Environmental, Health & Social (EHS) Officer

Job title: Environmental, Health & Social (EHS) Officer

Locations: Nigeria

Employment Type: Full-time

Job Summary

• The EHS Officer supports the implementation and day-to-day operation of Ashipa Electric's Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) across the company's mini-grid projects —ensuring compliance with the company's E&S Policy, national regulations, and lender/investor standards throughout site selection, design, construction, and operation.
• The role is central to identifying, avoiding, and managing environmental and social risks, and to maintaining transparent, trust-based relationships with host communities.
• The successful candidate will work directly across field and office environments, engaging regulators, contractors, communities, and project teams with equal effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Implementation & Compliance:

• Maintain and update the company ESMS manual, legal register, training matrix, and E&S documentation.
• Ensure all projects follow ESMS procedures and drive continual improvement.
• Track E&S KPIs and present monthly E&S performance dashboards to management.

Site Screening & Risk Categorisation:

• Screen candidate sites against the Exclusion List and complete the Initial E&S Screening Checklist.
• Apply VLD Guidelines for land donations and support fair, transparent land acquisition processes.
• Categorise sites as Category I [High-Risk] or Category II [Low-Risk] and advise on required studies.

E&S Studies, Consent & Permitting:

• Coordinate required studies by category: ESIA, ESMP, RAP and/or LRP for Category I; ESMP for Category II.
• Develop and implement Stakeholder Engagement Plans and Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRM) for all projects.
• Ensure E&S risks for gender, vulnerable groups, and SEA/GBV are identified and mitigated.
• Track and secure all environmental/social clearances and permits from REA, NESREA, and state MDAs before construction.

Community Relations & GRM:

• Maintain the GRM register; ensure grievances are logged, investigated, and closed out within agreed timelines.
• Support monthly community engagement and feedback sessions.
• Promote gender inclusion and the protection of vulnerable persons in all project areas.

Reporting:

• Prepare periodic E&S and HSE compliance reports for REA, lenders, investors, and internal management.

• Maintain records of training, audits, inspections, permits, and non-conformances.

• Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Social Science, Occupational Health & Safety, Engineering, or a related field.
• 2–4 years of experience in EHS or community relations roles, ideally in energy or infrastructure.
• Strong grasp of E&S risk management, stakeholder engagement, and grievance handling.
• Good report-writing, record-keeping, and independent field-based work skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel to remote project sites, including extended stays during project phases.

Advantageous:

• Familiarity with lender E&S standards, including IFC Performance Standards.

• Working knowledge of Nigerian regulatory bodies and processes — REA, NESREA, and state MDAs (Ministries, Departments, and Agencies)

• Experience coordinating ESIAs (Environmental and Social Impact Assessments), ESMPs (Environmental and Social Management Plans), RAPs (Remedial Action Plans), or similar studies with external consultants.

• Prior exposure to gender mainstreaming and SEA/GBV risk management in community-facing roles.

• Core Competencies

E&S Risk Management:

• Identifies, assesses, and mitigates environmental and social risks across the project lifecycle.

Regulatory & Standards Fluency:

• Navigates Nigerian E&S regulations and lender standards, including IFC Performance Standards.

Community Engagement:

• Builds trust with host communities through transparent, inclusive, and consistent engagement.

Documentation & Reporting:

• Maintains rigorous records, compliance dashboards, and reports for regulators and investors.

Field Independence:

• Operates effectively in remote and rural project environments with limited day-to-day supervision.

Stakeholder Coordination:

• Coordinates across contractors, communities, regulators, and internal teams with clarity

• Success Metrics

• ESMS Compliance Rate

• Grievance Resolution Timeliness

• Permit & Clearance Readiness

• E&S Audit Outcomes

• Community Engagement Consistency

• Incident & Non-Conformance Rate.

Application Closing Date

Not Specified.