Chief Renewable Energy Officer, PERN.1 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Position Number: 50078329
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Position Grade: PL3

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth’ is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten Years Strategy, High 5s priorities of “Light up and Power Africa”. The complex’s objectives are:
  • To develop policy and strategy;
  • To provide deep sector technical expertise to the Regions by gathering pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted for their expertise on complicated transactions;
  • To develop new financing instruments;
  • To act as spokesperson to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on all aspects of “Light Up and Power Africa”.
• The Complex will focus on areas of Power systems, policy and regulation, renewable energy; and, Climate and Green Growth.

The Department / Division:

• The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department has the broad objective of promoting the development of renewable energy - both large and small scale - and promoting energy efficiency along with clean cooking. 

More specifically, the department is mandated to:

• Function as a one-stop source / hub for renewables programs/projects, energy efficiency and clean cooking (ii) focus on “enabling market development” with an emphasis on developing new approaches / areas (e.g. mini-grid programs, thematic or country focused funds) and play a lead role in establishing region- or country-specific programs (iii)  mobilize concessional resources as part of the structuring of blended finance solutions for projects and programs.
• The Department also hosts the Desert to Power (DtP) Taskforce. The DtP initiative aims to accelerate economic development in the Sahel region through the deployment of solar technologies at scale. Specifically, DtP proposes to deliver electricity to 160 million people on-grid and 90 million off-grid and to add solar energy generation capacity of up to 10 GW through a combination of public and private interventions.
• The initiative covers 11 countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan). The initial rollout will focus on the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger). It aims to develop and implement electrification program based on solar power generation including grid based, mini-grid and off-grid access scale up for households, social and economic infrastructure including energy for productive uses.

The Position

• Bank’s renewable energy activities to place the Bank in a leading role in Africa with respect to the development, financing, and deployment of renewable energy projects.
• He / she will provide in-depth expertise related to the planning, development, structuring, financing and implementation of renewable energy projects, grid integration aspects for renewables and decentralized energy solutions in the form of green Mini-Grids and Solar Home Systems.
• The incumbent will work with the various teams in the complex and the regions to further increase the Bank’s footprint in the renewable energy space in Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Division Manager – Renewable Energy, the Chief Renewable Energy Specialist will perform the following:

• Provide core technical expertise to the roll-out of the Desert to Power activities and engage with relevant stakeholders in regional member countries to set up conducive enabling policy and regulatory environment for the development of renewable energy and off-grid access.
• Take a leading role in assisting regional member countries in structuring and obtaining funding for renewable energy projects from internal and external climate finance facilities. He/She will also assist project task managers in the preparation and
  implementation of national and multi-national projects aimed at accelerating the energy transition including renewable generation projects.
• Provide in quality assurance in the preparation of renewable energy grid integration studies, feasibility studies for renewable generation projects, and g decentralized energy solutions.
• Mobilize technical assistance resources from various internal and external sources for renewable energy projects.  
• Support regional member countries to ensure the effective implementation of renewable energy components of their nationally determined contributions.
• Take a leading role, along with hub-based staff, in the process of identification and preparation of renewables related operations (policy, advisory, investment) whilst ensuring country ownership.
• Contribute to the preparation of knowledge and analytical work to inform country strategic work as well as new operations in renewable energy, and to the delivery of economic and sector work related to the renewable energy sector.
• Undertake any other task that the Division Manager or Director may assign.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Hold at least a Master’s Degree in Energy, Renewable Energy, Engineering, or related subjects.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years professional experience in the energy sector, broad knowledge of energy sub-sectors, of which at least five years in the renewable energy space.
• Additional qualifications in specific renewable energy technologies (e.g. wind, solar, biomass, geothermal), project management and climate finance would be an asset.
• Experience in the implementation of regional transmission interconnection, large scale solar PV generation with battery storage, on grid integration for renewables, and green mini-grids projects.
• Experience of working across multiple institutions and ensuring collaboration across public, private, and civil society sectors.
• Proven ability to interact competently with, as well as to assess and provide technical advisory services to, both public and private sector stakeholders in the renewable energy space.
• Proven ability to lead renewable power project development and financing in the region.
• In-depth knowledge of power utilities operation as well the legal, policy and regulatory frameworks governing renewable energy projects, particularly in developing country context.
• Full knowledge of the principles of project cycle and project implementation.
• Proven interpersonal skills, demonstrated through the ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity, as well as the ability to build trust and coach each individual member team.
• Strong interpersonal and client orientation skills, with proven experience in coordinating various activities and diverse teams.
• Communicate and write effectively in French and English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); Knowledge of SAP is an advantage.