Director – Africa Clean Energy Business (ACE-Business), Component 2: Competitive Business Facility

Job Description

• Exciting opportunity to support the growth of affordable SHS in new markets
• 5 years, estimated start date: April 2017
• Location: TBC

The Programme

ACE-Business will catalyse a market-based approach for private sector delivery of solar home system (SHS) products and services. This will lead to improved energy access for people and communities in sub-Saharan Africa currently without modern energy, with an emphasis on poor people and marginalised groups – in particular women and girls.

Component 2: The Competitive Business Facility (CBF) will provide support to businesses providing SHS products and services that are in their start-up and early commercialisation phase, or more established businesses entering new markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Enterprises will be selected for support through a competitive process, where businesses compete for assistance. Support provided to enterprises may include either, or both, of:

• Technical assistance: supporting businesses to improve their capabilities and skills to develop, grow and take advantage of market opportunities
• Financing: providing access to pioneer grant financing to enterprises in their start-up and early commercialisation, and expansion phase.

The Position

Coffey-Tetra Tech is seeking a dynamic and influential Director with demonstrated capacity to implement complex multi-country donor programmes. The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate excellent leadership skills and the ability to facilitate partnerships between the public and private sector actors. The candidate must be able to quickly build rapport with key government institutions, non-state actors and private sector organisations, to influence an effective policy reform agenda and drive its implementation.

The role requires a strong knowledge and understanding of the sub-Saharan SHS market. S/he will lead a team of international and local experts skilled in business support services, business incubation and acceleration, structuring investment finance, and product development expertise. As such s/he will demonstrate how to effectively bring together a diverse and multi-country team that can effectively support new market players enter the SHS market in order to provide affordable energy access in unserved and underserved markets.

The Person

Essential

• An advanced university degree (or equivalent) in the fields of economics, business administration, engineering, or other relevant;
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in managing programmes in the field of energy, and/or business incubation and growth;
• Experience of implementing large (£10 million+) donor programmes, with demonstrated ability to drive the design and implementation of multi-country work streams in complex and diverse environments;
• Strong networks/relationships in the SHS ecosystem, including in the private sector, government, and other donor programmes
• Demonstrated experience in designing programmes to support start-up businesses develop and grow;
• Track record of facilitating relationships and partnerships between public and private sector actors;
• Demonstrated ability to identify and leverage private sector finance to invest in viable businesses;
• Substantial managerial experience leading a team of local and international experts;
• Willingness to travel extensively across multiple African countries

Desirable

• Knowledge of establishing and implementing challenge funds or similar competitive business facilities;
• Demonstrated track record of effectively coordinating activities with government priorities and other donor programmes;
• Working knowledge of DFID’s approaches to market systems development, and experience in supporting programme design;
• Knowledge and experience of delivering DFID programmes, including ensuring value for money throughout the project lifecycle;

How to Apply

Please submit an up-to-date CV, and Cover Letter that outlines your relevant experience for this role.

Applications close: 26^th September 2016

Coffey-Tetra Tech has a 40 year history in successfully delivering international development projects on behalf of donors right around the world, including Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, USAID and the UK’s Department for International Development. Our people work side by side with local partners to support stability, economic growth and good governance, positively changing people’s lives.

About the Organization

MSI, a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, DC metro area international development firm with a 35-year history of delivering development results across the world. Our core expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), institutional development, public sector management, governance and anti-corruption. MSI implements nearly 100 projects in 90 countries around the world such as Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Mexico. As one of the leading companies in our field, MSI has partnered with more than 80 organizations across all sectors of international development with clients ranging from large bilateral and multilateral donors such as USAID, the World Bank and the UNDP to national and local governments, NGOs, think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.