Lead, Electric Mobility and Indonesia Energy Transition

Job Title: Lead, Electric Mobility and Indonesia Energy Transition

Location: Indonesia, home-based

Open to: Residents of Indonesia

DRS is looking for a Lead, Electric Mobility and Indonesia Energy Transition, for an independent think tank who will provide leadership and strategic direction to the organization’s efforts in supporting Indonesia’s energy transition towards clean energy sources. The Lead will play a critical role in the definition and implementation of the organization’s work program in Indonesia, developing activities and outputs, ensuring quality control, and supporting engagement with policy-makers in support of a transparent and equitable fiscal policy and a just transition towards clean energy and transport.

Scope The organization aims to support governments around the world in systematically shifting public financial flows to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy while promoting social welfare and overall sustainable economic development. The successful candidate will lead a new flagship initiative that aims to provide technical assistance on a gender-responsive clean energy and transport transition in Indonesia and in the region. The Lead will play a key role in the Indonesia work program, leading a team of researchers alongside engagement and communications specialists to map public financial flows and to support government efforts to deliver specific objectives in national energy policy. The Lead is also expected to work closely with colleagues in the Philippines and other colleagues working globally on clean energy and sustainable transport.

The Lead will guide a team of experts working on various aspects of energy and transport policy, drawing from established expertise on fiscal policy, energy policy, political economy, and communications and outreach. Furthermore, the Lead will coordinate with other colleagues based across the Southeast Asia region and internationally to collaborate on areas of common interest and align work plans across the organization.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Implementing the Indonesia work program, focusing on supporting changes in national energy policy that are consistent with shifting public financial flows from fossil to clean energy.

• Guiding and overseeing work in the program, including ensuring that quality assurance standards are met and that agreed timelines are followed.

• Leading/coordinating new flagship initiative(s) in the areas of clean energy, electric mobility and sustainable transport more broadly

• Supporting government priorities for transparent, equitable fiscal policy for energy transition, specifically:

  o Reform of fuel and electricity subsidies.

  o Promotion of non-fossil cooking.

  o Support for electric mobility and sustainable expansion of associated minerals.

  o Public support for inclusion in Just Transition planning.

  o Carbon pricing.

• Exploring opportunities for collaboration and alignment within the organization’s wider Energy program, including country teams in Canada, India, the Philippines, and South Africa, as well as teams focused on international fora and processes.

• Maintaining and building a network of contacts, stakeholders, and partners of the program, with a particular focus on Indonesia.

• Supporting donor engagement and fundraising efforts for the general needs of the Indonesia work program and the wider Energy program.

• Overseeing monitoring, evaluation, and reporting for all aspects of national activities.

• Supporting the professional development of direct reports and other members of the team.

Detailed description of Responsibilities Strategy, Vision, and Team Leadership

• Develop, grow, and manage strategic areas of work, building strategies to support clean energy and transport through clearly articulated theories of change and associated activities.
• Demonstrate clear vision and the ability to execute strategic priorities, communicating statements of results to be achieved, decision-makers to be supported, activities to be undertaken, time frame, resources needed, external funds to be raised, and criteria to be used to measure performance.
• Ensure that short-term activities and pillar priorities are in keeping with the long-term strategies agreed upon by the organization and the Board.
• Support the Energy Director responsible for this work with human resource activities related to their area of work, including recruitment, performance management, mentorship, and the development of a staffing plan.
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
• Work with the wider Energy program Lead team and staff to identify challenges, emerging issues, opportunities, and solutions, as well as define and execute appropriate strategies to implement solutions.

Fundraising and Donor Relationships

• Lead fundraising efforts by identifying new opportunities, cultivating relationships, and submitting proposals for funding relating to the work themes within the program; track using Salesforce or other systems as advised.
• Develop relationships with potential donors or funders to identify new funding opportunities for the overall Energy program and the team in Indonesia.

Operations and Program Management

• Implement current programs and projects. Tracking contracts, activities, and deliverables in line with the organization’s obligations and interests.
• Manage time and resource planning activities to align resources with deliverables and objectives in partnership with corporate finance and administration colleagues.
• Manage the processes for quality assurance and peer review, ensuring research deliverables adhere to strict quality standards.
• Provide timely support to Energy program processes to develop strategies and theories of change.

Communications and Policy Engagement

• Work with the Communication Manager for the Energy team on the development and implementation of a communications strategy for the activities and outputs of the Indonesia workstream.
• Develop a team engagement strategy, including connections and channels of communication with government officials and policymakers and a network with relevant non-government partners to inform them about the relevance of the organization’s research and technical assistance.
• Develop a productive relationship with journalists and media contacts to provide opportunities for opinion editorials and press releases to reach audiences across the Indonesian media landscape.
• Maintain a relevant presence at local events focused on fiscal policy and the energy transition.

Ideal Candidate Profile Knowledge and Qualifications

• A post-graduate university degree or equivalent in energy, economics, public policy development, or a professional qualification in another relevant area.
• 10–15 years of professional experience in the fields mentioned above or experience gained in a national government, the private sector, or an international or non-governmental organization.
• Excellent English-language research and writing skills, including proven experience conducting applied research and policy analysis on fiscal policy and/or the energy transition (or similar areas), bringing complex content into a publication-ready state, and providing final quality control and sign-off.
• Experience in delivering government technical assistance on energy policy and explaining unfamiliar concepts to groups clearly and with impact.
• Experience working with government officials (elected or non-elected government offices).

Skills, Competencies, and Attributes Required

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Diplomatic/government relations experience will be a strong asset.
• Strong skills in managing projects and people.
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative data analysis linked to energy policy.
• Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills in English.
• Strong presentation and networking skills.
• Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally and nationally for work.
• Ability to work effectively in a remote, asynchronous team.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work effectively across different topics and themes simultaneously and to pick up knowledge on new topics quickly.
• Ability to work under one’s own initiative with minimal supervision.
• A strong commitment to the ideals, values, and mission of the organization.

Ideal:

• Experience with the major national policy areas that the organization is seeking to support, particularly electric mobility and sustainable transport more broadly, which is expected to make up a significant share of this role.
• Track record of management position in a civil society organization.
• Fluency in Bahasa Indonesia, including excellent analytical, research, and writing skills, will be a strong asset.

How to apply

The CVs in English should be submitted via: https://drs-jobs.developmentaid.org/jobs/7765/lead-electric-mobility-and-indonesia-energy-transition. Due to the high number of applications received, we can only reply to shortlisted candidates. Please note that the above requirements can be modified during the recruitment process according to the client’s procedures.