Associate Consultant - Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD)

WSP Africa; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 50,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a seasoned Environmental and Social Specialist to lead impactful projects across Africa. In this pivotal role, you will engage with clients at the executive level, ensuring compliance with environmental standards while driving business development initiatives. Your expertise in Environmental and Social Due Diligence will be crucial in navigating complex assessments that shape investment decisions. Join a diverse team committed to innovation and sustainability, where your contributions will not only enhance your career but also positively impact communities and environments across the continent.

Benefits

First-class medical cover

Generous annual leave

Paid professional subscriptions

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• 8+ years in ESDD and ESIA consulting assignments.
• In-depth knowledge of international ESG performance standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead local and international ESDD projects.
• Engage with senior executives on E&S aspects.

Skills

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)

Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD)

Project Management

Client Engagement

Technical Report Writing

Knowledge of ESG Standards

Education

Honours or higher degree in Environmental/Social Discipline

Job description

Company Description

We are WSP - Join us and make your career future ready!

Think bigger scale. Think higher profile. Think ground-breaking. Join WSP, and you’ll be at the heart of a team of international experts all dedicated to growing and sharing their expertise, and working on projects that transform society for all of us.

WSP is one of the most diverse consulting firms in Africa, and the largest environmental consulting firm globally. To further our strategic business execution plan, we are seeking leaders who share our guiding principles – we value our people and our reputation; we are locally dedicated with international scale; we are future-focused and challenge the status quo; we foster collaboration; we have an empowering culture and hold ourselves accountable.

Job Description

This role can be based in either Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead / prominent role in delivering local and international (Africa) Environmental and social due diligence (ESDD) projects at project level (typically Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) due diligence) and in support of corporate mergers and acquisitions against Lender standards.
• Engagement with Clients and other stakeholders at the senior executive level and providing support and guidance on critical E&S aspects affecting their investment decisions.
• Experience with preparing and implementing Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS).
• Key client/account relationship management, participation in marketing and business development activities, and development of ESDD proposals.
• Contribute to and drive the business strategy for the ESDD service sector.
• Where required, provide a support role to the delivery of ESIAs in line with South African and international lender standards, and permit compliance audits in terms South African legal requirements.
• Delivering local and international (Africa) Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) projects.
• Undertake permit compliance audits in terms of South African legal requirements.

Health and Safety:

• Role model standards for SHEQ performance and behaviour consistent with the company’s health, safety, environmental and quality vision and policies by influencing those around you.
• Contributing to the identification of SHEQ risks and driving processes to achieve Zero Harm.
• Embracing, displaying and promoting the company values and ensuring a safe working environment is maintained at all times.

Qualifications

• An Honours or higher degree in a relevant environmental and/or social discipline
• 8 years or more experience as an environmental and/or social specialist leading and delivering local and international (Africa) ESDD and ESIA consulting assignments

Other Requirements:

• In depth knowledge of, and the ability to pragmatically apply the international ESG performance standards (IFC, AfDB, EBRD Performance Standards, ILO Core Conventions, King III / IV, and the World Bank General and sector specific EHS Guidelines etc.)
• Demonstrable project experience in several of the following sectors: conventional and renewable power generation and transmission, road and rail infrastructure, ports and marine infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, and industrial manufacturing facilities.
• Knowledgeable in a wide range of environmental and social sub-disciplines (i.e. air quality, ecological impact, occupational health and safety, resettlement planning, labour practices etc.)
• Strong experience in Sub Sahara Africa (outside of South Africa) and ability to travel.
• Strong technical report writing skills, producing professional reports in fluent English.
• Strong project management skills.
• Comfortable to engage in client-facing business development.

Strong preference will be given to:

• Candidates who are able to read, write and converse in French or Portuguese.
• Candidates with knowledge of Impact Investing, Sustainability reporting and Governance.
• Candidates with strong ESDD experience and/or financial sector client exposure.
• Candidates with team management experience and a strong capability for this role.

The following will be advantageous:

• Candidates that have published papers in relevant subject matter.
• Candidates who have a relevant financial qualification and/or experience in dealing with financial sector clients.
• Experience with international ESIAs and/or EHS compliance auditing.

Additional Information

What's in it for you?

What if we can have work-life balance? What if we can be rewarded in ways that support our individual needs? What if we can be accepted for who we are? Here at WSP – we can!

WSP recognizes that work is only one part of our lives and making time for the other things in our life is important – be that our families, our friends or ourselves. So, if working from home, working part-time or having flexible start and finish time will help with this let us know as part of your application.

As well as rewarding you with competitive pay, WSP offers standard benefits including first class medical cover, generous days annual leave, and paid professional subscriptions.

Be you, be happy - we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture which respects and maximizes the contribution individuals can bring to WSP. We recognize the benefits that people with varying backgrounds and experiences can bring. Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. We will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria.