Principal Consultant, Social Performance and Human Rights (Principal Level)

ERM seeks a motivated Principal Consultant, Social Performance and Human Rights in Houston, TX with significant experience in industry and/or consulting to support and grow our Social Impact services for clients in the US, who operate domestically and across the globe.

ERM provides social impact advisory and technical services to clients across a wide range of industry sectors, including diversified energy, renewables, mining, technologies, finance, agri-chem and consumer goods. The energy transition and the pace at which new solutions need to be permitted and deployed putting people at the center; emerging regulatory frameworks on corporate sustainability reporting and environmental and human rights due diligence; the environmental justice movement; greater expectations on corporate social investment; and ESG in finance are all driving greater attention on the responsibilities and contributions of companies in the management of social risks and impacts in both owned operations and in the value chain.

ERM is looking for an experienced, well-rounded social performance and human rights technical practitioner keen on working with inter-disciplinary teams (e.g. climate, nature) to support clients at the corporate and project levels. Our services include updating company social impact strategies, KPIs and management and reporting systems; designing and assisting with stakeholder engagement locally and globally; conducting socio-economic baselines and impact assessments, including human rights impact assessments, aligned with international best practice; and addressing issues in owned operations and value chains.  

As a senior leader you will be fully accountable for successfully selling, consulting and supporting our technical excellence community of practice. The ideal candidate will have established relationships with business in the United States and will help us expand our social impact advisory services.

ERM is structured to encourage collaboration and networking among disciplines, service lines, industry groups and regional offices, providing opportunities to all our consultants and partners to grow on a wide range of topics on social and environmental sustainability.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• As a “seller/doer,” contribute to expansion of ERM’s US and North America social performance, human rights and responsible supply chain services by identifying and developing new opportunities, preparing effective technical proposals; and taking active leadership in the development of new delivery tools.
• Support global services and global industry commercial initiatives in ERM.
• Manage projects and delivery teams, providing technical guidance on social impact and human rights matters, including the intersection with climate and nature.
• Participate in ERM’s relevant technical communities.
• Mentor junior and mid-level staff.
• Conduct research to support thought leadership on social impact issues.
• Participate in industry and technical conferences.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Post-graduate degree, preferably in economics, development economics, political science, international relations, sociology, law, or sustainability.
• 8+ years (12+ years preferred) of experience working in consulting or private sector companies, specifically in their sustainability, corporate citizenship, procurement, responsible sourcing, human rights, or investor relations functions, or 12+ years working in social sustainability and ESG.
• Expertise in key frameworks and regulation, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, modern slavery reporting, GRI, DJSI, US environmental justice regulation, the IFC Performance Standards and Equator Principles. 
• Well established reputation and recognized technical expertise in the marketplace.
• Demonstrated leadership ability to build, coach, and mentor collaborative teams.
• Ability to navigate large, matrixed organizations and influence colleagues to obtain desired outcomes for the whole of ERM.
• Critical thinking and excellent communication (written/verbal) skills, including the preparation of memos, reports and visual presentations.
• Values-driven and a strong sense of ethics.
• A second language (e.g. French or Spanish) is not required, but desirable.

Who We Are:

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusiv