Job Description
We are looking for an experienced and dedicated professional who can join SEforALL preferably in our offices in Vienna (Austria) and Abuja (Nigeria), or home-based in Nairobi (Kenya) and Accra (Ghana).
The Carbon Markets Specialist will support the team to oversee and coordinate pilots around new carbon methodologies, supporting MRV capacity building across sovereign and private players, and driving demand for African carbon credits through continent-wide awareness-raising initiatives.
The successful candidate will be an experienced professional with a master’s degree and at least 6 years of experience in carbon markets, sustainable energy, or related fields plus 5 years of experience in the design and implementation of MRV systems and protocols. The ideal Specialist will have strong knowledge of international MRV frameworks, advanced quantitative and analytical writing skills, excellent interpersonal and networking abilities, and the capacity to engage with governments and the private sector. Fluency in French and Portuguese is a plus.
Closing date for submitting applications is 13 April 2023 at 23:59 CET.
Duties and Accountabilities
The main duties and tasks of the role include, but are not limited to:
- Work on a varied portfolio of activities, including project management support, collaboration with partners, quantitative and qualitative analysis, presentation of analytical results, collaboration with SEforALL and ACMI colleagues.
- Engage with sovereign and private players in drafting strategic plans for the set up and scale MRV capacity building across jurisdictions.
- Maintain a network and level of engagement to keep current with development in the MRV space in Africa.
- Develop and provide dedicated validation and verification curriculum and trainings to build local capabilities, in partnership with universities, technical schools, standard setters and existing VVBs.
- Support stakeholders incubating emerging technologies that can facilitate faster and easier verification, monitoring, and reporting.
- Plan awareness raising campaigns on of the integrity and quality of differentiated Africa carbon credits, identifying events and partners best placed to support the work that SEforALL is undertaking vis-à-vis the MRV.
- Oversee pilots of new carbon credits methodologies by interacting with international stakeholders.
- Support the development of carbon projects through collaboration with international organisations for the need to invest, establishing guidelines on best practices, providing technical support to local project developers, and incubating early-stage projects.
- Promote carbon markets integrity via coordinating international standards bodies (VCS – Verra, Gold Standard for the Global Goals, Article 6 mechanism) and participating in advocacy campaigns.
- Represent SEforALL in external conversations, forums, and partnerships · Provide ongoing support to resolve strategic questions as they emerge during Action Programme implementation.
- Support Thematic Group meetings, including managing meeting cadence, confirming attendees, prepare briefings and content, managing inputs/advisory received from attendees and coordinating with the Thematic Group Chair.
The ideal candidate would have:
- Master’s Degree in environmental science, economics, international development or any other related fields.
- Have a minimum of six (6) years’ hands-on experience in carbon markets, sustainable energy, or other related fields.
- At least five years of experience in the design and implementation of MRV systems and protocols, preferably in the field of climate change or environmental management.
- Strong knowledge of international MRV frameworks, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and market-based mechanisms for climate change mitigation.
- Experience in / knowledge of voluntary carbon markets, especially if in Africa.
- Experience in emerging markets and developing countries, with demonstrated expertise working with development, political and social issues across Africa.
- Understanding of various assessment methodologies is a plus, along with a thorough technical understanding of mitigation strategies.
- High level understanding of current status of MRV capacity on the continent and of barriers to scale.
- Experience in organizing awareness raising campaigns and mobilizing relevant actors.
- Strong quantitative and analytical writing skills; advanced proficiency in MS Excel and significant experience in producing concise, executive level reports and presentations, training modules and materials.
- Excellent interpersonal, social, and networking skills, ability to engage with governments and the private sector. Prior experience working with governments and other broad partnerships highly desirable.
- Experience with knowledge management, learning and innovations in access to energy. Ability to raise awareness, coach and provide training to technical and non-technical project and partner staff.
- Entrepreneurial, result-oriented and driver for change. Ability to be flexible and adaptable.
- Strong communications and negotiation skills in speaking, writing, as well as presenting materials in variety of media.
- Expert command of the English language. Fluency in French and Portuguese will be an added advantage.
Core 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 tools 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.
Salary information
SEforALL has adopted its own salary scales corresponding to the SEforALL grading system. The minimum yearly salary for this position is EUR 52,370. The actual salary offer will be determined within the scale depending on the successful candidate’s qualification and experience and applying the principle of internal equity. In addition to the base salary, SEforALL staff receive a benefits package that includes contribution to pension, contribution to health insurance & homeworking allowance.
About the Organization
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 well below 2° Celsius (and striving for 1.5° 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.
The 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2012. 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 (SRSG) 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. SEforALL’s current three-year business plan outlines “results offers” that scope out our planned interventions and demonstrate to our funding partners the impact of their support. http://www.seforall.org
