Principal Consultant, Sustainable Finance – Human Rights

Shape the Future of Sustainable Finance—Where Human Rights, Social Impact, and Capital Converge

ERM is seeking a Principal Consultant, Sustainable Finance – Human Rights, based in Washington, DC to play a leadership role in advancing responsible investment and development outcomes globally. This Principal‑level role sits at the intersection of finance, human rights, and social performance, working with leading financial institutions and corporates across North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. You will help shape how capital is deployed—ensuring projects meet international standards, manage risk, and deliver meaningful environmental and social impact at scale.

Why This Role Matters?

Sustainable finance is transforming how the world invests, builds, and grows—and human rights and social performance are central to that transformation. In this role, you will influence how financial institutions and corporates assess risk, comply with global lender standards, and integrate human rights into investment decision‑making. Your expertise will help ensure that capital flows support resilient communities, responsible development, and long‑term value creation.

What Your Impact Is:

You will operate as a trusted advisor, project leader, and subject matter expert—guiding complex, multinational projects and shaping ERM’s sustainable finance offering. Your work will directly support transition finance, nature finance, green and sustainability‑linked finance, and impact investing initiatives, while mentoring the next generation of consultants and strengthening ERM’s market leadership in social performance and human rights.

What You’ll Bring:

Required

• Degree in a relevant discipline (social sciences, international affairs, human rights, peace operations, or related field). Or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years (12+ preferred) of related experience in project management, human rights, and peace‑building operations
• Demonstrated passion for sustainability and a strong interest in sustainable finance
• Proven ability to succeed in a fast‑paced consulting environment, managing multiple projects, meeting strict deadlines, and traveling to client sites as needed
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, including experience authoring high‑quality technical reports
• Native‑level English proficiency (spoken and written)
• Fluency in Spanish (spoken and written)

Preferred

• Experience working with international financial institutions, development finance institutions, and private sector investors
• Exposure to transition finance, nature finance, green finance, sustainability‑linked finance, or impact investing
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across regions
• Prior client‑facing consulting experience within environmental and social risk management

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate across ERM’s global practice areas to deliver best‑in‑class sustainable finance solutions, integrating expertise in human rights, peace‑building, social impact, and environmental and social risk management
• Support ERM Partners‑in‑Charge with effective project execution, quality control, and client engagement
• Manage projects within agreed scope, budget, and schedule while ensuring high‑quality deliverables
• Lead, mentor, and develop junior consultants to produce consistent, high‑quality outputs
• Support business development activities, including proposal development, marketing materials, client pitches, and new service development
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders
• Support development projects (renewable energy, power generation, electrical transmission, infrastructure, and other sectors) by applying international performance standards, human rights frameworks, and social performance best practices
• Lead and manage the preparation of ESDDs, ESIAs, human rights and social management plans/systems, and project monitoring activities in line with national and international lender standards
• Contribute directly to project delivery through report writing and review, data collection, surveys and fieldwork, literature reviews, and client recommendations
• Review financed projects against host‑country regulatory requirements and international lender standards through document reviews, site visits, interviews, and stakeholder engagement
• Design and deliver client training and facilitate meetings on sustainable finance, impact assessments, and social performance
• Collaborate with ERM practitioners on impact assessments and social studies, including labor and working conditions, supply chains, forced labor, community health and safety, compensation frameworks, resettlement action plans, Indigenous Peoples assessments, and information disclosure strategies
• Serve as a subject matter expert in sustainable finance, with a focus on human rights and social components; lead training and technical development for junior consultants