Executive or Manager, ESG Infrastructure and Real Sector Investments - Impact

About BII

British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution, owned by the UK Government. With a mission to solve the biggest global development challenges, we aim to create a virtuous circle of investment and impact. Your contribution will be essential. 

It won’t be easy: we do the hardest work in the most complex markets. Be prepared to test your skills, get creative and say your piece as you take on high-profile work as part of a diverse team of exceptionally smart, passionate people. 

In return, you can take your career to all-new places in a culture that rewards curiosity and collaboration, and balances high performance with wellbeing.

BII at a glance

75 years supporting sustainable business growth in developing and emerging markets

£8.1 billion in net assets

1,400+ businesses invested in

950,000 workers in the businesses we support

£9 billion in new investments planned in the next 5 years

600+ people in our diverse global team

3 key development objectives: Productive | Sustainable | Inclusive

Team and role overview

BII is hiring for an experienced Manager or Executive level ESG professional to be based in either our London or Johannesburg office for a 12-month fixed term contract. We have flexibility on the offered level depending on the candidate’s experience.

The successful candidate should have a strong and demonstrable track record in environmental and social impact in relation to private sector investment in BII’s markets.

You will join our Environmental and Social Governance – Impact (ESG-I) team to work predominantly on our infrastructure and real sector (e.g. manufacturing, agribusiness, industrials) investments including PE/VC fund transactions. The ESG-I team is part of the Impact Group, which has a range of specialist staff within it, who support the design and delivery of its impact agenda.

The ESG-I team includes ~30 specialists based in London, India, Nigeria and South Africa. It is involved in all BII investments and provides assurance that BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing is applied on all deals, and that BII is proactive in helping its borrowers, investee companies and fund managers achieve larger and more positive E&S impacts. 

Other teams in BII’s Impact Group include Gender & Diversity, Development Impact, Business Integrity & Corporate Governance, Climate and BII+ (our technical assistance programme). 

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate ESG professional with significant practical and proven experience in infrastructure and real sector working on environmental and social impact and development with investors and private sector companies in BII investment geographies with a passion for development impact.

Purpose

The team’s primary role is to work with the investment teams and wider Impact Group to ensure that the requirements of BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing are met. Specifically, this involves due diligence, portfolio monitoring, technical advice and value add to investees/ project sponsors, as well as participation in broader ESG activities.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the evaluation of investment proposals, including preparation of Environmental and Social (E&S) inputs into Investment Committee papers.
• Conduct E&S due diligence independently, or with consultants, in line with BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing. Drafting of environmental and social action plans (ESAP), ESAP negotiation and ESG legal documentation.
• Provide technical support and capacity building to investees to support them develop and implement fit-for-purpose health and safety (H&S) and E&S management systems. Monitoring and close-out of ESAP implementation.
• Support in serious incident investigation and root-cause analysis, reporting and corrective action planning.
• Work proactively with BII’s investment teams to ensure that BII’s E&S requirements and policies are consistently applied by all investees, and monitor compliance.
• Work on ad hoc projects such as thought leadership, case studies and “lessons learnt” analysis, analysis of trends in assessing development impact particularly with relation to E&S issues.
• Meet with companies, institutions and fund managers as well as visiting portfolio companies 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.

The candidate

• Significant practical and proven experience in working on environmental and social impact and development with investors and private sector companies in BII investment geographies, with specific focus on infrastructure and real sector E&S due diligence and monitoring (the role will require an individual who can pick up workstreams quickly and effectively, and lead engagements with investees and BII investment teams).
• Advanced degree level (MSc or equivalent) in a relevant discipline such as environmental management, environmental law, social sciences, international development studies, engineering, or similar.
• Highly motivated and results driven.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent logic reasoning and structure in thought and communications.
• Strong communication skills, including report writing, use of PowerPoint etc. 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.
• 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 and ability to make informed decisions on imperfect information.
• Attention to detail.
• Proven work experience in a related field (ESG, sustainability, impact/socially responsible investing), preferably within development finance/impact investing, E&S consulting, banking, private equity or the investment industry.
• Ability to travel often at short notice.
• Knowledge of environmental and social issues as they apply to businesses operating in BII’s markets.
• Familiarity with the application of IFC Performance Standards to investments in infrastructure (in particular solar, wind, ports, transmission lines, hydro) and real sector projects (e.g. manufacturing , agribusiness, industrials). Experience of working with PE fund managers also desirable.

Desirable skills

• Demonstrable experience in multiple types of investment product (e.g. equity, debt, PE funds)
• French language skills.
• Experience with human rights and contextual risk assessments.

The team structure is graduate, analyst, associate, executive, manager and director. To be considered a manager level candidate we would expect you to have worked in the DFI/impact investment sector as an ESG professional in an equivalent role.

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.