Analyst, Environmental and Community

THE ROLE

Starlight is looking for an Analyst, Environmental and Social/Community to support the development and implementation of the Company’s and Group’s Environmental & Social (E&S) strategies and objectives. This role will focus on integrating E&S criteria into the planning and permitting processes of utility-scale renewable infrastructure projects, helping the investment/developing team to identify and manage risks and opportunities.

You will report directly to the Vice President, Environmental & Community and work closely with the Starlight team (almost 50 professionals), providing expertise in E&S planning and permitting, due diligence, data collection, and reporting, as well as supporting the development of voluntary measures for positive E&S impacts.  Your role will also involve assisting in the development of E&S procedures to document the E&S process within the company, ensuring alignment with both the Company and Group policies and procedures.

Furthermore, you will collaborate with the Group Environmental, Social and Governance Team, consisting of ten professionals working across the other two companies of the Group (NextEnergy Capital and Wise Energy), to ensure alignment and consistency in applying E&S criteria across the Group and to gain support when needed.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

E&S Planning & Permitting Support

• Integrate E&S criteria in site screening, identifying and communicating potential risks.
• Understand and map country-specific environmental and social regulations, requirements and permitting processes.
• Participate in project design, focusing on de-risking projects (climate, community, etc) and identifying opportunities for positive impacts (biodiversity enhancements, community engagement, social benefits, reputation, etc.) and provide support in their development.
• Support the permitting process by reviewing application documents developed by third parties and preparing internal and external reports when necessary.
• Assist in coordinating project permitting applications (e.g. internal technical reviews, consultants, stakeholder engagement records, etc.).
• Ensure proper and efficient document management, and the ability to prepare a Virtual Data Room (VDR) when selling the asset under development to clients.
• Help in identifying and developing voluntary measures to create positive impacts (e.g. biodiversity enhancement measures, social benefits, dual-use of lands, etc.).
• Prepare and manage the scope of work and bid processes for E&S consultants.

Due Diligence

• Anticipate E&S project risks, propose mitigation measures and manage follow-up and records before due diligence.
• Implement ESG Risk Screening Group Tool across all assets in different countries, or develop a Starlight-specific tool if needed.
• Establish a process to develop and maintain this tool in all projects in the pipeline.
• Develop a standard factsheet/memo with all relevant E&S information ready to be handed over to the client.
• Provide support during ESG Due Diligences (ESG DD), e.g. liaising with different development teams to collect data, respond to ESG questionnaires and maintain a Q&A database.

Data Collection & Compliance

• Support and liaise with the Group ESG Team to identify the most relevant metrics for Starlight’s E&S performance.
• Develop and coordinate the data collection process for Group reporting commitments, including the Starlight section of the Group Sustainability Report, the Nature Strategy, Climate Strategy and Social Strategy, Web maps and GIS online.
• Ability to interpret and develop a GIS map for Starlight under the Group ESG Data Strategy lead, to support the investment team in better decision making

Procedures and alignment with the Group ESG team

• Assist in the development of procedures and tools to standardise ESG processes within Starlight, ensuring alignment with the company’s and Group’s policies and procedures.
• Participate in organizing and delivering awareness sessions, providing guidance for the implementation and monitoring of Starlight and Group’s strategies and procedures.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Time management & prioritization skills - things can get a little hectic, so the ability to effectively manage yourself and your workload is critical.
• Excellent communication skills (in English or/and other European languages, preferred Spanish) - you must be able to organize your thoughts in a way that others find clear and compelling. You will be expected to together well-written, grammatically correct emails and other communications. When communicating verbally – whether over the phone, on video calls, in person or in meetings – you will need to be articulate, warm and engaging.
• Flexibility - being an effective team player means being flexible in your approach and open to getting involved with new things, even if they are not spelled out in your job description.
• Intellectual Curiosity – Technical Management is a broad and nuanced field, and we are looking for someone who is truly interested in our profession and has the intellectual curiosity to delve deep into topics and bring fresh ideas into the team.
• IT Literacy - you need to be comfortable with IT systems and working with data (you should have at least intermediate-level excel).
• Delivery focus – it may sound obvious, but the ability to proactively churn through work at pace and deliver quality outputs really matters!
• Presentation skills - you will have excellent people and presentation skills and be keen to learn a new business whilst being generous with passing on your knowledge to another team, particularly M&A, investor relations (IR), Portfolio Managers (PM). and the asset manager WiseEnergy.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Passion for our mission ‘to generate a more sustainable future by leading the transition to clean energy.
• Our values: be a leader, build trust, be responsible, be innovative and ‘bring your alpha’.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS 

• Hold a sustainability-related academic background, which could include environmental sciences, biology, forestry engineering, or similar fields.
• Have 3-5 years’ experience in a relevant sector as an environmental professional, particularly in permitting and planning (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, environmental planning permission, biodiversity enhancement, community engagement and International Finance Corporation standards).
• Possess E&S technical expertise from renewables, energy infrastructure planning, permitting projects or environmental and social consulting.
• Have work-related experience with key standards and initiatives relevant to the financial, solar, and energy storage sector, such as the Equator Principles, and IFC Performance Standards.
• Be particularly experienced in international environments and biodiversity. Experience in agri-PV, nature-based solutions and artificial intelligence tools will be considered a plus.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A busy role in a supportive team, with plenty of opportunities to learn.
• International scope – we operate in over 8 countries.
• Hybrid working – we will need you in the central Madrid office at least twice a week, but you will normally be able to work remotely for the remainder of the week.
• 38 days’ holiday per year (including bank holidays plus 3 of which are taken during the festive shutdown in December)
• Private Healthcare for you and qualifying dependents.
• Annual discretionary bonus.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in this opportunity, please follow the link to apply or send your application to [email protected]. If you have been shortlisted for the next stage, we will be in contact within 14 days.

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our approach to diversity and inclusion is a natural extension of our values. Our entrepreneurial culture inspires us to try new things, be open to different viewpoints and be bold. Our Group is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of connectedness that values difference and gives space for individual expression. The collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent and hard work form the bedrock of who we are and who we aspire to be.

We are committed to equal employment and advancement opportunity irrespective of race, color, ancestry, social background, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability and gender identity.