Senior Biodiversity Specialist

To support Alcazar Energy Technical Services and cross-functional teams by leading and coordinating biodiversity and ecosystem-related assessments and requirements across portfolio of renewable energy projects across the MENA region, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia to ensure compliance with international standards of best practice.

The role entails conducting and/or leading a variety of environmental and social (E&S) studies and assessments, from in-house due diligence exercises and biodiversity risk screenings, external and internal E&S due diligence exercises, baseline studies, external environmental and social impact assessments, management and monitoring plans and active implementation and oversight during development, execution and operational phases of the projects.

The Senior Biodiversity Specialist will also support the integration of biodiversity considerations into corporate and project-level Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS), including alignment with IFC Performance Standard 6, EBRD Environmental & Social requirements 6, EIB E&S Standards, EU Directives (where applicable), EU Taxonomy and potential emerging frameworks such as TNFD as required.

Responsibilities

Biodiversity & Ecology Studies, Critical Habitat and Species Assessments

• Conduct environmental screening assessments of potential investment opportunities at origination stage
• Lead biodiversity sections of the E&S due diligence assessments, both internally and coordinating third party assessments by E&S consultants of potential investment opportunities at early development stage
• Support in the interface with Lenders E&S teams and Lenders E&S advisor.
• Lead and coordinate biodiversity, avifauna, and bat baseline studies for projects in portfolio.
• Manage and review vantage point, acoustic, and seasonal survey programs.
• Support collision risk assessments (CRA) and migratory corridor assessments.
• Support Critical Habitat Assessments and protected area screening in line with IFC PS6, EBRD ES6 and EIB Standards.
• Review biodiversity and ornithology inputs to ESIA and related technical studies.

Biodiversity Risk Management Across Project Planning & Operations

• Provide early environmental support with planning and relevant consent applications.
• Integrate biodiversity, bird, and bat considerations into project siting, layout, and design.
• Apply the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, restore, offset) to project impacts.
• Develop and oversee species protection and mitigation measures, including turbine micro-siting, seasonal restrictions, and curtailment strategies
• Oversee and monitor environmental and biodiversity performance of Turbine Supplier, Balance of Plant (BoP) and/or EPC and O&M contractor through site inspections, progress meetings, review of documentation and performance indicators for Projects under construction and operation.
• Work closely with internal (E&S, technical, investments, contracts, legal) teams & external stakeholders to identify and address biodiversity risks.
• Support biodiversity risk management during construction and operation phases.
• Communicate project requirements, environmental & biodiversity procedures and standards to relevant parties and oversee its implementation
• Provide technical guidance to contractors and O&M teams on biodiversity requirements.

Biodiversity Management Systems, Compliance, Monitoring & Reporting

• Support in the development and implementation of the corporate ESMS ensuring the adequate cascading to cross all AE portfolio of projects at all stages
• Oversee and support in the development of Project-specific ESMS to ensure alignment with ESIA, ESAP, Employer requirements, Investors and Lenders’ requirements
• Develop and oversee implementation of Biodiversity Management Plans (BMPs) and Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) across all assets as applicable
• Support lender and investor biodiversity due diligence, monitoring, and audits.
• Prepare and implement Avifauna and Bat Management Plans, including post-construction monitoring, turbine shutdown programs, fatality searches and adaptive management
• Support habitat restoration, enhancement, and biodiversity offset measures where required.
• Monitor effectiveness of mitigation and offset measures and support adaptive management.
• Coordinate with specialist consultants, regulators, and conservation stakeholders.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of international, regional and local environmental and biodiversity standards of best practice, industry trends and regulatory requirements.

Biodiversity Governance, Stakeholder Engagement & Nature-Positive Initiatives

• Integrate biodiversity requirements into corporate and project-level ESMS.
• Prepare biodiversity inputs to lender, regulatory, and ESG reports.
• Track biodiversity KPIs and monitor data across the portfolio.
• Contribute to nature-related disclosures and internal biodiversity guidance.
• Engagement with regulators, conservation authorities, NGOs, and local stakeholders
• Identification and development of biodiversity enhancement, restoration, or offset initiatives
• Support nature-positive and net gain approaches where required
• Integration of biodiversity into sustainability and corporate responsibility initiatives
• Support internal awareness and capacity building on biodiversity and natural capital

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in Ecology, Biodiversity, Environmental Science, Conservation Biology, or related field.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum of 12 years’ experience in a similar role
• Previous experience with a Developer, an E&S / biodiversity Consultancy, or development financial institution
• Practical experience in wind and solar PV utility scale infrastructure assets
• Previous experience on bird and bat surveys, collision risk assessments, mitigation and management planning.
• Experience managing or coordinnating external biodiversity/ornithology consultants.
• Knowledge of biodiversity offsets, habitat restoration, and species management plans.
• Extensive experience working with IFC Performance Standards on Environmental & Social Sustainability and E&S frameworks of development financial institutions and/or multilateral banks
• Previous experience in MENA, Northern Africa, Turkey, Eastern Europe or Central Asia regions is preferred.

Job Specific Skills:

Proven ability to work in a team, self-motivated, with a collaborative and committed attitude and great capacity to influence others whilst being diplomatic

• Ability to communicate and present to all levels of the organisation and external stakeholders / parties
• Quality focused with a strive for excellence with demonstrated report writing skills
• Shares ideas and expertise pro-actively, provides feedback constructively and demonstrates receptiveness to new thinking
• Strong sense of ethics and integrity
• Passionate about environmental and biodiversity protection and socio-economic development
• Have a profound understanding of business impact on society/ecosystems and vice versa through previous multi-disciplinary experience (e.g. NGO, government and corporate)
• Proficient in MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Current valid driving license
• Other spoken languages (i.e. Arabic, French, Russian) are desirable