ESG jobs in the UK

ESG covers two overlapping but distinct hiring markets. The first is investment-side ESG — asset managers, banks, insurers and pension funds building responsible investment, stewardship and climate-risk capability. The second is corporate ESG — in-house teams delivering CSRD / SEC / TCFD reporting, ESG data assurance and investor relations content.

Investment ESG roles typically sit within London-based asset managers (Legal & General, Aviva Investors, Schroders, abrdn, M&G) and global banks (HSBC, Barclays, Standard Chartered, NatWest). Expect financial literacy to be non-negotiable: analysts model climate scenarios, engage portfolio companies, and integrate ESG signals into investment decisions.

Corporate ESG roles focus on disclosure, target-setting, materiality assessments and stakeholder engagement. With CSRD assurance requirements phasing in, employers are actively hiring ESG data specialists and reporting managers to industrialise what were previously spreadsheet-heavy processes.

Entry routes include graduate schemes at the Big Four (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG), moving across from audit or ESG data platforms (MSCI, Sustainalytics, Bloomberg), or coming through corporate sustainability roles into an ESG reporting title. Related categories: Sustainability, Net Zero, Carbon.