ESS recrute 01 Spécialiste Environnement

We are looking for a Principal-level Environmental and Social Specialist to join ESS (Environmental and Social Sustainability), Africa’s premier advisory services firm focused on sustainable development and management of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks in Africa and emerging economies.

The ideal candidate will be African or a permanent immigrant to Africa based anywhere in Africa, who is an experienced project manager with at least 10 years of experience, with fluent English and French. A wide network of contacts in key industries will also be strongly regarded. This role offers the chance for someone with plenty of creativity and drive to lead a dynamic, growing team that is focused on making sustainability happen on the ground.

We believe in implementation, not just writing endless reports and assessments that rarely get actioned. As such, we assist financial institutions and private companies in understanding where gaps in their project compliance lie in relation to international standards (such as the Equator Principles and IFC Performance Standards) and national legislation, as well as identifying opportunities to maximise positive project aspects. Once gaps are ascertained, we provide on-going, site-based support to address gaps and develop capacity within the organisation.

You will be an integral part of the ESS team, managing teams based across Africa and emerging economies. The role offers plenty of scope for career advancement, with a pathway to partnership over time.

The role includes working on international projects in a variety of sectors, including:

• Financial services and lending institutions, including international financial institutions such as the
• International Finance Corporation (IFC), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), African Development Bank (AfDB) etc.
• Mining
• Energy and renewables
• Agribusiness
• Manufacturing.

Key responsibilities

The candidate will have the following responsibilities:

• Project manage teams across Africa and emerging economies
• Bid on and win work, including developing strong contacts with potential and existing clients
• Provide advice and inputs on projects internationally with a variety of clients
• Undertake Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) due diligence studies in line with compliance frameworks
• Provide support to organisations in developing teams and implementing activities to meet compliance standards
• Prepare scope of works and manage consultants to undertake key studies (baseline, ESIA, critical habitat etc.)
• Advise and provide inputs on sustainability and environmental projects
• Develop sustainability targets and implement measures to attain targets
• Prepare sustainability strategies and other key reports in line with GRI and similar reporting standards
• Develop and implement robust Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) to ISO 14001 / EMAS standard, as well as other key systems, plans and reporting structures
• Undertake other related studies, planning, reporting and activities as required
• Liaise with client management staff and employees to ensure requirements are appropriately implemented
• Build and maintain strong relationships within ESS to maximise interdisciplinary problem-solving
• Provide guidance and develop capacity with colleagues across the organisation on ESG and sustainability issues, including mentoring of international staff members.

Skills

The right candidate should possess and be able to demonstrate the following skills in order to adequately respond to the requirements of the role:

• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and project manage complex projects in multiple jurisdictions
• Business development expertise, including evidence of preparing top quality proposals, winning work and managing through to completion
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Fluent English and French (additional African languages a bonus)
• Strategic thinking, analytical and research skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Experience in training and capacity building
• Advanced IT skills – Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Ability to produce high quality documents.

Qualifications / experience

The preferred candidate will possess some or all of the following qualifications / experience:

Qualifications

• Educated to Bachelor degree level, preferably with 2:1 degree and in an environmental, social or sustainability-related discipline
• Masters, preferably in an environmental, social or sustainability-related discipline
• 10 or more years of experience working in consulting and/or management role
• Prior experience working on projects in Africa and emerging economies
• Preferably membership of a professional body e.g. IEMA, IES

Experience

• Leading, managing and mentoring teams
• Identifying business development opportunities, developing proposals and winning work
• Environmental (and social) management systems (e.g. ISO 14001) and/or other management systems
• Writing policies and procedures
• Auditing and verification of ESG / sustainability data
• Sustainability implementation to integrate sustainability considerations into core business processes and procedures
• Experience in setting, measuring and analysing ESG / sustainability KPIs and targets
• Benchmarking
• Thought leadership
• Engagement with stakeholders e.g. senior management, external bodies and standards, clients etc.

Application details

To summarise, we are looking for an independent self-starter who is able to manage teams across Africa and emerging economies, produce high quality documents, develop further business opportunities for ESS.

While we are location agnostic, our headquarters is based in Dakar, although much of the time our team members work remotely from home. You must have the right to work in the country where you live (i.e citizenship or long-term visa).

Please note that it is important that you speak and write perfectly in English and have at least good proficiency in French.

Please send your CV and a short cover letter (one page only) explaining your skills and why you would be well suited to the role.

Note: Applicants who do not read and follow the instructions in this job description will not be contacted – linkedin easy apply cannot be turned off and those who apply only via easy apply will not be considered as an applicant.
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Closing date : 6 October 2021