Etihad Development Company is an Etihad Water & Electricity subsidiary, acting as a leading developer for infrastructure projects including power and water. We are focused on delivering major utilities projects across the GCC and CIS regions, spanning Conventional Power, Environment, and Renewable technologies.
Role Overview
We are looking for an Environmental & Social (E&S) Manager who will be responsible for leading and overseeing the environmental and social management of the company's energy projects throughout the execution phase, ensuring full compliance with IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles, World Bank Group EHS Guidelines, applicable lender requirements, and local regulations. The role provides strategic and operational leadership for the Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), supervises EPC contractors and Owner's Engineer E&S performance, manages stakeholder engagement, and ensures that environmental and social risks are effectively identified, mitigated, monitored, and reported across the project lifecycle. The position also supports corporate E&S governance and continuous improvement initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of the Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS).
- Design, implement and maintain the Social Management System (SMS) aligned with UAE regulatory requirements and international standards.
- Develop and execute the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) considering Dubai's social and cultural structure and previous experience in Central Asia, the Far East and the Middle East.
- Implement and manage the Grievance Mechanism, ensuring traceability, resolution and reporting in line with IFC PS1 and PS4.
- Lead the identification, assessment and mitigation of social impacts: livelihood impacts, economic displacement, vulnerability, gender, cultural diversity and access to services.
- Coordinate socioeconomic studies and stakeholder mapping, integrating methodologies applied in Central Asia, Far East and Middle East projects
- Integrate social criteria into engineering, construction and procurement planning.
- Coordinate internal and external social audits and lead corrective action plans
- Oversee the environmental and social performance of projects during engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover.
- Ensure EPC contractors, Owner's Engineer and key subcontractors comply with contractual E&S obligations, lender requirements and applicable regulations.
- Monitor implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), Biodiversity Action Plans, Labour Management Plans, Stakeholder Engagement Plans and Grievance Mechanisms.
- Lead environmental and social audits, inspections and compliance reviews, tracking corrective and preventive actions.
- Provide E&S input to project risk registers and advise Project Directors on emerging environmental and social risks.
- Manage relationships with regulators, lenders, communities and other stakeholders.
- Review environmental monitoring results, social performance indicators and lender reporting.
- Support permitting, land access, community relations, labour and human rights compliance.
- Develop project E&S KPIs and report performance to senior management and lenders.
- Train project teams and contractors on E&S requirements and good international industry practice.
Key Deliverables
- Fully implemented ESMS.
- Environmental and Social Compliance reports.
- Lender E&S monitoring reports.
- Audit reports and corrective action plans.
- Project E&S KPI dashboards.
- Successful management of environmental and social risks throughout project execution.
- Develop social compliance matrices and periodic reports for lenders and institutional stakeholders
Experience Required
- 10+ years of Environmental & Social management experience in infrastructure, renewable energy, thermal power, water, mining or major EPC projects.
- Demonstrated experience with IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles and lender-financed projects.
- Experience overseeing E&S performance during project execution and managing EPC contractors.
- Experience in the Middle East; Central Asia experience is highly desirable.
Key Competencies
- Leadership in environmental and social governance.
- Project execution oversight and contractor management.
- Stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution.
- Risk management and lender-grade reporting.
- Strong communication and influencing skills.
