Sustainability & Climate Risk Associate

Role Description

SMBC is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Associate to join the Credit Portfolio Risk team. This role will reside in the Sustainability and Climate Risk function with a focus on physical climate risk. Major duties include assisting the development of physical climate risk platform, climate stress testing, scenario analysis, vendor data management, credit metrics development, ESG regulation and policy monitoring, and ad-hoc analysis. The ideal candidate poses strong analytical background, excellent communication skills, and a keen interest in credit risk and climate risk.

Role Objectives: Delivery

•    Support the capability development and continued improvement of the physical climate risk platform.
•    Source and process catastrophe model data, sustainability data, and portfolio data in compliance with data governance processes
•    Assist the physical climate risk integration methodology development to incorporate physical climate risk into stress testing and capital planning models
•    Participate in climate scenario analysis and stress testing to quantify the impact of natural hazards on credit portfolios and synthesize insights for enhanced portfolio resilience
•    Contribute to the creation of hazard-specific credit metrics to support risk monitoring, risk appetite setting, and business growth 
•    Draft model documentation, regulatory submissions, and internal report, ensuring accuracy and transparency.
•    Partner with cross-functional teams to discover new directions to enhance credit risk management, conduct research to create tailored and pragmatic analytical solutions
•    Monitor regulatory news and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and accounting standards

Role Objectives: Interpersonal

•    Ability to communicate appropriately at every level of the organization, including credit risk peers, legal entity partners, and senior executives.
•    Comfortable to work with external vendors and service providers to align third party data and service options with SMBC’s need and pursue cost efficiency   
•    Able to work well across functions to solicit and digest multiple points of view, render information so that it is accurate and actionable, and promptly follow-up.
•    Excellent writing and presentation development skills to draft materials related to credit process observations and process and control enhancement opportunities.

Role Objectives: Expertise

•    Geosciences and climate scenarios, geospatial analytics, statistics, and coding. General knowledge of credit, financial instruments, or portfolio theory a plus. 
•    Intellectually curious and eager to learn; proactive problem-solving and result-driven; enthusiastic to synthesize complex issues; strong attention to detail.

Qualifications and Skills

Education 
•    Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Earth science, statistics, quantitative finance, economics or related field. 
•    Post-graduate degree or relevant professional certifications (e.g., CFA, FRM) a plus.

Experience
•    2+ years of experience in climate risk analytics, financial modeling, credit risk management, or related quantitative areas in financial sector
•    Knowledge of climate science, Earth system modeling, and statistical analysis.
•    Familiarity with regulatory guidance, data and model governance process, and industry best practices for climate and credit risk management.
•    Previous climate-related experience in global financial institutions is preferred
Analytical Skills
•    Strong quantitative and analytical abilities to turn structured and unstructured data into actionable insights
•    Knowledge of basic mathematical modeling techniques; understand the strengths, limitation, and the use case of different modeling methodologies
•    Capability to conduct geospatial analysis with data in various vector and raster formats using self-developed code or GIS software
•    Previous experience in high performance computing, data assimilation, time-series forecasting, and AI/ML method deployment is preferred

Technical Skills
•    High proficiency in Python / R, and SQL
•    Fluent with Excel analytical functions 
•    Familiar with geospatial data formats and Python geospatial analysis libraries
•    Visualization tools such as Power BI
•    Experience with Databricks and GIS software (e.g. ArcGIS or QGIS) a plus

Other Skills
•    Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to convey complex concepts clearly
•    Ability to multi-task effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment
•    Working knowledge of major financial instruments is preferred
•    Knowledge of credit modeling and scenario development a plus