Senior Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist at IDC

Description
JOB PURPOSE
Analyze, monitor and advise IDC on appropriate environmental and social risk appetite, climate change, and the Just Energy Transition; partner with SBUs and IDC investee companies to ensure good environmental and social performance; advance innovation and increasing maturity in environmental and social monitoring and reporting; and partner with Government and other stakeholders in dialogue on critical environmental and social aspects relevant for the South African context.

Reporting Relationship
The Senior Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist will report to the Manager: Environmental, Health and Safety 

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Internal / Operational Processes

• Provide guidance on Environmental and Social issues to the Business Units and the organisation
• Ensure that the IDC leads through responsible environmental friendly and Sustainable investments, which reduce climate change impacts of industries.
• Develop and maintain a good working knowledge of relevant legislation in South Africa and other countries where IDC operates.
• Incorporate key international and national frameworks into strategic advisory capacity for the Unit and the organization, including among others the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  
• Contribute towards the organization’s strategies on Environmental and Social issues which feed into sustainable development.
• Ensure that IDC’s Environmental and Social policies, standards and procedures remain aligned with current legislation and best practices locally and internationally.
• Review and update the IDC’s environmental policy to ensure alignment to changing circumstances and best practice on a regular basis.
• Monitor compliance with the IDC `s environmental policy by subsidiaries and existing clients and advise on mitigation measures where necessary.
• Monitor environmental impact assessments conducted by the IDC, its subsidiaries and its clients for compliance to environmental legislation, efficiency, and compliance with procurement requirements.
• Provide assistance in the development and implementation of environmental management plans (EMPs) and environmental management systems (EMSs) at subsidiaries of the IDC.
• Asses and advise on Environmental, Health and Safety aspects of existing business partners and new projects under consideration for financing by the IDC, including defining the scope of work for environmental consultants and Lender Technical Advisors.
• Maintain contact with the regulatory authorities in areas of IDC operation aimed at elevating IDCs contribution to national and provincial dialogue on key aspects relevant to IDC’s investment portfolios.
• Coordinate and contribute toward relevant capacity building interventions on environmental and social aspects within IDC and with relevant stakeholders.

Customer Focus & Stakeholder Management

• To effectively interact with different SBUs and departments in order to fulfil the process requirements 
• Manage and enhance the levels of service and communication to ensure the provision of client service excellence.

Job Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS 

• Minimum qualification: relevant commercial or technical Honours Degree or equivalent qualification.
• Masters degree in a relevant discipline, which may include environmental sciences, general or industrial chemistry or chemical engineering, civil engineering with specialization in an environmental area such as water management, geology, geography, biodiversity, ecology and others will be advantageous.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS 

• 8-10 years relevant experience in the Environmental, Health and Safety field, or related field.
• Understanding of the legislative requirement relating to Occupational Health and Safety and Environment. 
• Knowledge and exposure to a variety of industry sectors. 
• Experience in engaging, managing and negotiating with relevant specialist bodies, governmental bodies, environmental groupings, etc.
• Experience in interacting and presenting to Senior and Executive leaders and various committees.
• A good understanding of the IDC’s operations.
• Experience working in a high-level collaborative environment
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities while building effective relationships
• Extremely organized and persistent, with drive and determination to achieve goals.
• Extensive experience in reporting frameworks such as the International Integrated Report Framework, the various Global Reporting Initiative Reporting Frameworks (GRI), the various Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) frameworks and others
• Extensive experience in environmental and social risk assessment and due diligence
• Extensive experience in environmental licensing requirements and processes
• Extensive experience in measuring and reporting on SDG-impact
• Experience in analyzing climate resilience at sector and project level
• Experience in analyzing climate-related financial risks and opportunities
• Good understanding in formulation and implementation of EHS Strategies and related concept

Knowledge of international and local Sustainable Finance Taxonomies

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Resilience
• Decisiveness in Execution
• People Engagement
• Communication and Engagement
• Diverse Stakeholder Management
• Teamwork
• Innovation
• Change leadership
• Strategic Thinking
• Business Mind-Set

TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES 

• Risk identification and mitigation 
• Environmental Awareness & Insights
• Process Improvement & Efficiency
• Analytical and problem solving  
• Customer insights and focus
• Planning and organising 
• Business acumen
• Results and solution-orientated

BEHAVIOUR COMPETENCIES

• Presentation and communication skills
• Relationship building and networking
• Negotiation skills
• Influencing skills
• Critical thinking