Country Manager, Rwanda at SEforALL – Sustainable Energy for All: (Deadline 28 April 2022)

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.

Objective of the Results Offer

The Access Accelerator Rwanda Programme is a joint initiative of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Shell Foundation to enable universal energy access in Rwanda. It aims to mobilize resources to fill energy financing gaps by unifying and directing collective efforts and actors.

Building on the Government of Rwanda’s (GOR) leadership and national energy access strategy, the Programme aims to demonstrate that a successful model for achieving universal energy access in one country is possible and identify replicable components for application in further markets. The Programme will be implemented over 3 years (2022-2025), in support of the GOR’s plan of universal Tier-1 electrification access by 2024 and universal clean cooking access by 2030.

The Programme will focus on the three main workstreams mentioned below, supported by a holistic Integrated Energy Planning pillar and a replicable and learning-oriented approach throughout the project cycle:

• Incentivizing Productive Use of Energy
• Develop a Comprehensive Strategy to achieve universal access to Clean Cooking
• Unlocking Finance to close the energy gap

The Access Accelerator Rwanda Programme is managed by SEforALL’s Policy and Regulatory Frameworks programme whose main goal is to support governments design, adapt and adopt effective and enabling policy and regulatory frameworks to achieve SDG7.

Purpose/Objective of the Role

The Programme Coordinator will be responsible for the overall management of the programme and will be the key contact for MININFRA, Shell Foundation (in addition to other co-funders), as well as working closely with the SEforALL team in HQ to implement the programme. The coordinator will hold management responsibility over the in-country team members (Programme Assistant and Energy Finance Specialist) and will be the key liaison back to the wider organization at SEforALL.

Duties and Tasks for the Role

The main duties and tasks of the role include, but are not limited to:

1. Establishing a strong in-country presence and building relationships with government and other stakeholders to support coordination across the programme, coordinate across the range of SEforALL’s interventions in Rwanda and build support for implementation of key recommendations.

• Engage with key stakeholders on an ongoing basis to establish a strong on-ground presence and trusted relationship with government leaders and other partners and stakeholders to advance implementation of key actions and recommendations.
• Provide ongoing coordination support between the workstreams and activities under this programme, as well as with other SEforALL activities, to ensure a cohesive and well-structured approach and messaging to government and other key stakeholders and ensure an alignment of the approach to national and regional energy strategies.
• Provide coordination support to two other SEforALL engagements in Rwanda related to energy access. The first is the Powering Healthcare (PHC) programme, and the other is Clean Cooking Data Platform (CCDP).The Country Manager will be responsible for helping build political support for these programmes, and support the communication and consultations with government counterparts and other country stakeholders (donors, private sector etc.).

2. Overseeing the in-country implementation of the Access Accelerator Programme

• In collaboration with the responsible programme leads, provide ongoing management of the Energy Finance Specialist, the Programme Assistant and other staff assigned to programmes, and liaise between the in-country team and SEforALL / Shell Foundation.

• Identify key bottlenecks, capacity building and resource needs, and engage relevant agencies and institutions to support programme implementation.

• Provide thematic and content input into key policy documents and areas of work, coordinating technical consultants and contractors as required

• Manage the programme’s overall workplan and budget ensuring timely delivery of outputs and efficient use of programme funds

• Work with SEforALL’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team on donors reports and other MEL activities.
• Drive strategic communications around the programme within and outside of SEforALL.

Specific Competencies for the Role

• Minimum of 10 years of hands-on experience in the development and financing of energy and climate projects in emerging markets (preferably in Rwanda or Sub-Saharan Africa).
• Advanced university degree in energy, business management, policy, economics, engineering, or a closely related field.
• Familiarity with Rwanda’s energy sector, especially its policy and regulatory framework.
• Familiarity with and experience engaging key stakeholders in Rwanda’s energy sector, including government agencies, development partners and private sector actors.
• Strong people management and team working skills to build and motivate individuals and teams in order to deliver objectives.
• Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Solid command of the English language. Additional knowledge in French would be an asset.
• Ability to handle quick-turnaround tasks alongside sustained projects.
• Eligibility to work in Rwanda
• 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 may be required

General Competencies for the Role

• Innovation and Adaptability: Has expert skills and commitment to search for and produce innovative and creative approaches to activities. Is flexible to evolving circumstances, as well as actively helps others in doing so
• Resilience and Emotional Intelligence: Has expert 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 very high level of performance.
• Analytical and Strategic Thinking: Has an expert level of analytical and strategic thinking skills. Gathers and processes demanding information, develops innovative solutions and contributes by presenting topics/approaches in cross functional groups as well as decision making teams
• Collaboration and Partnership: Demonstrates expert initiative and abilities to collaborate and form partnerships in own area of responsibility, across teams and externally. Builds and maintains effective relationships at all levels inside and outside the organisation. Displays team-oriented attitude contributing to creating a positive team spirit.
• Lead and Empower: Builds alignment and commitment and demonstrates initiative and role model behaviour in working with others. Takes responsibility for own work activities and personal actions and carries out the commitments agreed upon. May supervise volunteers and other junior staff members under their responsibility.
• Political and diplomatic understanding: Has an expert level of political and diplomatic understanding
• Communicating information: Has expert skills in communicating information and uses the skills effectively in the own scope of work and regularly in others’ work. Actively promotes improvement of communication skills within the team.
• Research and Analytics: Has expert skills in research and analytics. Promotes the use of data within the team and to contribute to wider decision making.
• Project Management: Has expert skills in project management. Plans and organises their own work using project management tools in support of achieving the team’s objectives. Actively promotes use of project management as a tool to enhance efficiency. Sometimes manages own projects and programmes.
• Client Orientation / Striving for Excellence: Has expert skills in client orientation and strives for excellence. Serves as a role model and contributes to the development of a client orientated attitude in their team. Ensures long-term relationships internally and externally through developing suitable services.

Our Values – please refer to our core values as defined here: https://www.seforall.org/who-we-are/staff/our-values.

Additional Considerations

• SEforALL offers exciting high-impact assignments, a collegial and creative work environment, and the opportunity for committed professionals to thrive and grow within flat hierarchies and in the pursuit of an inspiring mission.
• SEforALL provides competitive compensation packages at its locations in Vienna, Washington DC and New York City, and flexibility and result orientated modern workplace arrangements.
• Qualified female candidates and candidates from developing countries are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• SEforALL reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.

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