Biodiversity Consultant

Erm Group Limited

Job Description

• Work within a team to deliver Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) services to private sector clients and financial institutions on projects across the Middle East and internationally.
• Interpret and apply financial lender standards on biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g., IFC Performance Standard 6, EBRD PR6) in the development of ESIAs, due diligence reports, and action plans with consideration for regional ecological and regulatory contexts.
• Support the design and execution of biodiversity and ecosystem services baseline surveys in the UAE/GCC region, including supervision of subcontractors, health & safety oversight, and coordination of field logistics in arid and sensitive environments.
• Advise on the implementation of the mitigation hierarchy, including the design and review of Biodiversity Management Plans, Biodiversity Action Plans, Critical Habitat Assessments, and Biodiversity Offset Strategies relevant to the ecological characteristics of the Middle East.
• Review and advise on biodiversity monitoring approaches and actions to achieve net positive impact, with experience in regional habitats such as desert ecosystems, coastal/marine environments, mangroves, and wadis.
• Support corporates in developing biodiversity and nature positive strategies that address site level and corporate level impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities within the UAE/GCC context.
• Advise on appropriate biodiversity metrics for both project level and portfolio (corporate) use to measure changes to the state of nature.
• Organise and participate in stakeholder meetings, interviews, and workshops, including interactions with regional regulators, government entities, and local communities.