Energy Advisor-Power Africa SAG program

Focus of the Role

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. It exists to equip political leaders and governments with the tools to create open, inclusive and prosperous societies in a globalised world.

We do this within two connected divisions:

Government Advisory

Our Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

Policy Futures

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas:

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics;
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world

What we believe in as an organisation:

• Open and Progressive – you’ll believe in the value of teamwork
• Bold and Pragmatic – you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity
• Optimistic Changemakers – you’ll be focused on results

TBI has been requested by the Government of Mozambique to support its ambition to ensure sustainable and affordable access to energy for all.  In this context, TBI is looking for an energy advisor to lead its advisory services to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and in particular support the establishment and operations of a special unit to coordinate initiatives and programmes for off-grid energy access across Government.

The Energy Advisor, operating under the Institute’s Power Africa Senior Advisors Group programme and as part of TBI’s country team,  will  lead the Institute’s provision of strategic and technical support to the Ministry of Energy in all areas related to off-grid energy access. The advisory work will contribute to the Institute’s wider engagement with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Key Responsibilities

The Advisor shall:

• Advise the Ministry of Energy of the Government of Mozambique on policy, planning and delivery of its national power sector development, mainly around access to energy services and in particular off-grid technologies
• Provide analysis and recommendations to Power Africa, regarding power sector matters in Mozambique, with an emphasis on access to energy services and in particular off-grid technologies
• Assist government counterparts in unblocking issues to the financing and delivery of its power sector plans, with regard to access to energy services
• Coordinate closely with the wider TBI team in Mozambique, especially around the wider energy policy advisory work and building relationships with donors, stakeholders and government counterparts
• Provide technical guidance and advice to advisors of the PA-SAG program on matters of access to energy services
• Represent the PA-SAG program vis-à-vis USAID/Power Africa’s relevant managers, other Power Africa programs, and with wider Government and development partners as agreed with the Chief of Party and Country Head

Know-How:

• Strong expertise on Access to Energy policies and off-grid technologies,and analytical skills to produce high quality advisory deliverables
• Political savvy to navigate in complex environments, develop and maintain strategic relationships for the PA-SAG program implementation
• Ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans
• Strong problem solving capacity and perseverance
• Capacity to work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to achieve the goals of the team and the PA-SAG program

Accountability:

• Accountability for identifying and providing advisory deliverables of the highest technical quality to the Government of Mozambique, as agreed in the Annual Work Plans for the PA-SAG program, under the overall management by the Chief of Party
• Accountability for managing relationships with the Ministry of Energy as well as TBI’s wider set of stakeholders in Mozambique, under the overall management by TBI’s Country Head
• Accountability for supporting TBI in identifying and advancing programmatic opportunities in the area of access to energy services and related areas

Responsibility:

• Obtain and ensure access and trust with key counterparts in Mozambique
• With the support of TBI’s Country and Power Africa teams, position the PA-SAG workstreams in Mozambique for most relevance and effectiveness
• Set out deliverables and activities for Mozambique in the annual work plans of the PA-SAG program
• Deliver on deliverables and activities defined in the work plan of the PA-SAG program
• Report on the delivery of results and on activities
• Proactively identify and advance opportunities for new programming (deepening or widening the advisory activities under PA-SAG in the area of Access to Energy)
• Communicate and coordinate closely with TBI’s Power Africa, Mozambique, and Energy Practice teams

Judgement:

• Identify risks (for TBI, for the donor and for the project implementation) related to all aspects of program implementation in Mozambique, and in particular technical advisory and partnership aspects
• Independently and proactively assess how best to engage government leaders and their teams to position the program in Mozambique
• Independently and proactively assess when and how to engage across TBI (country and regional teams, as well as HQ), with the donor and with external partners to best position and deliver on the technical advisory activities. Close coordination with the Country Head, Deputy Country Head, Chief of Party, and Deputy Chief of Party - Technical Lead, will be required
• Identify best entry points and strategies for supporting Power Africa’s partner Governments on policy, planning and delivery for Access to Energy services

Ambition:

• Technical advisory activities undertaken in Mozambique under the PA-SAG programme are of the highest technical quality and sensitive to both political, institutional, technical and economic realities
• Knowledge and experience around Access to Energy Services are systematically developed and applied, and learning is facilitiated for the PA-SAG team around relevant technical areas (energy and power sector development and power sector governance)
• Opportunities for relevant advisory activities are identified and pursued
• Considerations and activities of the Energy Practice and the PA-SAG program are coordinated and aligned, from the perspective of technical advisory content

Person Specification

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change aims to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an interconnected world. We do this through developing policy and advising governments.

Within the Power Africa SAG program, the Energy Advisor is responsible for advising its counterpart government on Access to energy strategies and for providing technical guidance to the overall PA-SAG program on this area.

To successfully hold this position, the Energy Advisor should have the following qualifications:

• Strong expertise on the Access to Energy services area, including on planning, policy, regulations, and financial models;
• Proven ability to articulate technical expertise with analytical and communication skills to produce high quality advisory deliverables;
• Strong political acumen to navigate in complex environments and best position the PA-SAG programme;
• Ability to proactively identify engagement opportunities in the Access to Energy services field, define programmatic strategies and drive their implementation;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and perform other duties as reasonably required to achieve the goals of the country and programme teams

About The Institute

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you're successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.