Lead the integration and implementation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across the Bank’s investment activities by applying robust safeguard policies and procedures. The role is responsible for appraising, structuring, and monitoring transactions to ensure alignment with the Bank’s Environmental and Social Safeguard Standards (ESSS) and international best practice.
It further supports the Bank and its partners in delivering sustainable infrastructure and financing solutions that drive longterm developmental impact, strengthen institutional governance, and contribute to inclusive and resilient economic growth.
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory, Transaction Support and Oversight
- Support the development and implementation of sustainability policies, strategies, financing instruments, and products aligned with international best practice, sustainable infrastructure delivery, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Ensure consistent application of the Bank’s Environmental and Social Safeguard Standards (ESSS) across the project lifecycle, from origination to exit.
- Lead ESG due diligence for investment transactions, including identification of environmental, social, governance, and climate-related risks and opportunities; define mitigation measures and value-creation actions.
- Present ESG findings and recommendations to internal decision-making structures (e.g., Investment Committees and Board Credit Committees), ensuring ESG considerations are embedded in investment decisions.
- Integrate cross-cutting priorities such as gender, climate resilience, biodiversity, and social inclusion into project appraisal through tools such as the Gender Marker System and climate risk screening methodologies.
- Provide ongoing portfolio monitoring of ESG compliance and performance, including tracking of covenants, action plans, and development outcomes; recommend corrective actions where required.
- Support clients and investees with ESG advisory services to strengthen environmental and social performance, institutional governance, and sustainable infrastructure delivery.
- Contribute to the structuring of sustainable finance solutions (e.g., green, social, sustainability-linked instruments) to enhance development impact and crowd in private capital.
- Conduct research and apply global best practices and emerging trends (e.g., climate finance, just transition, nature-based solutions) to continuously strengthen ESG integration.
- Mentor and support junior staff and graduates, building institutional ESG capability and technical depth.
Impact Measurement, Reporting & Portfolio Analytics
- Contribute to the development and implementation of the Bank’s Impact Framework, including indicators, methodologies, and tools to measure development effectiveness.
- Assess and track environmental, social, institutional, and governance outcomes of investments to evaluate overall development impact.
- Produce high-quality ESG and impact reports for internal governance structures and external stakeholders, including development partners and platforms such as the International Development Finance Club (IDFC).
- Monitor portfolio-level ESG risks, trends, and performance metrics; generate insights to inform strategic decision-making and portfolio optimisation.
- Ensure alignment of reporting with international frameworks and standards (e.g., impact measurement, climate disclosure, and sustainable finance taxonomies where applicable).
- Strengthen data quality, integrity, and consistency in ESG and impact reporting systems.
- Provide evidence-based recommendations to enhance sustainability integration in strategic and investment planning.
Bank-wide Capacity Building and Integration
- Design and deliver ESG and sustainability training programmes tailored to investment teams and operational units.
- Promote awareness and consistent application of ESG principles, safeguard standards, and sustainability frameworks across the Bank.
- Embed sustainability considerations into processes, tools, and decision-making frameworks to support a culture of responsible investing.
- Facilitate knowledge-sharing and learning initiatives to drive continuous improvement in ESG practices.
- Stay abreast of global developments in sustainability, climate finance, and regulatory frameworks, ensuring institutional relevance and thought leadership.
Stakeholder Engagement and Thought Leadership
- Build and maintain strategic partnerships with investors, lenders, development partners, and technical experts to strengthen ESG integration and co-financing opportunities.
- Represent the Bank in technical forums, industry platforms, and sustainability networks to promote thought leadership and collaboration.
- Support engagement with clients, regulators, and industry bodies on ESG-related matters, including policy alignment and best practice adoption.
- Contribute to positioning the Bank as a leader in sustainable infrastructure and development impact.
Key Measurements of Outputs
- Number of policies, financing products and services developed and applied to promote sustainable financing and GIIP.
- Quality and effectiveness of ESG due diligence including risk identification, mitigation, design and influence on investment decisions.
- Contribution to structuring bankable, sustainable transactions, including integration of climate, gender and impact considerations.
- Proportion of portfolio compliant with ESSS, effectiveness of monitoring, and resolution of ESG non-compliance issues.
- Measurable environmental, social, and institutional outcomes achieved across the portfolio, aligned with strategic targets.
- Number and quality of sustainability-linked products, instruments, or frameworks developed and implemented.
- Timeliness, accuracy, and credibility of ESG and impact reports aligned with international standards and stakeholder expectations.
- Quality of ESG data management, analysis, and insights generated to inform decision-making.
- Effectiveness in building strategic partnerships and contributing to co-financing and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
- Reach and effectiveness of training programmes and evidence of ESG integration across business units.
- Contribution to research, policy development, and positioning the Bank in sustainability and development finance discourse.
Minimum Qualification
- A relevant postgraduate qualification (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Development Studies, Economics, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum Experience
- A minimum of 8 years’ experience in preparing and appraising projects for investment, quantifying development outcomes, identifying and mitigating environmental, social/governance risks.
- The experience must include a minimum of 4 years’ experience in assessing climate-related risks at a transaction/investment level.
- Extensive experience in the development and/or infrastructure sectors (sustainable infrastructure, social infrastructure, biodiversity, water, energy, transport or similar).
- Demonstrate experience/ understanding in the application of good international industry practice principles in ESG, such as but not limited to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, UN Global Compact, the IFC Performance Standards, the Equator Principles, and relevant national legislation such as the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the rule of law, justice, applicable environmental and social legislative requirements, and their application to investment processes in Africa.
- Demonstrate knowledge of corporate governance and its principles (particularly within a public sector, municipal and utilities context), ESG, and responsible investing.
- Working knowledge of BBBEE and gender considerations.
- Innovative approaches/experience on how to improve sustainability within development finance institutions and the financial services sector.
- Good knowledge of financial markets and ESG considerations in the development finance, financial services, and investment sector.
- Proven ability to undertake research, analyse, and synthesise diverse ESG-related data (especially climate-related) and information to deliver independent, high-quality professional reports.
- Proven ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently, and present ideas to clients and industry partners.
- Must be able to travel for business purposes.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Understanding of ESG reporting requirements and frameworks such as TCFD, Sustainability frameworks/assessments, Green House Gas Protocol, etc.
- Basic knowledge of carbon footprinting, carbon footprinting tools and the ability to apply the tools
- Understanding of gender mainstreaming and grievance redress mechanisms.
Desirable Requirements
- Professional registration with a relevant professional body.
- Professional certifications in sustainability or ESG (e.g., ESG investing, environmental and social risk management, climate finance).
TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES
Presentation Skills
- Can reinforce key presentation points with examples.
- Is able to translate technical terminology into language understandable to the audience.
- Has insight into the audience’s behaviour and motivation and responds appropriately and professionally, adapting communication style as appropriate.
Reporting
- Designs / customises reports to meet user needs.
- Prepares complex or tailored reports, gathers information from a variety of sources, analyses and includes in a report.
- Keeps standard reports under review and proposes improvements to meet user needs.
Problem Solving
- Identifies complex problems based on a broad range of factors, many of which are ambiguous or difficult to define.
- While remaining guided by organisational values, identifies optimal solutions, thinking first in terms of possible approaches and flexibilities in the system vs. blind adherence to rules or procedures.
- Implements solutions to complex problems, then evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions and identifies needed changes.
Planning and Organising
- Plans and manages multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Uses effectively advance time management processes to deal with high workload and tight deadlines.
- Organises, prioritises, and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient use of time and resources.
- Achieves goals in a timely manner, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritising, and re-planning
- Can model a range of scenarios covering all potential business circumstances and highlight potential risks/opportunities.
Environmental, social & governance expertise
- Has an in-depth understanding of environmental and social science and law and can analyse reliable, relevant, and verifiable information, test hypotheses, and conclude.
- Knowledge on how to approach socio-institutional risk at the transactional/ investment level
- Ability to apply environmental, social and governance risk analysis to an investment scenario and propose mitigants to close investment deals.
- Knowledge of relevant environmental, social and governance tools and operating models applicable to the infrastructure sector and uses that knowledge to identify best practices.
- Able to draw on environmental, social and governance knowledge to identify unique opportunities to enhance business performance for potential DBSA clients.
- Has some knowledge around the Task Force for Climate Related Disclosures and/ or the Green House Gas Protocol/ Carbon accounting/ carbon footprinting
- Understands the application of GIIP with the infrastructure sector and can communicate this to clients and position the DBSA as a leader in green infrastructure financing.
- Ability to analyse and interpret financial information and unpack the ESG implications for transactions.
Research & Analysis
- Ability to propose investment solutions through analysis and solutioning.
- Proactively identifies the need for, initiates, plans and manages research projects as necessary.
- High level of skill in the use of advanced/complex analytical techniques, tools and models covering all potential business circumstances (such as GHG screening, resource utilisation and quantification) and highlighting potential risks/opportunities.
- Translates research reports into lucid and valid summaries and gives effective presentations of the findings.
- Able to translate findings into reports and present findings to key stakeholders and important meetings.
- Advises on the formulation and revision of policy in the light of research findings.
Business Acumen
- Uses a methodical problem-solving approach to support effective decision-making, considering importance, urgency, and risk.
- Thorough and in-depth understanding of the business environment, reviews outputs of analysis to relate these to operational circumstances.
- Monitors the environment and continuously seeks opportunities to align DBSA operations with national, regional, and international GIIP and standards environment.
- Understands South African public and private stakeholder community issues/challenges and can build win-win relationships with them.
- Envisions, creates, and facilitates connections to develop and enhance partnerships, alliances and networks that advance shared interests.
Project Management
- Defines, plans and manages large and/or strategic projects, including those with a high degree of technical complexity, with impacts across the organisation and/or with national implications.
- Assembles and leads diverse and multidisciplinary teams, ensuring maximum effective resource utilisation.
- Successfully manages substantial project budgets, required SCM processes and reports directly to senior managers on the progress and results of projects.
- Identifies complex issues that need escalation and proposes appropriate corrective actions.
Risk Identification & Assessment skills
- Advises on applicable aspects of risk identification and assessment.
- Assesses and links short-term tasks in the context of long-term business strategies or perspectives.
- The KPA’s, competencies and relationships listed in this document are not exhaustive, and the incumbent will be expected to undertake additional duties within their capacity to meet the needs of business and/or the business unit.
LEADERSHIP/BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
Achievement Orientation
- Ability to act on feedback and take/ use constructive criticism to revise the course of a deliverable or action, should this be required.
- Flexibility and the ability to identify and work with different views and perspectives
- Undertakes challenging assignments and strives to complete them.
- Sets priorities and chooses goals on the basis of calculated costs, anticipated benefits and improvement of performance.
- Aims at exceptional performance; setting out to achieve a unique standard.
- Constantly analyses outcomes to ensure the achievement of business goals.
- Identifies short-term opportunities or potential problems, aiming to achieve better outcomes.
Customer Service Orientation
- Tries to understand the underlying needs of customers and matches these needs to available or customised products and services.
- Adapts processes and procedures to meet ongoing customer needs.
- Utilises the feedback received by customers to develop new and/or improve existing services/products that relate to their ongoing needs.
- Thinks of new ways to align DBSA’s offerings with future customer needs.
Integrity
- Is willing to end a business relationship because it was associated with unethical business practices.
- Is capable of challenging senior management (in an appropriate and respectable manner) in order to act on espoused values.
Leading and Empowering Others
- Creates the conditions that enable the team to perform at its best (e.g., setting clear direction, providing appropriate structure, getting the right people, obtain needed resources).
- Monitors performance against clear standards, addresses performance issues promptly and takes action to get performance back to desired levels.
- Proactively asks for feedback on own performance from team members, aiming to become more effective.
- Ensures tasks are delegated so that team members are empowered to deliver results and develop their capabilities.
Strategic and Innovative Thinking
- Recognises opportunities or potential problems, before they become obvious, by seeing the connections in a range of sources of information, including insights from outside DBSA.
- Restates complex knowledge in a way that makes it easier for others to understand.
- Experiments with new approaches, tests scenarios, questions assumptions and challenges conventional thinking.
- Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others, leveraging internal and external sources of information, to build incremental revenue and growth opportunities.
Teamwork & Cooperation
- Acts to promote a friendly climate and good morale and resolves conflicts.
- Creates opportunities for cross-functional working.
- Encourages others to network outside of their own team/department and learn from their experience.
