Environmental & Social Advisory Consultant

Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of 16,000 designers, advisors and experts working across 140 countries. Founded to be both humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.”

Currently we are looking for a capable and independent individual for the following position as part of the multi-disciplinary team.

Ending poverty through economic growth while addressing inequality, tackling climate change and preserving the world’s natural capital lie at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  Arup has made sustainability, including supporting our clients to identify, design, finance and deliver bankable SDG investment projects, its most important priority, through the launch of our Better Way Strategy.  

We are recognised as world-class consultants in supporting finance-sector clients identify and address environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts, risks and opportunities on some of the most important infrastructure investments in Africa, Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia today.  This includes several complex Lenders Environmental and Social Advisory roles, ESG advisory services and advice and support to attract sustainable finance.  Over the next three years we aim to substantially grow our Lenders’ E&S Advisory and Sustainable Investment Advisory business and so are looking to recruit across a range of skills and grades.   

We are an employee-owned organisation which allows our members a unique opportunity to have a real say in our companies’ future, shape the exciting opportunities it can deliver and pursue work that aligns with their values and those of the firm.

If you want an opportunity to shape the delivery of sustainable finance and green economic transition in international projects and build a career at a firm that shares your passion for a sustainable future, we look forward to hearing from you.

The Opportunity 

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Consultant to join our established and growing Lenders Environmental and Social Advisory team.  

You will support the promotion and delivery of environmental and social advisory commissions, including environmental and social due diligence and Lender’s monitoring assignments for internationally high-profile infrastructure projects.  You will have the opportunity to travel to observe the environmental, health, safety and social impacts and risks of Projects, visit and engage with project developers, contractors, lenders and other key stakeholders and help ensure the delivery of good international practice in environmental and social management.   In addition, and as part of an enthusiastic and ambitious team, you will collaborate with colleagues across all Arup regions to contribute to the growth of our business.  This includes sharing your ideas and contributing to innovation and research in new products and services that aim to shape a sustainable future.

We are ideally seeking someone who can call our office in Beijing their home base.

Role

·       Coordinate and manage E&S advisory services to Lenders, financial investors and their clients including gap analyses, due diligence, independent monitoring, ESIAs / ESMPs, sustainability appraisals, E&S/ESG management and reporting systems and Environmental and Social Action Plans (ESAP). 

·       Undertake regular short-term travel to project sites overseas and/or supervise in-country specialists to do the same.

·       Line-manage more junior team members and support in their professional development and training.

·       Contribute to business development activities including proposals, presentations, and marketing activities.

·       Actively participate in and represent Arup at external meetings with clients and partners.

·       Contribute to and pursue opportunities to influence the sustainability of infrastructure, the built environment and our own processes and services, through thought leadership and innovation.

·       Establish and maintain relationships with external clients, and colleagues within Arup.

·       Work independently with limited supervision.

Requirements:

You will be able to demonstrate your understanding, skill, and experience in the following areas:

·       A passion for influencing the sustainable design and delivery of infrastructure across the project cycle in developing economies with at least five years of transferable or actual experience in addressing environmental and social/ESG risks and opportunities in internationally financed projects.

·       A degree or post graduate degree in an environment, social, health and safety or sustainability related science.

·       Practical application of IFI environmental and social (E&S) risk management frameworks (e.g. IFC/World Bank, EBRD, ADB, IADB, AfDB, Equator Principles etc) to lender-financed projects in a project finance context (PPP or sovereign structured finance) in a developing country context, through gap analyses, ESDD, performance monitoring and assurance etc.

·       Experience in working on major transport, renewable energy and/or power infrastructure projects.

·       Proven success of working in a multi-disciplinary team environment 

·       Proven ability to plan and manage self and others deliver multiple work streams within small to medium scale teams, including checking the work produced by others.

·       Excellent English written and verbal communication skills to diverse stakeholder audiences from individual discipline technical specialists to senior projects leadership, community members and lenders / investors.

·       Ability to work calmly under pressure to meet deadlines.

·       Recognised professional profile (e.g. chartership) with a relevant Professional Body or organization, or at least to have well advanced application for this.

·       Passion for delivering a sustainable future and for continual improvement of both self and the team. 

In addition, candidates with the following will have a distinct advantage:

·       Site-based or 'in-house' experience, working with contractors and consultants to deliver practical solutions to comply with Lenders E&S frameworks under Public Private Partnership contracting models.

·       First-hand experience of developing and implementing the necessary environmental and social management, monitoring and reporting systems for complex projects to meet Lender’s standards or equivalent.

·       Professional experience working in a construction EHS site supervision role on projects in countries and / or with workers from countries where EHS standards (or their enforcement) are less well-regulated or enforced than the UK (or equivalent).

·       Experience of supervising the tasks of more junior staff.

·       Applying systems thinking to sustainability challenges in the infrastructure context.

·       Ability to work in one or more foreign languages.