Job Description
Team and role overview
- BII has a range of specialist staff within its Impact Group who support the design and delivery of its impact agenda. The Environmental and Social Governance – Impact team sits within the Impact Group.
- Environment and Social Governance - Impact: A team of approximately 30 based in London, India, Nigeria and South Africa which is involved in all BII investments and provides assurance that BIIs Policy on Responsible Investing (PRI) is applied on all deals, and that BII is proactive in helping its borrowers, investee companies, banks and fund managers achieve larger and more positive E&S impacts (adding ESG value to BII transactions/portfolio companies/financial institutions).
- The E&S team has three sector teams that support three operational investment teams (Financial Services, Infrastructure and Climate “I&C”, and Industry, Telecoms and Services, “ITS”) and an overarching E&S Risk and Policy team. All sector teams within E&S supports a wide range of transactions from the earliest stage of origination through pipeline development, due diligence, approval, and portfolio monitoring.
- Our title structure is Graduate Analyst, Associate, Executive, Manager, Director and Managing Director. For this role we have the option to hire at Associate or Executive level. the level will be determined based on prior experience and competencies displayed in the interview process. The role is a 12 month Maternity cover.
- The Associate/Executive’s primary role will be to work with the transaction and regional coverage teams across verticals to ensure that the requirements of BII’s PRI are met in financial intermediation and direct transactions. Specifically, this will involve due diligence, portfolio monitoring, technical advice and value add to investees/ project sponsors, as well as participation in broader ESG-I team activities. The successful candidate should ideally have relevant experience in E&S risk management in relation to private sector investment in emerging markets, and across a range of direct and intermediated financial product types. The successful candidate will:
Responsibilities
- Work with the ESG-I team to support due diligence (DD) of transactions including, but not limited to, (i) commissioning and managing E&S DD processes, (ii) developing and negotiating E&S Action Plans with investees, (iii) inputting into investment committee papers and participating in Investment Committee meetings and quarterly portfolio meetings, (iv) agreeing E&S aspects of legal and investment agreements and (v) monitoring the E&S aspects of BII’s portfolio companies.
- Contribute to the evaluation of investment proposals, including preparation of Environmental and Social (E&S) inputs into Investment Committee papers.
- Work with the ESG-I and Investment teams to implement BII’s E&S policies in investee companies.
- Work with BII’s investment teams and E&S team colleagues to ensure that BII’s E&S requirements and policies are consistently applied by all investees.
- Work with investees to improve their E&S systems, policies and procedures, including the negotiation of action plans where necessary.
- Monitor investee compliance with BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing.
- Contribute to the development and/or delivery of E&S training, both for BII’s internal investment teams and for BII’s investees.
- Work on ad hoc projects such as case studies and “lessons learnt” analysis, analysis of trends in assessing development impact particularly with relation to E&S issues.
- Meet with companies, financial institutions and fund managers as well as visiting portfolio companies/sub-borrowers as part of BII’s due diligence and on-going portfolio monitoring.
- Contribute to periodic reports on E&S matters for internal and external parties, including BII’s Board and FCDO.
- Mentor and support the professional development of other staff.
- Participate in the compilation of briefing materials, case studies and other documents to illustrate how responsible business practices and improvements on E&S matters contribute to business success.
- Support the team with data and analytics requests.
The candidate
Background, skills, aptitude
Essential technical skills:
- Relevant prior experience working on environmental and social impact and development with investors and private sector companies/financial institutions in BII investment geographies (the role will require an individual who can pick up workstreams quickly and effectively, and support engagements with investees and BII investment teams)
- Advanced university degree (MSc or equivalent) in a relevant discipline including environmental and/or social sciences, development studies, engineering or finance, and preferably a Master’s degree in the environmental or social area; development studies / development finance; or a similar area.
- Proven work experience in a related field (ESG, sustainability, impact/socially responsible investing), preferably within development finance, E&S consulting, banking, private equity or the investment industry.
- Ability to travel often at short notice, or being based in our South Asia offices.
- Knowledge of environmental and social issues as they apply to businesses operating in BII’s core markets.
- Familiarity with the application of IFC Performance Standards to investments in either financial services, infrastructure (including power sector), manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, telecoms, business services or real estate.
Essential non-technical skills:
- Strong communication skills, including report writing, use of PowerPoint and diagrams to present information in a concise format, and oral communication.
- Effective negotiation skills, including the ability to be persuasive as well as to listen and pragmatically identify when compromise is required.
- Highly motivated and results driven.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent logic reasoning and structure in thought and communications.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage and prioritise a busy and diverse workload with a range of deliverables for a variety of stakeholders.
- Enjoy working as part of a team, collaborating and coordinating where appropriate.
- Ability to support and mentor colleagues, as well as to take on board advice.
- Good judgement.
- Attention to detail.
- Candidates should be strongly motivated by BII’s development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.
- Ability to travel for up to 50 days a year often at short notice,
Desirable:
- Additional language skills relevant for BII markets (e.g. French, Hindi, Arabic)
- Some technical skills set in an E&S related field – for instance climate, gender-based violence, biodiversity or human rights.
Our cultural values
We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:
- Impact-led, commercially rigorous
- Tenacious in the face of challenges
- Collaborative and caring
British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background.
Please provide a cover letter with your application
Salary: Competitive