Environmental & Social Specialist Dubai UAE

at  Alcazar Energy

Thank you for your interest in joining Alcazar Energy! Each role at our company offers the chance to make a tangible impact on the global shift towards sustainable energy. As you consider applying, reflect on how your unique skills, passion, and vision align with our mission to innovate and energize the world responsibly.
Alcazar Energy is seeking an environmental &Social Specialist to join our awesome team. This role will be integral in supporting our initiatives to provide operational support on environmental and social aspects (including environmental assessments and permitting, land acquisition, labour, community and stakeholder engagement) for the development, construction and operational phases of renewable energy projects for Alcazar Energy in line with best international practice and applicable E&S framework. Responsible for monitoring and reporting on E&S performance during the development phase as well as E&S performance of the EPC and O&M Contractor (and its subcontractors) during construction and operational phases, coordination of stakeholder engagement activities, and on-the-ground support for the development and implementation of Alcazar Energy’s social responsibility strategy, working closely with the Country/Development Manager, Project Engineers (and advisors) and Community Liaison Officer.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant subject or specialty such as Environmental discipline, Engineering, International Development or equivalent experience

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in environmental protection and permitting, non-governmental organizations, social responsibility post or similar role
• Previous experience in stakeholder engagement and land acquisition in accordance with international standards
• Previous experience with a Developer, an E&S Consultancy, a development financial institution and/or governmental institution
• Significant experience in front-end environmental and social studies and assessments
• Preferably previous experience in an organization with a strong E&S culture and/or in internationally financed projects (that required meeting IFC Performance Standards on Environmental & Social Sustainability and/or EBRD Performance Requirements and/or EIB E&S Standards)

JOB SPECIFIC SKILLS:

• Passionate about environmental protection, socio-economic development, strong affinity working with communities and understands cultural sensitivities
• Has a profound understanding of business impact on society/ecosystems and vice versa through previous multi-disciplinary experience (e.g. NGO, government and corporate)
• Knowledgeable of regulatory frameworks, local regulations, permits, authorisations and any other consents required for the development of infrastructure projects, ideally renewable energy projects, as well as possess knowledge of relevant industry players i.e. developers, consultants, service providers
• Strong sense of ethics and integrity, team player, self-motivated and with a constructive and committed attitude
• Commercial and financial acumen
• Quality focused with a strive for excellence
• Proficient in MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Current valid driving license

• Build and maintain a positive and active collaborative relationship with the landowners, local communities (and wider stakeholders), communicating our strong commitment to socio-economic development, environmental protection, respect for labour & human rights and strong governance, and fostering an environment that supports community involvement and ownership
• Representative of Alcazar Energy for all E&S related matters, in particular, support in the process of land acquisition, ensuring it fulfils international requirements, and engagement with landowners
• Being Alcazar Energy’s main local interface with E&S consultants, advisors, governmental authorities and other relevant stakeholders during the process of ESIA and later through the project life
• Coordinate the site-based tasks of E&S consultants during ESIA development, including, but not limited to, joining them on site visits, facilitating access to different stakeholders, such as landowners, community members, and local government representatives, and attending stakeholder meetings as the Company representative
• Monitor the progress of the ESIA process and review deliverables, to ensure Project requirements are fulfilled on time, within budget, with the right quality and in line with our E&S Compliance Framework
• Planning and managing stakeholder engagement activities, disclosure of ESIA (and associated plans) and other E&S relevant information to local communities, and implementation of community related mitigation measures recommended in the ESIA
• Participate in the development, regular review and implementation of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP)
• Taking part in Lenders’ Environmental and Social Due Diligence and periodical audits by the Lenders’/Lenders’ Technical Advisors
• Being Alcazar Energy’s first point of contact for grievance management, in according with the Project’s Grievance Mechanism and being responsible for filtering grievances and ensuring they are addressed in a timely manner
• Monitoring and reporting on the E&S performance of consultants, service providers and engineering companies during the development phase of the Project
• Monitoring and reporting on the E&S performance of the EPC and O&M Contractor (and its subcontractors) conducting E&S inspections, investigation for incidents and grievances, and following up on remedial and preventive actions
• Responsible for overseeing the development of the Project-specific QHSEMS by the Contractor/s prior to the construction and operational phases
• Ensuring the adequate implementation of the Project-specific QHSEMS by the Contractor/s (and their subcontractors) during construction and operation, in particular with relation to environmental protection measures, including pollution prevention, waste management, third-party monitoring (if needed), among other aspects, as well as social aspects, including working conditions, employment terms, training , labour code of conduct and implementation of the worker grievance mechanism by the contractor
• Providing on-the-ground support to the technical team as well as the Country/Business Development Manager and interface with the E&S and Technical corporate team and directing local resources as needed (such as the HSE Engineer) – Work closely with all parties to identify and address E&S risks, and material & emerging issues
• Maintain up to date knowledge of international, national and local environmental and social standards and legislation and the rapidly evolving ESG frameworks and requirements
• Facilitating training sessions for the contractor and subcontractor’s workforce regarding project E&S requirements and raise awareness of international E&S best practices
• Supporting in the coordination of monitoring visits by investors and lenders and their advisors and in the implementation of corrective actions
• Providing guidance, direction and supervision of Community Liaison Officer (CLO) and support them on engagement with landowners and wider local community members including but not limited consultation and disclosure events, community meetings, evaluating, reporting and resolving community grievances and providing feedback to the communities on issues
• Promoting awareness of social responsibility within the organization by involving employees, ensuring both management and staff are informed of status of social development initiatives
• Supporting the Country/Business Development Manager in the liaison with Government Officials, Institutions and relevant stakeholders with regards to environmental and social matters