Safeguards, Risk, and Inclusion Specialist

Overview

Lead demand-driven technical assistance assignments to unblock climate-resilient infrastructure implementation across Eastern Caribbean SIDS, ensuring high-quality delivery and fostering sustainable skills exchange and regional stakeholder partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Screen RIISE requests and assignments for environmental and social safeguards, risk, GBA+/GESI, stakeholder engagement, grievance, OHS and related requirements.
• Strengthen safeguards, risk management and inclusion integration throughout the RIISE programme and assignment management cycle.
• Support RIISE-level grievance and referral procedures and assess the adequacy of project-level grievance mechanisms relevant to RIISE-supported assignments.
• Provide technical support, quality assurance and capacity building to the RIISE Secretariat, requesting government entities and other relevant assignment stakeholders.
• Deliver primary assignment reports (modality-specific) including Helpdesk Reports and Assignment Closure Reports/Final Technical Reports.
• Ensure mandatory components of final technical outputs adhere to RIISE’s Deliverable Standards.
• Determine, support, review and/or quality-assure specialized safeguard & compliance outputs as triggered by assignment nature and risk profile.

Required Experience

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in environmental management, environmental science, social sciences, international development, gender studies, human rights, Indigenous Peoples studies, environmental law, natural resource management, marine or coastal management, sustainable development, development finance, or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience OR Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above related fields with 7 years of relevant experience.
• Relevant experience is defined as experience in environmental and social safeguards, social and environmental risk management, GBA+/GESI, grievance mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, OHS/ESMP oversight, human rights, sustainability, climate adaptation, infrastructure or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience applying safeguards, accountability or environmental and social risk requirements in infrastructure or development programmes financed or implemented by United Nations agencies, international organisations, development finance institutions, climate funds, multilateral agencies or comparable institutions.
• Demonstrated ability to translate safeguards, risk and inclusion requirements into practical screening, mitigation, monitoring, reporting, quality-assurance and capacity-building measures.
• Experience working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing-country context (desired).
• Direct prior experience in Caribbean countries, particularly OECS Member States, and a strong understanding of the region’s institutional landscape and climate vulnerabilities (desired).
• Experience with climate-resilient infrastructure and environmental and social risk issues relevant to Caribbean infrastructure, including coastal and marine environments, disaster risk, community livelihoods, land access and other context-specific social or environmental considerations (desired).
• Experience applying GBA+/GESI approaches to infrastructure, technical assistance or institutional-strengthening programmes (desired).
• Experience reviewing or supporting grievance mechanisms, stakeholder engagement plans, ESMPs, OHS arrangements and related safeguard instruments (desired).
• Experience with rights-based and culturally appropriate engagement with Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and other groups that may face barriers to participation, where relevant to the assignment (desired).

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in environmental management, environmental science, social sciences, international development, gender studies, human rights, Indigenous Peoples studies, environmental law, natural resource management, marine or coastal management, sustainable development, development finance, or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience OR Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above related fields with 7 years of relevant experience.
• Project management certification from a globally recognized institute is desired (PRINCE2® Foundation/Practitioner or PMI -Project Management Professional - PMP or similar certification).

Other Details