Social Impact Assessment (Sia) Specialist

Wardell Armstrong is a successful multi-disciplinary consultancy with 13 offices throughout the UK employing approximately 500 staff, We have a great opportunity for a SIA specialist to work within our small but growing Social Performance team within a larger Sustainability and ESG department. This is a full-time position based in our Truro office or in London. Part time applicants will also be considered.

The SIA Specialist role will involve two complementary types of work, one focussed on Social Impact and risk management, and another on additional social value creation. The former requires social-related assessment for the development of environmental, social and health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) and environmental and social due diligence (ESDD) reports, as well as specialist studies such as community and stakeholder engagement plans. The latter requires social-related assessment for the added contribution of social value, as well as monitoring and reporting, namely the ‘S’ in ESG.

Our Social Performance team works with both complementary tasks to develop robust social performance studies across the UK and internationally in regions such as West and Southern Africa, Central and West Asia, East Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) within the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors, among other growing areas.

Role Requirements:

We are looking for a Graduate for this appointment, we will also consider candidates with relevant post-graduation experience.

·         A relevant undergraduate or MSc degree specialising in social sciences, or related studies in environment, economics or sustainability with strong qualifications in a social related discipline. Applications may be considered where work experience can be demonstrated on equivalent work within the social practice;

·         An understanding of and interest in social equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I or DEI);

·         Awareness of and experience with the application of SIA;

·         Foundational GIS skills;

·         Knowledge and practice with social research methods (mixed approaches) and ethics;

·         Empathy-based interpersonal and engagement skills to develop respectful and trustful relations with people, active listening and culturally appropriate engagement; and

·         A genuine interest in working on international projects (primarily in the Global South).

Multi-language skills in addition to English, for example proficiency in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese Mandarin, Russian and/or Arabic, would be advantageous for international work.

For recruitment at Graduate (entry) level we will provide on the job training and guidance through our Graduate Development Programme, so there would be opportunity to develop new skills and capabilities over time.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

Based on our Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy, we intentionally encourage diversity amongst our teams and our team specifically incentivises applications with intersectional ethnic, gender, class, age, belief, physical, emotional and neurological inclusivity. The success of our national and international work depends on the diversity of approaches, understandings, skills, and values of our team members. We are an interdisciplinary and intersectoral team that aims to foster and maintain a safe space where we can share our experiences and collaborate together. We encourage you to apply if you are interested in the role and feel passionate about its objectives.

In WA we place emphasis on staff development and encourage self-directed study and career progression. We offer support to staff working towards Chartered Status and we also pay a chartership reward on successful attainment of professional registration with an approved chartered organisation.

For recruitment at Graduate (entry) level we will provide on the job training and guidance through our Graduate Development Programme, so there would be opportunity to develop new skills and capabilities over time.

Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, please see our careers website for full details on benefits.

A fuller job description is available upon request.