The Company:
EDF Renewables, established in South Africa in 2011, is a locally based fully integrated independent power producer (IPP) that develops, finances, builds, owns and operates commercial renewable energy generation facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa. EDF Renewables’ expertise in renewable energy technologies stems from its parent company, EDF Renouvelables, the renewable energy arm of global utility EDF. With offices located in Cape Town and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), EDF Renewables manages 4 wind farms (140 MW) in operations, two solar PV and 6 wind farm projects currently under construction (1.2 GW) and a development portfolio in excess of 3 GW of wind, solar and battery projects.
Main purpose of the role:
- To maintain a full environmental compliance system across the departments within the organization.
Key responsibilities:
Project Development:
• Support Project Developers who are managing EIA processes for new renewable energy projects on the mitigation of key environmental risks.
• Anticipate compliance with IFC Performance Standards from the start of the project development phase.
• Support Project Developers and EAP’s on the drafting of the EMPr.
• Stay informed of any changes to South African environmental legislation, policies, and guidelines that may have affect the development of renewable energy projects.
• Assist the Project Development team in devising appropriate biodiversity offset where required.
• Collect data and research on biodiversity topics in order to create a legal database for the company.
Business Development
• Support the Project Team to close any gaps on the environmental side with regards to Lenders due diligence and/or compliance with IFC Performance Standards.
• Adapt the environmental section of EDF R’s generic Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) to reflect the project context with assistance from the PM.
Project Implementation
• Develop and manage a checklist to ensure compliance with all pre-construction EA conditions and EMPr mitigation measures.
• Manage the contracts with the appointed external ECO and ESO.
• Review ECO and ESO reports and propose, in consultation with the Project Implementation team, workable solutions to any challenges raised by the ECO.
• Assist the Project Manager in executing the recommendations stipulated in the EMPr.
Asset Management
• Support EDF R’s Asset Management team to ensure that all assets are managed according to the environmental conditions included in the Project ESMS, EMPr, EA, and all other applicable approvals.
Must-have Qualifications and Certifications:
- Bachelor of Science/Social Degree in Environmental Science/Management, Geography, or related qualification.
- Candidate SACNASP / EAPASA certification.
Preferred Qualifications and Certifications:
- Bachelor of Science/Social Honours Degree in Environmental Science, Geography, or related qualification.
- Professional SACNASP / EAPASA certification.
Must-have years of professional experiences:
- Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, such as experience as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner, Environmental Control Officer, Environmental Officer, or a similar position.
Preferred years of professional experiences:
- At least 8 years of relevant work experience, such as experience as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner, Environmental Control Officer, Environmental Officer, Environmental Specialist, Biodiversity Manager, or a similar position.
- Experience in the Renewable Energy sector would be an advantage.
Technical competencies:
- Excellent working knowledge of NEMA and associated environmental guidelines, laws and regulations.
- Experience in working with the IFC Performance Standards and Equator Principles.
- Experience in environmental monitoring, compliance auditing, and contractor management.
- Good communication skills.
- Speaks and writes English fluently. Good knowledge of another language is an advantage.
- Good report writing ability.
- Analytical thinking with focus on customer (business units) and goal achievement.
- Well-versed in the use and application of Microsoft Office software.
Behavioral competencies:
- Good communication skills, ability to collaborate with various team members across departments, ability to adapt and be flexible - open to change and learning from experiences, and problem-solving skills - identify solutions and assist in providing sound decisions to address challenges.
Leadership competencies:
- Ability to manage and supervise external team members on environmental processes.