Job Vacancies at Environmental Resources Management (ERM)

What You’ll Do

• As a Managing Consultant with ERM’s Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) service line, you will work in a fast growing and entrepreneurial team of consultants. We have a global client base, and you will be exposed to an international environment. Your time will be split between supporting client projects, business development and developing knowledge and assets within the field of mergers & acquisitions, environmental and social due diligence assessments, and environmental site assessments.
• You will be part of our growing Environmental and Social advisory team, with a main focus on due diligence and ESG aspects related to your clients and investors, while engaging with other business and technical professionals. You will work with all levels of technical expertise, from entry level team members to members with decades of experience, many of whom are subject matter experts in their own fields. You will engage in a continual learning environment through coaching, mentoring, and on the job tasks. You will split your time between office-based work, including drafting proposals, conducting site visits (including some local and international travel) and writing reports.
• The successful candidate will have experience in conducting ESG screening and environmental and social due diligence assessments for Mergers & Acquisitions transactions. Required skills will include being competent in assessing the maturity of the processes in place to manage material ESG topics at companies and developing mitigation measures and action plans. The successful candidate must be skilled in contextualizing developing country risks to European clients and audiences. Due Diligence assessments will range from complex commercial / industrial facilities, both locally and elsewhere in Africa, and/or facilities with long industrial histories, managing multi-site environmental due diligence projects, conducting and/or managing environmental compliance audits of commercial / industrial facilities, and assisting clients with post-transaction integration.
• Additionally, you will support the team with developing client ready proposals, preparing sales pitches and other business development activities to grow ERM’s M&A service line. You will also provide your knowledge and insights to develop knowledge and assets to support our clients with managing their business opportunities and risks.

Who You’ll Work With

• You will be based in our South African office as part of ERM’s Mergers and Acquisitions – Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) team. This is a team of management consultants focused on helping companies to manage the E&S, H&S and ESG risks at sites or projects that they are acquiring or investing in, and where due diligence is required.
• M&A is a service with a unique blend of strategic, operational, data & analytics and technical expertise and knowledge. The team works across all financial and corporate sectors, with a strong focus on extractives, technology and financial services across Africa. At ERM, regardless of the sector in which you work, you will get the opportunity to work with multi- disciplinary teams and in different business environments.

You’ll bring (experience and qualifications):

• At least 8 years of work experience in relevant environmental, health & safety, and social context.
• A solid understanding of the implementation of the following standards in developing markets/countries: IFC performance standards, Equator Principles, World Bank EHS guidelines, OECD, International Labour Organization Standards, as they apply to due diligence assessments (African Development Bank E&S policy knowledge would be an advantage).
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving and report writing skills.
• Excellent advisory and business development skills.
• Master's or PhD degree in business, economics, finance, environmental science or similar.
• Hands-on and outstanding interpersonal and communication skills to interact with internal and external stakeholders while working in an international collaborative team environment.
• Fluent in English (spoken/written) and competency in French, although not essential, will be a major advantage.

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• The ideal individual will help us continue to drive the growth of ERM’s business in Social Performance across a wide range of business sectors in the Africa and across the EMEA region. They will be able to draw on a global network of ERM Partners and consultants working with clients on a broad range of social consulting issues. As a key contributor to this important sector within ERM’s strategic growth plans, you will be fundamental to the growth of ERM’s business in EMEA through selling and delivering world-class services, recruiting and developing others in order to expand our current team, and further advancing our reputation for human rights, labour rights and social performance consulting more widely. Demand for our services is expanding and this role offers a rewarding role for the right individual within a close knit and high functioning team. This opportunity will enable you to contribute significantly to key decisions, including the overall strategic direction of our UK & Northern Europe and EMEA strategy.
• This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional with a passion
• for Human Rights and experience within the areas of due diligence, impact assessments, ethical trade, supply chain, labour standards and working conditions, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), indigenous peoples, and gender keen to pragmatically advise businesses on how they might meet, or influence business partners to meet Corporate Responsibility, Human Rights and Sustainability expectations.

Job Profile Summary

• As a Principal Consultant joining our team, your key focus will be on helping our clients to define and implement strategies for Human Rights policy and practice.

Technically, the consultant should have experience in some or all of the following areas:

• Experience with human rights topics such as modern slavery, living wage methodologies, labour and working conditions, indigenous peoples, gender, diversity & inclusion, Just Transition and supply chain/ responsible sourcing.
• Experience of developing Human Rights policies and implementation guidance.
• Experience in undertaking human rights due diligence using standards such as the UN Guiding Principles, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles as a benchmark.
• Experience in delivering human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) in line with international standards.
• Experience in delivering human rights / labour audits and developing and managing pragmatic corrective action plans (CAPs) for remedy.
• Previous experience within industry or consultancy is desirable.
• Proven ability to confidently deliver to tight timelines and work cross-culturally in an international working environment.
• Excellent project management and communication skills

As a Principal Consultant within the team, you will be responsible for:

• Managing or coordinating medium to large sized projects or whole elements of larger multidisciplinary or global projects – as ERM works closely with some of the world’s largest organisations, we anticipate that this role will require close collaboration with our regional and global social performance teams.
• Delivering multiple project tasks or components, including proposals.
• Supervising project team(s) and coaching and mentoring more junior staff.
• Understanding the interrelationships between ERM services and policies and how these are applied within the clients’ business model.
• Establishing strong working relationships with clients through project delivery.
• Developing social performance and public affairs services across EMEA.
• Advising our key local, regional and global clients and finding solutions for their ESG and climate change related challenges.
• Making use of effective working relationships with business unit and participate in global technical communities to ensure strong network of resources.
• Remaining up to date with external market and client industry trends.
• Sharing expertise and knowledge within the business unit and/or global practice area.
• Understanding how work of the project team and or practice community contributes to ERM’s success.
• You will be part of our interdisciplinary and international team and will collaborate with ERM offices in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

Job Requirements

• Postgraduate degree (preferably a Master’s-level degree) in a relevant discipline (i.e. Human Rights, Social science, Geography, International/ Socio-economic Development, Anthropology).
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Human Rights or Social Performance.
• Strong technical delivery experience.
• Understanding of relevant international Safeguards and Standards, i.e. UNGPs, ILO, etc.
• Commercial acumen, business development and project management skills.
• Commitment to excellence, and to health and safety.
• Excellent leadership and communication (both verbal and written) skills.
• Experience with using data and technology to solve clients social performance challenges.
• Willingness to travel.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Excellent reporting skills in English.
• Second language is highly desirable, preferably French, Spanish, Dutch.
• Willingness to travel for work on short trips to interesting locations mostly in Africa, Middle East and or CIS countries.