Climate Strategy & Performance Lead
Unilever · Sunlight House, United Kingdom · hybrid
Earlier this year, Unilever announced an agreement to combine its Foods business with McCormick & Company, creating a scaled global flavour powerhouse. The proposed combination would bring together iconic Foods brands, including Hellmann’s and Knorr, with McCormick’s portfolio to create a global leader across spices, seasonings, condiments and complementary food categories, supported by strong retail and foodservice platforms. McCormick brings more than 135 years of heritage, a presence in 150+ countries and territories, and a portfolio of trusted brands. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, with completion estimated for mid-2027.
Job Title Climate Strategy & Performance Lead
Function Global Procurement Centre of Excellence - Sustainability
Reports to End-to-End Procurement Sustainability Director
Scope Global
Country Location and Worksite Details London, United Kingdom; hybrid working in line with local policy
JOB PURPOSE
This role exists to lead the global Procurement climate strategy and translate climate commitments into an integrated, measurable and business-owned transition plan. The role will own climate performance management, target delivery, governance and technical coherence for the Procurement-led climate roadmap, while orchestrating alignment with R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, markets and the wider sustainability organisation to ensure an integrated climate transition plan. You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own climate strategy and transition planning: develop and maintain the climate strategy, target architecture, costed decarbonisation roadmap and climate transition plan, including integration of legacy Foods and McCormick baselines, methodologies, commitments and delivery pathways.
- Lead performance management and gap closure: establish the carbon budget, glidepath, forecasts and intervention portfolio; track performance, identify delivery risks and opportunities, and drive corrective action and leadership decisions required to remain on course.
- Govern carbon accounting and claims: set requirements for FLAG and energy-and-industrial Scope 3 accounting, emission factors, product carbon footprints, allocation, attribution, traceability, material-flow mapping, MRV, assurance and substantiation of climate claims.
- Embed climate into business decisions: partner with Procurement, R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, brands and markets to integrate climate and resilience into sourcing, innovation, portfolio, capital allocation, risk management and annual planning.
- Provide governance, reporting and expert leadership: coordinate robust climate inputs for internal and external reporting, assurance and leadership forums; interpret evolving standards and regulatory expectations; and represent the Procurement perspective in enterprise climate decisions.
- Drive technical advocacy across key standards organisations: shape the development and practical application of climate accounting, target-setting and claims standards, representing the business perspective and advancing credible, scalable approaches.
- Secure transition readiness: own climate-related Day 1 activities, dependencies, documentation, capability transfer and operating-model alignment, ensuring continuity of critical programmes, data, governance and decision rights through the combination.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Significant experience in corporate climate strategy, Scope 3 decarbonisation, sustainability performance management or a closely related field, ideally in food, agriculture, FMCG or complex global supply chains.
- Strong technical knowledge of GHG accounting, SBTi-aligned target setting, FLAG and energy-and-industrial emissions, product carbon footprints, MRV and assurance.
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex climate evidence into prioritised business roadmaps, investment choices, governance and executive decisions.
- Proven cross-functional leadership and influencing skills, with the credibility to work across Procurement, R&D, Finance, Supply Chain, Legal, Corporate Affairs and senior leadership.
- Excellent analytical, programme-management and communication skills, with sound judgement in ambiguous, fast-moving and commercially sensitive environments.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with corporate integrations or major operating-model transformations.
- Knowledge of agricultural value chains, regenerative agriculture, land-sector accounting and climate resilience.
- Experience engaging external standard setters, assurance providers, suppliers, investors, customers or industry coalitions.