An Executive in an RI sector team will lead the Responsible Investing workstream for both pipeline and portfolio stage transactions, with a particular focus on Environmental and Social risk management. This will include supporting the operationalising of the PRI requirements, fostering a positive team culture, contributing to professional development of team members, thought leadership and market shaping work. Further details on the role are below.
Responsibilities
Transactional Leadership & Oversight
Lead and conduct Environmental and Social due diligence for pipeline and portfolio investments, providing clear analysis and recommendations to investment teams and senior management.
Serve as a key liaison between the RI and Investment teams, interpreting and operationalising BII's Policy for Responsible Investment (PRI) with a particular focus on E&S governance but also some latitude to look at BI and Corporate Governance issues.
Monitor the portfolio for E&S issues, supporting relationship management with investees and fund managers.
Escalate material risks or incidents as appropriate, ensuring robust risk management and compliance.
Begin to identify and articulate macro trends affecting either E&S or BI&CG risk management/standards and BII's broader investment approach
Operational Support & Issues Management
Support the development and implementation of internal E&S policies and procedures, especially in relation to climate change risk mitigation.
Respond to significant E&S-related issues (e.g. policy breaches or incidents etc) in collaboration with team leads.
Maintain accurate data and records in line with internal procedural requirements.
Stakeholder Engagement & Thought Leadership
Participate in relevant industry conferences and forums, and share knowledge and insights across the RI team as relevant.
Support and contribute to thought leadership in RI themes across target geographies as needed, particularly climate and environmental themes
Provide either Subject Matter Expertise (SME) or thought leadership, particularly on climate and environmental themes
Collaborate with the Head of RI, Team Heads and Managers, and relevant stakeholders on strategically important initiatives, ensuring commercially relevant and precedent-setting positions are well articulated.
Training & Knowledge Sharing
Contribute to the design and delivery of RI training for internal teams and external investees.
Support the development of briefing materials, case studies and other materials that showcase how E&S or BI&CG business practices contribute to commercial and impact success.
Develop broader cross disciplinary RI understanding
Develop cross disciplinary RI competencies via learning by doing, formal and informal internal and external training, and proactive engagement with others in RI team.
Provide opportunities for others to develop competencies across different RI disciplines.
Regional Element
Support/coordinate RI inputs to regional strategies and investment pipeline, on occasion, meeting with prospective investees to introduce BII's RI requirements and value creation approach.
Actively manage relationships with key internal local stakeholders (e.g. investment deal leads), and external consultants and investees as required. Investee relationships may be held across all sectors (FSG, I&C and ITS).
Develop knowledge of local regulations, trends, listing requirements, industry associations, sustainability/compliance headwinds and market intelligence and regularly share with RI team.
Support thought-leadership by providing contextual inputs; attend/speak at relevant conferences and events and share knowledge with RI team.
Foster a strong team culture and act as a culture carrier for RI team.
Background, skills, aptitude
Essential Skills & Experience
Significant experience in identifying, assessing, and addressing environmental and social risks, preferably within private equity, banking, or development finance in Africa. Particular preference for candidates with a background on climate change risk assessment and mitigation and environmental topics such as biodiversity and waste management.
Strong understanding of the IFC Performance Standards and other E&S frameworks
Strong understanding of operational realities and practicalities on E&S in Africa
Proven ability to conduct E&S-focused research and due diligence, both remotely and onsite.
Knowledge of relevant E&S laws and regulations
Excellent research, analytical, and report-writing skills.
University degree (postgraduate qualification preferred) in a relevant discipline.
Technical Skills
Knowledge of E&S management systems and controls, and how these can be practically applied in operational settings
Experience in delivering E&S risk management and value addition to a wide range of clients.
Experience in developing and evaluating E&S programmes and risk assessment frameworks.
In-depth knowledge of BII's target geographies and/or priority sectors of investment.
Leadership & Influence
Proven track record in contributing to strategic initiatives and thought leadership on topics related to E&S - particularly climate and environmental aspects - in BII's markets of investment.
Able to influence and steer senior business leaders on aspects of responsible investing and impact value drivers.
Effective negotiation skills, including the ability to be persuasive as well as to listen and pragmatically identify when compromise is required.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage and prioritise a busy and diverse workload with a range of deliverables for a variety of stakeholders.
Risk Management
Experience in identifying and proposing solutions to complex risks/issues management related E&S or BI&CG topics in investments and demonstrating ability to support broader reputational risk assessments.
Able to identify the sources and drivers of RI and to develop and implement prevention and management solutions of such risks.
Communication & Presentation
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, including report writing, use of PowerPoint and diagrams to present information in a concise format.
Personal Attributes
Comfortable with the imperfect and able to draw on prior experience to navigate complexity.
Able to think critically and consider priorities and proportionality when proposing approaches or solutions
Enjoy working as part of a team, collaborating and coordinating where appropriate.
Able to support and mentor colleagues, as well as to take on board feedback and advice
Flexible and agile work style, with the ability to work on multiple workstreams/topic areas as required
Strong team player who enjoys working as part of a close team and is willing to collaborate and support the team on a variety of different initiatives and tasks
Demonstrable alignment with BII's mandate, mission, and values.