Senior Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Officer

Job Summary :

The Senior Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Officer will manage, coordinate, and monitor project activities and relationships with partners and other project stakeholders to assist the achievement of the RESEEDPh project’s objectives, which focuses on the restoration of degraded ecosystems in protected areas and broader landscapes in the Philippines through science-based execution and the establishment of a biodiverse registry. At 50% Level of efforts, the Sr. ESS Officer will lead the implementation of the Environmental Social and Management Framework (ESMF) following the GEF standards. The Sr. ESS Officer will provide overall technical support to the project partners in ensuring donor compliance related to Environmental safeguarding.

Roles and Key Responsibilities :

• Lead technical, monitoring and reporting activities under Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Management Plan (ESMP) the project and through most of the project cycle - start-up, implementation and close-out - in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Train partners / grantees on the different ESMP principles, risk mitigation measures and plans
• Support the implementation of the ESMP accompanying plans – Stakeholder engagement plan, Gender Mainstreaming Plan, Grievance and Redress Mechanism.
• Effectively manage environmental risks in the project, ensuring implementation of mitigation measures as defined in the ESMP
• Support accountability through coordinating project M&E activities following CI-GEF and GEF policy. Proactively identify issues, report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Work closely with the partners / grantees field teams in the implementation of the ESMF, including supporting the grievance redress process related to environmental issues; environmental incident management; and preparation of environmental safeguarding reporting requirements for the donor.
• Coordinate activities required for ensuring the financial, material and human resources for the quality implementation of the project. Conduct periodic budget reviews as required.
• Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and disseminate results. Review project documentation to ensure the activity file is complete with all required documentation and is filed per agency and donor requirements.