Senior Manager – Sustainability PMO & Special Projects

Role and Responsibilities:

• Lead the identification, prioritisation and development of decarbonisation opportunities across the Group, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, fuel switching, process optimisation and other low-carbon solutions. 
• Provide strategic oversight on the Group’s decarbonisation pipeline across plantation, milling, refinery, oleochemical and related operations. 
• Assess and guide the evaluation of technologies such as solar PV, biogas, BioCNG, biomass applications, biomass-based boilers, geothermal, wind and other emerging low-carbon solutions where relevant. 
• Oversee the assessment of nature-based and agricultural decarbonisation opportunities, including biochar, soil carbon enhancement and lower-emission fertiliser strategies. 
• Review and guide the use of market-based mechanisms such as RECs, PPAs, carbon offsetting, carbon insetting and other commercially relevant decarbonisation approaches. 
• Lead preliminary technical, commercial and techno-economic evaluation of opportunities to determine feasibility, scalability, emissions reduction potential and strategic fit.
• Oversee the preparation of concept papers, business cases, management papers and supporting materials for internal review, investment evaluation and decision-making. 
• Drive cross-functional alignment across business units, site owners, engineering teams, finance and other internal stakeholders to progress opportunities towards implementation. 
• Challenge, refine and prioritise proposals from business units, vendors and external partners to ensure resources are focused on the most viable and impactful opportunities. 
• Identify opportunities for replication and scaling of successful initiatives across sites and business units. 
• Translate greenhouse gas emissions data, hotspot analyses and operational insights into practical decarbonisation opportunities and recommendations. 
• Monitor the progress of approved projects and intervene where necessary to ensure continued alignment with intended decarbonisation objectives and sustainability outcomes. 
• Support and help shape the Group’s decarbonisation roadmap, including near-, medium- and long-term priorities across regions and business units. 
• Engage senior internal stakeholders, including management and steering committees, on project prioritisation, trade-offs, risks and resource allocation. 
• Support engagement with customers, investors, financial institutions and other external stakeholders on KLK’s decarbonisation strategy, project pipeline and progress, including responses related to SBTi and other climate-related commitments.

Job Success Requirements:

• Strong ability to identify, prioritise and shape practical decarbonisation opportunities across diverse industrial and operational settings. 
• Strong understanding of renewable energy, low-carbon technologies and industrial or agricultural decarbonisation pathways. 
• Ability to lead feasibility screening and high-level techno-economic evaluation with sound commercial and strategic judgement. 
• Ability to balance carbon impact, implementation feasibility, capital discipline and organisational readiness in recommending priorities. 
• Strong capability in working across multiple business units and influencing stakeholders with different priorities, constraints and levels of maturity. 
• Ability to translate emissions data, hotspot analysis and business context into actionable decarbonisation recommendations. 
• Strong leadership in early-stage project development, strategic coordination and cross-functional alignment. 
• Ability to prepare and present clear, decision-useful recommendations for senior management and governance forums. 
• Ability to maintain a Group-level strategic perspective while understanding site-level operational realities. 
• Confidence to challenge assumptions, test business cases and drive clarity in ambiguous or incomplete situations.

Additional Notes / Desirable Skills / Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Sustainability, Environmental Science, Renewable Energy or a related discipline. A postgraduate qualification would be an advantage. 
• Significant relevant experience in decarbonisation, renewable energy, engineering, sustainability, technical advisory, strategy or project development. 
• Strong familiarity with greenhouse gas accounting, emissions analysis and decarbonisation planning. 
• Demonstrated experience in feasibility assessment, business case development and project prioritisation. 
• Understanding of RECs, PPAs, carbon offsets, carbon insetting and related market mechanisms would be an advantage. 
• Exposure to plantation, milling, manufacturing, energy or industrial operations would be highly beneficial. 
• Familiarity with SBTi, climate-related disclosure frameworks and broader sustainability reporting expectations would be an added advantage. 
• Strong analytical, commercial, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare high-quality papers and presentations for senior stakeholders. 
• Able to work independently, exercise sound judgement and lead cross-functional coordination in a complex Group environment.