Energy Planning Specialist, Sustainable Energy for All
Background About SEforALL
Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization working with leaders in government, the private sector and civil society to drive further, faster action toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to sustainable energy by 2030, and the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming to below 2° Celsius.
Achieving these goals will require a radical rethink of the way we produce, distribute and consume energy. SEforALL is at the heart of this foundational shift to ensure no one is left behind. Drawing on data and evidence, we identify a critical path to success in achieving SDG7.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Now an independent organization, we maintain close links with the UN, including through a relationship agreement, partnerships with UN agencies and with SEforALL’s CEO acting as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. These roles include advising the UN Secretary General and his staff on issues relating to sustainable energy and the implementation of SDG7 and supporting the coordination of sustainable energy issues in the United Nations system.
The ambitions of SDG7 are extraordinary. Aiming to achieve them in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change involves transformation at a scale never undertaken before. Swift action must be taken by leaders in governments, private sector companies, institutions, financiers, development banks, unions, communities, entrepreneurs and civil society. As we enter the final decade to achieve SDG7, SEforALL has strategically chosen to strengthen global agenda-setting while expanding its activities to an engagement model that prioritizes data-driven decision-making, partnerships with high-impact countries and implementation on the ground. The new SEforALL three-year business plan outlines “results offers” that scope out our planned interventions and demonstrate to our funding partners the impact of their support.
Context and Objective of Assignment
Through its new Universal Integrated Energy Plans (UIEP) initiative, SEforALL seeks to accelerate the development and adoption of ‘world class’ integrated energy plans (IEPs) as a way of helping high energy access-deficit countries gain a more integrated and data-driven understanding of the technologies and spending required to achieve universal energy access. IEPs can generate strategic insights into the optimal ways to expand access to not just electricity but also clean cooking, enhanced medical cold-chains for vaccine distribution. To do this, SEforALL is establishing a Center of Excellence to set the standard for best-in-class IEPs, guiding universal energy access efforts across markets. The Center of Excellence will seed the sector with resources and innovations, global advocacy for the widespread adoption of IEPs while working with governments to showcase, implement and learn from best-in-class IEPs. As its flagship country IEP, SEforALL, in collaboration with the Federal Government Nigeria, developed the Nigeria Integrated Energy Planning Tool, which is an online, interactive data visualization platform that brings together several layers of data to help Nigerian policy makers and practitioners make more informed decisions about their strategies and operations to advance energy access in the country.
The main objectives of the Universal Integrated Energy Planning Results Offer are:
- To accelerate the adoption of ‘best-in-class’ integrated energy plans among high energy access-deficit countries;
- Setting the Standard: Create practical tools and knowledge products that help ‘set the standard’ for best-in-class IEPs;
- Filling the Gap: Commission IEPs in countries where IEPs may not exist or where they could be improved upon (including clean cooking);
- Country-level Advisory Support: Provide tailored advisory support to countries that have developed or are developing an IEP to help them better utilize their IEPs and translate them into policies, finance and action;
- Building Demand: Use high-level advocacy to secure political buy-in on integrated energy access planning and the role of distributed energy for meeting energy access goals;
Purpose/Objective of the Role
The main objectives of the role include:
- Provide direct support to the programme lead, to ensure timely completion of all program deliverables.
- Provide expertise and guidance on thematic subjects, incl. but not limited to electrification and clean cooking planning.
Duties and Tasks for the Role
The primary duties and tasks of the role include, but are not limited to:
- Work closely with the UIEP Program Manager and other team members for the purpose of providing program and project support to the UIEP program;
- Support the Centre of Excellence with the creation of standards, tools, and guidance that support the development and/or adoption of best-in-class IEPs, e.g., development of a practical guide to energy planning, which will serve as a tool for governments to support the design of stakeholder consultations as part of IEP;
- Project manage discrete activities, including leading on implementation and logistics of (virtual) knowledge exchange workshops and webinars;
- Lead desk-based research and partner outreach to understand the status of IEPs in different countries;
- Support the preparation of technical specifications and design of the IEP projects;
- Support with the recruitment and management of implementing partners;
- Support the technical oversight of implementing partners around data collection, evaluation of the data, development of IEP models and scenarios, and evaluation of country-specific geospatial platforms. This will include providing quality control and ensuring that common data standards are used across plans;
- Support the identification of stakeholders and development of engagement model with selected countries;
- Assist with research and preparation of position papers on emerging approaches for integrating cooking and cold-chains into national-level IEPs;
- Provide support in facilitating stakeholder buy-in and commitments and representing SEforALL in different stakeholder meetings, as needed;
- Provide support in monitoring and reporting;
- Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing in own work area to bring about awareness and understanding, as well as utilise SEforALL systems and process to share the knowledge. e.g. Salesforce;
- Other tasks and duties as required.
Specific Competencies for the Role
- A Master’s degree in a relevant subject area (e.g. Regional Planning, Geography, Geo-informatics) plus 3-6 years of relevant working experience with GIS-based energy modeling and planning, specifically in Africa or Asia;
- Demonstrated experience in GIS data management, remote sensing, spatial analysis and visualization, data analysis relevant to the field of energy access planning;
- Experience or knowledge of electrification and clean cooking status and sectors in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa or Asia;
- Understanding of sustainable energy policies, strategies and institutions and prior experience in the use of GIS in developing integrated energy planning tools with an emphasis on least-cost electrification planning;
- Experience in a fast-paced environment that requires high flexibility and a commitment to results;
- Experience in operating across multiple time zones and with distributed teams;
- Complete fluency in English with strong written and verbal communication skills are required. Knowledge and ability to work in French is an advantage.
General Competencies for the Role:
- Innovation and Adaptability: Has proficient skills and commitment to search for and produce innovative and creative approaches to activities. Is flexible to evolving circumstances, as well as helps others in doing so.
- Resilience and Emotional Intelligence: Has proficient knowledge in the concepts of resilience and emotional intelligence. Is able to remain calm in challenging situations, to cope with setbacks, is responsive to the emotions of others and maintains a high level of performance.
- Analytical and Strategic Thinking: Has a proficient level of analytical and strategic thinking skills. Gathers and processes demanding information, develops innovative solutions and contributes by representing topics/approaches in internal working groups/teams.
- Collaboration and Partnership: Demonstrates proficient initiative and abilities to collaborate and partner with others in own are, and across teams. Identifies, develops, builds and actively promotes partnerships and collaboration, maintaining long-lasting partnerships.
- Displays team-oriented attitude contributing to creating a positive team spirit.
- Lead and Empower: Demonstrates initiative and role model behaviour in leading and empowering others. Takes responsibility for own work activities and personal actions and carries out the commitments agreed upon.
- Political and diplomatic understanding: Has a proficient level of political and diplomatic understanding.
- Communicating information: Has expert skills in communicating information and uses the skills effectively in own scope of work and in others’ work.
- Research and Analytics: Has proficient skills in research and analytics and uses the skills effectively in own scope of work.
- Project Management: Has proficient skills in project management – plans and organises their own work using project management approaches in support of achieving the team’s objectives.
- Client Orientation / Striving for Excellence: Has proficient skills in client orientation and achieving excellency in work delivery.
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