Director: Social Impact & Sustainability

About the Company

Since its establishment in 2008, Mulilo has grown into one of South Africa’s leading Independent Power Producers (IPP). Mulilo is majority owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), with Norfund holding an additional investment through the Norwegian Climate Investment Fund.

Mulilo develops, constructs and operates utility scale wind, solar PV and battery energy storage projects across South Africa. The company currently operates 450 MW of wind and solar capacity, with a further 765 MW under construction. A portfolio exceeding 2 GW is advancing toward financial close, while the long-term development pipeline exceeds 30 GW.

Mulilo has concluded power purchase agreements under the South African government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), as well as private offtake agreements with several large corporate energy users.

Mulilo places significant emphasis on its people and recognises that successful infrastructure delivery depends on capable and committed teams. The company prides itself on providing a world-class working environment, with a clear focus on career progression and personal growth. Grounded in its values, Mulilo fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration and purpose, while remaining committed to its environmental, social and governance responsibilities.

About this role

Reporting to the Chief Asset and Impact Officer, the Director: Social Impact & Sustainability is accountable for Mulilo’s social impact, economic development and sustainability agenda across the asset lifecycle, from project development through operations. The role translates this agenda into high-impact, data-informed and compliant programmes that deliver measurable, lasting community outcomes and align with relevant environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards and best practice. It provides oversight of stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, regulatory commitments and team capability across the portfolio.

Duties and responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance

- Develop and lead the implementation of Mulilo’s social impact and sustainability strategy across all projects and platforms.

- Provide thought leadership to guide strategic implementation, in line with best practices and contextual needs

- Embed ESG principles into the company’s operations and align impact programmes with global sustainability standards.

- Advise executive leadership and Project Company boards on social investment, regulatory risk and impact positioning.

- Develop strategies for translating community needs assessments into feasible, funded programmes and oversee delivery and evaluation.

- Ensure the development and implementation of departmental standard operating procedures, tools and templates

- Oversee the onboarding of new projects into portfolio, making sure commitments are properly structured, implementation plans are in place, and follow-up and reporting are embedded from financial close through operations

- Support internal and external audit.

Stakeholder & Community Engagement

- Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

- Ensure a strong line of communication with stakeholders and ensure decision-makers receive accurate, timely and relevant impact information.

- Facilitate collaborative decision-making processes for socio-economic development.

Compliance Oversight & Reporting

- Oversee compliance across project companies with applicable REIPPPP socio-economic development commitments and obligations under Implementation Agreements (IAs) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), including effective controls, monitoring and timely reporting to relevant stakeholders.

- Oversee the preparation of timely and accurate reports (Quality Assurance, Consolidation, etc.) for internal stakeholders, project directors, government agencies and funding partners to support strategic decisions and demonstrate the social and economic impact of renewable energy projects.

- Oversee social investment programmes to ensure value for money and measurable, sustainable outcomes.

Leadership & Management

- Lead a team of managers, technical specialists and individual contributors to work collaboratively in achieving departmental goals

- Responsible for managing social investment budgets, resource allocation and vendor/partner performance

- Build and maintain a team culture, aligned to Mulilo’s values, of performance, accountability and ethical behaviour.

- Embed project management competence in the team to ensure efficiencies and compliance requirements.

- Ensure continuous process improvement and explore scalable innovations to expand impact reach and improve efficiency.

Required qualifications and experience

- Post-graduate degree in Economics, Business Administration, Sustainable Development or a related field.

- Proven experience (at least 10 years) in social impact and monitoring and evaluation (M&E), community engagement or corporate social responsibility, with preference given to candidates from the renewable energy sector.

- Strong experience (at least 5 years) team leadership experience, including developing a culture of collaboration, professional development and professional excellence,

- Strong understanding of socio-economic dynamics, local procurement policies and regulatory frameworks in South Africa.

Key Competencies

- Leadership and influence - able to manage and motivate diverse teams with authority and credibility.

- Communication - outstanding written and verbal communication; able to adapt style and tone across audiences and build consensus

- Stakeholder engagement and negotiation - builds trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders, navigates competing interests and facilitates consensus.

- Strategic thinking - takes an enterprise-wide perspective and aligns cross-functional work with business priorities.

- Organisational agility - prioritises and coordinates multiple workstreams, adapting effectively as needs change.

- Delivery and problem-solving - drives outcomes and develops practical solutions in a dynamic environment.

- Integrity and discretion - exercises sound judgement when handling sensitive information and reputational matters.

- Project management - oversees plans, resources, dependencies and delivery to meet agreed objectives and deadlines

Desirable attributes

The ideal candidate would have a passion for sustainable socio-economic development.

Mulilo is an employer of choice and is offering an extremely competitive total remuneration package for this position.

Additional Information

Might be required to work overtime according to operational needs. The position is based at the offices of the company in Cape Town and travel will be required occasionally.