IDB Invest - Environmental, Social and Governance Officer - IDB Invest, Washington D.C. Metro Area

Job Description

Background: IDB Invest is taking important steps to strengthen its non-financial risk management, hence our Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Division (SEG) is seeking a highly qualified and motivated professional to join our group to manage stakeholder relationships and reputational risks.

The Team: SEG is responsible for ensuring that IDB Invest financed projects and other activities are sustainable and comply with IDB Invest Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy (ESSP). Our specialists in SEG provide guidance on environmental and social safeguard issues to our clients and participate in project teams, during project due-diligence and supervision.

What you will do: The objective of the assignment is to support the stakeholder engagement, contextual risk assessment and public affairs work of IDB Invest, to develop and manage relationships with project-affected communities and civil society organizations, and support projects that require additional levels of stakeholder engagement and human rights assessment. This may include developing action plans to manage reputational, contextual, human rights and related social risks in projects, corporate and public affairs, in close collaboration with multiple internal stakeholders.

• Support ESG due diligence and supervision in stakeholder engagement by providing additional support on contextual risk, human rights, and other reputational risk analyses.
• Collaborate with Communications teams to align external messages on our issue positions, strategy, and client work.
• Collaborate with the business areas to provide advisory on sensitive projects including participation in client meetings, loan proposal drafting, among other activities.
• Provide strategic support to client companies on topics like stakeholder engagement and contextual risk.
• Support information-sharing with co-investors on sensitive projects that require additional attention.
• Research and respond to inquiries received through the IDB Invest Engagement Platform, in close collaboration with SEG and RSM officers and leaders. Improve mapping process of sensitive topics and sectors, and develop strategies for capacity building on potential environmental, social, and governance issues.
• Collaborate with IDB public sector to develop strategies, background briefings, and plans to promote civil society engagement.

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What you’ll need:

Education: An advanced degree (at least Master’s) in Environmental Law, Anthropology, Public Affairs, Communications, Environmental Sciences or related field.

Experience: Minimum 6 years of relevant experience. In addition:

• Previous experience identifying reputational and stakeholder risks, developing communications strategies aimed at mitigating those risks, and/or working in public affairs. Experience with human rights assessment issues and conflict resolution is desirable;
• Proven track record conducting market research in multiple languages and using new technologies, aimed at enhancing stakeholder engagement effort;
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and perform well under pressure, as well as execute strategies to manage risk upstream in the project cycle;
• Capacity to analyze environmental and social aspects of an operation, identify critical issues, and build best practices into the core design, execution, and monitoring of complex and diverse projects;
• Experience reviewing and monitoring resettlement action plans, stakeholder engagement plans, and conflict resolution;
• Ability to work independently or with limited oversight in the review of moderate to highly complex social issues related to projects, as well as across teams and functions;
• Demonstrated technical knowledge of best practices in working with private sector firms across industry sectors (including infrastructure, agribusiness, tourism and/or manufacturing), to identify risks and issues, and develop mitigation measures to promote compliance;
• Previous transaction experience with multilateral development banks and/or development finance institutions is desirable;
• Outstanding written, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ability to synthesize information clearly for a variety of internal and external stakeholder audiences.
• Knowledge and experience of Latin America and the Caribbean and flexibility to travel to the region;
• Unquestionable integrity and highest ethical standards.

Languages: Oral and written professional proficiency in English and Spanish required; knowledge of Portuguese and/or French is a plus.

Opportunity Summary:

• Type of contract: Fixed term
• Length of contract: 3 years
• Starting date: as soon as possible
• Location: Washington DC

Our culture: Working with us you will be surrounded by a diverse group of people who have years of experience in all types of development fields, including transportation, health, gender and diversity, communications and much more.

About us: IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, is a multilateral organization based in Washington, D.C., that is committed to the development of Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector.

IDB Invest offers a competitive remuneration and benefits package.

IDB Invest is committed to diversity and inclusion and to providing equal opportunities in employment. We embrace diversity on the basis of gender, age, education, national origin, ethnic origin, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and HIV/AIDs status. We encourage women, Afro-descendants and persons of indigenous origins to apply.

About the Organization

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, is a multilateral organization based in Washington, D.C., that is committed to the development of Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector.