Description
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The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank whose mission is financing the Infrastructure for Tomorrow—infrastructure with sustainability at its core. We began operations in Beijing in January 2016 and have since grown to 104 approved members worldwide. We are capitalized up to USD100 billion and Triple-A-rated by the major international credit rating agencies. Working with partners, AIIB meets clients’ needs by unlocking new capital and investing in infrastructure that is green, technology-enabled and promotes regional connectivity.
To this end, the Bank’s operational policies and procedures including environmental, social, procurement, and financial management are critical to achieving its mission. The Strategy, Policy and Budget Department (SPB) under the Vice Presidency, Policy and Strategy (VPPS) is responsible for policy development, policy compliance, advisory services, and resource management of the Bank’s operational policies and procedures. SPB coordinates with the Operational Services Department (OSD) under the Vice President Chief Investment Officer (VP IO) on environmental and social aspects at various stages of the project preparation and monitoring. The separation between SPB and OSD ensures functional independence and a system of checks and balances on the assessment of environmental and social risks and impacts. |
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| 2. Objectives of the Assignment
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SPB is looking for an experienced and high-performing Senior Environmental and Social (ES) Consultant as an advisor who is familiar with the operation of lending instruments and the application of ES safeguards policies of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). The Senior ES Consultant will work closely with other specialists in SPB to provide project ES assurances for the investments, support the Bank's teams in managing complex ES issues in the Bank-financed operations, and advise the management on complex ES matters. The Senior ES consultant will also play a critical role in building the SPB knowledge base and contributing to the capacity-building of in-house staff. |
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Specific responsibilities and work scope are as follows:
1. Provide expert advice and policy assurance on AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) and Environmental and Social Standards in the design of Bank-supported operations, including confirm ES categorization and risk rating and advise and promote consistency in the application of these policies across the Bank’s operational units;
2. Provide advice to operational and investment teams on measures and actions to address significant ES risks and compliance issues that may be identified during project preparation and implementation to improve the ES performance of the Bank’s investment projects;
3. Provide policy advice on international best practice and capacity building support to ES staff in SPB and OSD to enhance internal capacity on the ESP and critical ES aspects;
4. Provide advice on financial intermediary operations and measures to develop and implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) approaches for capital market operations;
5. Serve as a technical advisor on complex environmental and social issues including land acquisition and resettlement, Indigenous Peoples, health and safety of community and workers, and supply chain issues related to new renewable energy projects;
6. Provide advisory support to SPB management, ES specialists, and investment teams on complex project and policy matters that may pose reputational risk to the institution, through supporting the preparation of responses to complaints to the Project-Affected People’s Mechanism (PPM) as well as to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs); and
7. Contribute to SPB knowledge base and in-house capacity of staff by sharing the ES lessons learned from project reviews and policy assurance, periodically updating SPB staff, including management, on critical ES issues and its operational implications, and providing practical advice to strengthen Bank’s ESF application and ES management across the portfolio. |
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| 4. Consultancy Output / Deliverables
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• Review comments on the project documents
• Project assurance for the environmental and social aspects
• Materials for just-in-clinics on complex ES issues with Bank staff
• Policy advice to SPB staff and management on ES matters
• Brief notes for the discussions with Project Teams and Bank staff
• Other deliverables upon request |
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| 5. Implementation Arrangement
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The timeline for the advisory support will start in early June 2023 till the end of December 2023. |
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| 6. Support to the Consultant by the Bank
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laptop, access to the Bank's service account |
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| 7. Knowledge Transfer and Training
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The Senior ES Consultant (advisor) will undertake just-in-time clinics, deep-dive trainings and regular check-in with SPB staff (including management) to strengthen the SPB's knowledge on critical ES issues and operational implications. |
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| Qualification Requirement
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Potential candidates for this consultancy will be assessed against the following qualifications and requirements:
• A graduate degree in environmental or biological sciences, economics, finance, political sciences, international development, or related fields;
• At least 20 years of working experience in ES related topics, specifically related to infrastructure development and financial sector investment operations;
• Direct project experience in multiple countries on ES risks management associated with complex high-risk investments in the infrastructure sector such as transport, water, and energy, among others;
• Track record of developing strategies, policies, procedures, and guidelines on Environmental and Social Management Systems and related aspects to public information disclosure and providing quality assurance on ES risks and impacts;
• Familiarity with MDB relevant policies, investment transaction modality, and ability to provide guidance to various units and departments;
• Extensive experience working in a MDB providing advice and guidance to senior management, project teams, and ES specialists on high-profile investment projects involving complex high-risk issues such as land acquisition, resettlement, Indigenous Peoples, health and safety of communities and workers, stakeholder engagement, and complaints handling;
• Strong knowledge and experience reviewing development projects’ ES due diligence and implementation procedures and documentations;
• Demonstrated expertise in consulting with clients, project-affected communities, CSOs, and governments on land acquisition, involuntary resettlement and Indigenous Peoples and in implementing and supervising resettlement and livelihood restoration plans;
• Experience integrating safeguard measures and information disclosure requirements in ES related policies and guidance notes to improve ESG of intermediary financing, including financial intermediaries, corporate loans, bonds, funds and capital market operations; and
• Excellent written and communications skills in English. |
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Consultancy Input Days
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