Social Performance Coordinator - Fourways at ENGIE

Purpose

Responsible for project-specific stakeholder engagement functions and community investment programmes. The Social Development Co-ordinator will ensure that stakeholder engagement processes are developed and implemented in a planned, proactive and strategic manner, so that community risks are avoided and managed and relationships with beneficiary communities remain positive, or at the very least, remain stable. This Co-ordinator is also responsible for design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project-specific community engagement and investment  programmes that are built on strong relationships and built into a strategy for long term sustainable and transformational impact. Aspects of the role require participation in the company’s overall Sustainability Strategy. This role is based at Graspan Solar Park, Northern Cape.

Key Accountabilities

Key Activities

Stakeholder Engagement

• Develops project specific stakeholder engagement plans (“SEP”) that align to Engie’s Corporate Stakeholder Engagement Planning Process, including the design, implementation and management of a grievance mechanism for construction through to operations. During construction, this will be done in collaboration with the EPC/ main contractors, for application during the construction period
• During construction, assist with and oversee the mapping of stakeholders and execution of stakeholder engagements to mitigate stakeholder-related risks. In operations stage, managing this process. This, includes but not limited to:
• Identifying and analyzing relevant and appropriate partners and stakeholders according to interest, impact and influence
• Developing a strategy for engagement with the various types of stakeholders, including consultation types and frequency
• Building strong working relationships with key partners, NPOs & other stakeholders (including IPPs) that contribute positively to the achieving the long term community development strategy
• Preparing and conducting community & stakeholder feedback meetings on an appropriate and frequent basis
• Engaging with relevant stakeholders at a frequency determined to be appropriate for each stakeholder
• Responding to community requests/ queries and complaints
• Attendance of stakeholder meetings
• Co-ordinates with Contractors Community Liaison Officers regarding effective stakeholder engagement and information sharing
• During Construction overseeing Contractor performance for the following, while taking full responsibility for these items during Operations:
• Overseeing the implementation and maintenance of the community grievance mechanism (formal process and structure) and ensuring that all grievances are addressed and closed out as per the project commitments
• Maintaining accurate records (presentations, minutes, attendance registers etc.) of all stakeholder meetings and ensuring that the records have been collated and saved on the company’s online systems
• Managing the compliance of all community stakeholder related requirements and processes under environmental management programs (“EMPr”)
• Acting as a point of contact for the local communities, communicating and distributing key project information
• Prepares and develops key project factsheets for distribution to management and community stakeholders to inform them about progress on project related activities
• Identifies key community risks (e.g. equal employment opportunities) and community opportunities to be managed at the local level to mitigate risk and to optimize initiatives undertaken respectively
• Reporting back to management on stakeholder engagement and providing  input to management reports on grievances, community matters and stakeholder engagement activities
• Liaises with company’s project managers and site managers to disseminate pertinent community intelligence that may impact the project activities
• Actively monitor relations between the main contractors and employees employed on site.

Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) Economic Development  (ED) Reporting

• Assists the ED team practitioners with any information and data gathering for REIPPPP ED reporting, as required
• Responds to any ED reporting related queries raised by various stakeholders, as and when required
• Assists in managing and coordinating the annual ED audits
• Responsible for Annexure B reporting on relevant SED and EnD projects
• Responsible for providing timeous reporting to all other areas of the business, including reporting to external stakeholders, boards and so on.

Socio-Economic Development (SED)/ Enterprise Development (ED)  Implementation

• Assists the ESG team in the design and implementation of a long-term SED & EnD strategy that effectively addresses community needs
• Assists the ESG team in the management of community needs assessment processes
• Identifies & designs sustainable initiatives that support the long-term SED & EnD strategy
• Manages the implementation of and  monitors the initiatives that support the long-term SED & EnD strategy
• Identifies appropriate stakeholders necessary in implementing successful initiatives and manages these relationships
• Prepares yearly SED & EnD implementation plans that describe the initiatives to be undertaken, the activities and the budget required  for the next twelve months and ensure that these plans are shared with the requisite stakeholders
• Manages the preparation of requisite contracts to be entered into with service providers and/ or beneficiaries
• Manages compliance with requisite contracts entered into with service providers and/ or beneficiaries
• Manages the finance related processes required to ensure that any payments to service providers and/ or beneficiaries are effected (raising of POs etc.)
• Manages payments to service providers and/or beneficiaries to ensure that they are paid according to contractual terms and in a timely manner
• Forecasts, budgets and tracks SED & EnD spend on a quarterly basis
• Engages regularly with beneficiaries to gain relevant information regarding the initiatives and to monitor their impact
• Defines outcomes of initiatives,  manages the collection of baseline data and monitors & evaluates the outcomes against the baseline data
• Responsible for maintaining accurate records (baseline assessments, community needs assessments, contracts, payments etc.) of all initiatives and ensuring that the records have been collated and saved on the company’s online systems
• Communicates with local community trust trustees regarding SED and EnD initiatives undertaken by the project and those undertaken by the trust and finds opportunities for collaboration in order to reduce possible duplication of efforts and funding and to have real and sustainable community development impact at a larger scale
• Collaborates, with other independent  power  producers and other organizations who are executing SED and EnD projects in local communities, on SED and EnD initiatives identified as appropriate for collaboration in order to reduce possible duplication of efforts and funding and to have real and sustainable community development impact at a larger scale

Team Building

• Develops and maintains relationships with all levels of staff as a trusted resource
• Maintains strong working relationships with and has open and transparent communication between all members of the team to ensure a healthy working environment is maintained
• Works closely with members of the team and more broadly throughout the company in providing required social input to integrated reporting requirements
• Works closely and constructively with contractor staff to ensure the best stakeholder engagement outcome for the Project is achieved

Communication

• Creates content for communications, media and other social platforms regarding SED & EnD initiatives undertaken – “story-telling”
• Prepares  monthly, quarterly & annual reports & forecasts to be communicated to  board members, shareholders, financers and any other relevant stakeholders

Qualifications

• Matric certificate
• Bachelor’s degree (in social and/ or environmental science and/or development studies advantageous)
• Driver’s license
• Monitoring & evaluation (M&E) experience advantageous

Experience

• 5 - 8 years’ experience in a similar role
• Exposure to the REIPPPP preferable