Senior Environmental & Social Safeguards & Compliance Officer at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

African Development Bank Group (AfDB) - Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Senior Environmental & Social Safeguards & Compliance Officer

Position Number: 50058501
Location: Pretoria, South Africa
Position Grade: PL5

The Complex

• The Senior Vice-Presidency (SNVP) is responsible for supporting the President in the day-to-day management of the Bank Group to achieve its strategic objective and drive performance culture that will align all processes and systems to deliver high impact results.
• The SNVP will provide effective leadership and exceptional coordination to ensure implementation and monitoring of key corporate decisions as well as the identification of necessary corrective measures and actions.
• The SNVP will lead senior management discussions, decision-making processes and the implementation of key Board and Management decisions. ​

The Hiring Department

• Located within the SVNP Complex, the E&S Safeguards and Compliance Department (SNSC) is responsible for mainstreaming environmental and social development considerations into Bank-financed operations in the public and private sectors through the implementation of the Integrated Safeguard System (ISS).
• The Department’s main tasks is to improve the quality-at-entry (QAE) of Bank operations, including Country Strategy Papers and project-specific interventions (projects, ESW, etc.) as well as during implementation, with a particular emphasis on enhancing developmental effectiveness through application of environmental, social and climate safeguards procedures and tools at various stages of the project cycle.
• The Safeguards and Compliance Department’s mission is to ensure proper application of the Integrated Safeguards System (ISS) and its associated procedures, guidelines and tools, in order to enhance environmental, social and climate sustainability into the Bank’s operations.

The Position

• The Senior Environmental & Social Safeguards and Compliance Officer works under the overall direction and the supervision of the Director of the Department of Environmental and Social Safeguards and Compliance (SNSC).

Key Functions
The Senior Environmental & Social Safeguards and Compliance Officer’s core duties/responsibilities will include the following:

Mainstreaming of environmental aspects in operations, including safeguards, gender and social inclusion.  As task team member, he/she will provide support to Task Managers and Borrowers/Clients in identifying, mainstreaming and monitoring environmental and safeguard aspects/concerns in Bank operations during the identification, preparation, appraisal, implementation, and completion stages (throughout project lifecycle) through the following:

• Provide E&S support to the Bank-funded projects and programmes, for both private and public sectors.
• Carry out the mandatory environmental and social due diligence on Bank operations during the identification, preparation, appraisal, implementation support including field visits, and project completion stages.
• Prepare, archive, update when as appropriate, the categorization memorandum (CM) and the environmental and social compliance note (ESCON) of operations.
• Assist Borrowers/Clients for the finalization of the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the preparation of Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) documentation (SESA, ESIA, ESMS, RAP, ES Audit, Process Framework, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Hazard and Risk Assessment, etc.) to ensure compliance with the ISS.
• Review the ESA documentation submitted by the Borrowers/Clients as of the ISS and other Bank policies’ requirements.
• Draft the technical inputs of the E&S sections in Project Concept Notes (PCNs), Project Appraisal Reports (PARs), Project Completion Reports (PCRs) and any other project related report as required
• Draft the technical inputs of the E&S sections of CDN, CSP, RISP, etc.
• Draft and/or ameliorate reporting templates for use in implementing and monitoring social aspects and components of projects and programs.
• Contribute to the preparation of management responses to reports issued by the Bank independent accountability mechanism, and similar report.
• Liaise with co-financiers to ensure consistency in the mainstreaming of environmental safeguard requirements.

Policy and Compliance with E&S Requirements:

• Participate in the formulation, review and/or revision of the Bank environmental and social safeguard policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Provide policy guidance to Bank teams on environmental safeguard issues to enhance their awareness and the capacity of the projects and programmes to comply with the ISS.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Management:

• Contribute to the development and implementation of capacity building and training programs for staff within the Bank and in RMCs.
• Participate in, contribute and represent the Bank in internal and external trainings and conferences on environmental safeguards and mainstreaming as well as other activities for advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building.
• Develop and/or contribute to the development of innovative knowledge products on environmental sustainability, environmental safeguards and/or the E&S performance of Bank financed projects and programmes.
• Undertake any other task as the Director of the Environment and Social Safeguards Department and/or the Regional Director General.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• Have at least a Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences / Management (Environmental Management, Environmental Engineering, Natural Resource Management, Geography, Biology, Ecotoxicology, Agricultural Sciences, etc.) and an additional training in environmental assessment.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA), namely in preparing and implementing the ESA instruments (SESA, ESIA, ESMF, ESMS, RAP, ES Audit, Hazard and Risk Assessment, lifecycle analysis, emergency response plans, etc.).
• Demonstrable knowledge and practice of the environmental and social safeguards policies/standards, procedures, and practices of comparator Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) supporting the Regional Member Countries.
• Experience with international organizations or Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in Africa is an advantage.
• Have a good knowledge and experience of project management and multi-criteria assessments, stakeholder engagement and consultation, community participation; have analytical skills to assess institutional capacity and to design / review practical arrangements for implementing complex projects’ E&S aspects, particularly in Africa.
• Be results oriented, able to work in a team, a meticulous analyst with a sense of detail, a persuasive communicator and an excellent copywriter.
• Listening to clients - providing effective services and solutions to staff beyond presenting past challenges and challenges and gaining respect through the depth of demonstrated expertise, effectively managing various clients and country situations.
• Innovation and Change - Constantly seek more efficient and practical methods for the delivery of services and products as well as departmental process management and propose new ways to improve the quality and relevance of products and services.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and to develop effective working relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Have a good knowledge of the environmental and social issues facing Regional Member Countries (RMCs).
• Be able to communicate effectively (written and oral) in ‘’Portuguese and French’’ or ‘’Portuguese and English’’, preferably with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Master the use of MS Office software and management software.

Application Closing Date
22nd January, 2022.