ESG & Impact Lead

An incredible opportunity has arisen at Gridworks Development Partners LLP; the business is looking to appoint an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) & Impact Lead in a newly created position, based out of its London office.

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Established in 2019, Gridworks is a development and investment platform principally targeting equity investments in transmission, distribution and distributed renewable energy, both on and off-grid in Africa. Owned and funded by the British Government, Gridworks is a subsidiary of British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution. Sustainable, affordable and reliable power is one of Africa’s largest infrastructure challenges and Gridworks is committed to tackling this challenge. Gridworks specifically targets SDGs 7, 8 and 13.

Sustainable development is at the heart of the firm’s purpose; it develops and invests in critical power infrastructure that will solve a substantial bottleneck to power availability, and therefore unlock economic and social development.

In pursuit of this objective, Gridworks has established a strategy and methodology with which to approach and measure impact, along with strategy and best-practice in relation to ESG performance.

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The ESG & Impact Lead will have the opportunity to further formalise and develop Gridwork's day-to-day approach and have the responsibility of ensuring the successful implementation of Gridworks' recently developed Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS).

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In the short term, the role will be more focused on pre-investment ESG & impact due diligence and presenting analysis and recommendations at investment committee meetings. This is because the firm is currently focused on deal origination and the deployment of capital in the African continent.

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As the portfolio of investments expands, so too will the remit of the ESG & Impact Lead. It is possible to grow with the growth and expansion of Gridworks into a Director level role with the scope to build an ESG & impact team as fitting for the business.

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Responsibilities include

• Coordinating the management of E&S Due Diligence (ESDD) and Environmental & Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) processes for potential Gridworks investments

• Preparing an impact thesis for each potential Gridworks investment, indicating how each project is expected to contribute to energy access, energy reliability, carbon emissions reductions and / or market-shaping

• Embedding updated ESG policies and overseeing the implementation of portfolio company ESG KPI reporting

• Working with investment managers to ensure ESG performance meets international best practice standards and IFC performance standards and complies with local legislation

• Engaging with stakeholders within portfolio companies to enable the implementation of post-investment action plans and value creation initiatives, including the establishment of community engagement projects

• Providing ongoing ESG and impact training to the investment team to ensure further uptake and fluency throughout the investment process for authentic ESG and impact integration

• Mentoring/overseeing of ESG Analyst with growing responsibility for ESG & impact data collection and analysis

• Undertaking site visits where relevant - willingness to travel to Africa

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Desired Skills and Experience:

• Experience and skills sought

• Experience of leading environmental and social impact assessment, due diligence, monitoring and assurance and management system development in emerging markets

• Ability to identify and clearly communicate the pertinent ESG drivers of assets/businesses in a commercial and emerging market context

• Strong communication, relationship building and influencing skills are essential to be effective within a growing and dynamic business. Plus externally with various stakeholders at portfolio company level including local communities and government and in a variety of different African countries and cultures

• An understanding of health and safety

Advantageous:

• Experience gained in Africa

• Experience of ESG in industry sectors with transferable ESG issues such as renewable energy, power, infrastructure, mining and extractive operations

• Knowledge or experience of sustainable development impact

• Working with Development Financial Institutions (DFI) or Equator Principles Financial Institution (EPFI)

• French language skills

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Visa sponsorship is possible for candidates with highly relevant experience in emerging markets, particularly gained in Africa.

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This is an exceptional opportunity to play a key role a fast growing and purpose lead development and investment firm, whilst contributing to the sustainable development of the African continent.

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Apply today to find out more.