstrate technical skills, ethics, and abilities to perform activities consistently to a defined standard while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and independence.
• Demonstrate functional vision and ability to anticipate future trends accurately by extrapolating existing trends and facts and filling the gaps in knowledge by thinking innovatively.
  
  

Promote Corporate Governance

• Support coordinating and cultivating a network of assurance champions across NEOM so that robust internal controls and awareness of good corporate governance practices are embedded.
• Participate in risk management activities and workshops so that assurance services across the second and third lines of defence are integrated and coordinated.
  
  

Background, Skills & Qualifications

Industry Experience

• Internal / External Audit
• Accounting
• ESG
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Experience

• Minimum 7 years of experience in ESG assurance or a consulting role.
• Bilingual (English and Arabic preferred).
• Able to research, coordinate and assist in getting initiatives move forward.
• Support logistics of initiatives.
• Is a team player with a positive attitude and integrity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to manage and prioritize several duties and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Very good organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure in supporting team objectives.
• Flexibility to travel within and outside Kingdom Saudi Arabia for training purposes.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Is able to maintain work / life balance and knows when to ask for help.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business / Commerce.
• Professional Designations, CA, CPA, or ACCA.
• Having one or more of the following certifications will be an advantage:
• GRI / SASB.
• Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR).
• CFA ESG Investing.
• Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential.
  
  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

From entry-level employees to senior leaders, NIA believes there's always room to learn. NIA offers opportunities to build new skills, take on leadership opportunities and connect and grow through mentorship. From on-the-job learning experiences to formal development programs, NIA professionals have a variety of opportunities to continue to grow throughout their career.

COMMUNICATION - MAIN STAKEHOLDERS

Internal

External

• CIAO
• NIA Team
• NEOM Strategy
• NEOM Environment
• Professional Training Service Providers
• Professional bodies
• Co-source partners
• Gartner