Global Energy Transition East Africa Lead/

About the Organization

ClimateWorks Foundation is a global organization committed to our mission: to end the climate crisis by amplifying the power of philanthropy. Since our founding in 2008, we have awarded over $1 billion in grants to more than 500 organizations advancing climate solutions around the world. We helped grow the field of climate philanthropy to where it stands today, establishing infrastructure, global networks, and momentum for continued growth. Through our Global Programs and Services we equip philanthropy with global knowledge, networks, and solutions to drive climate progress. Scaling solutions: Our collaborative Global Programs — focused on solution areas including carbon dioxide removal, cooling, industry, transportation, and more — produce results that are bending the greenhouse gas emissions curve. From the U.S. to Europe, China, Brazil, and beyond, we collaborate with a diverse community of funders, NGOs, and climate leaders to accelerate just and equitable climate solutions. Guiding and supporting funders: Our Global Services provide funders with comprehensive resources to assess, build, evolve, and execute high-impact climate-giving strategies. Our Global Intelligence service equips funders and the climate community with climate insights to pinpoint opportunities for impact and philanthropic insights to help identify investment priorities. We facilitate Global Collaborations that enable funders to increase individual and collective impact. Our Global Grantmaking services enable funders to invest in climate solutions around the world. Fostering collaboration, exploration, and growth: Our collaborative approach and commitment to learning ensures that we continuously explore innovative ideas and emerging opportunities — all with the aim of scaling philanthropy-supported initiatives to help end the climate crisis. As experts in climate science, public policy, economic and social analysis, and strategic philanthropy, ClimateWorks’ staff understands the multi-faceted challenges and opportunities of climate change. We are researchers, strategists, collaborators, and grantmakers who care passionately about our mission. For more information, please visit www.climateworks.org.

Department Summary

The ClimateWorks Programs Team drives innovation and climate solutions that scale. Through our portfolio of global and transnational climate mitigation strategies and grantmaking, we help funders maximize their philanthropic impact. ClimateWorks supports climate change mitigation efforts from early explorations to scaled initiatives. We help develop innovative and high-impact solutions, fund their implementation, and scale up those that show the greatest promise. The ClimateWorks Programs Team is nearly 60 strong and growing. It includes 12 senior experts (Program Directors and Strategists), each of whom engages partners in many countries to advance climate solutions globally. Senior Programs staff are sought after international experts, authors, speakers, and network-builders. Information on ClimateWorks’ Global Programs can be found here: https://www.climateworks.org/programs/

Program Summary

The Global Energy Transition Initiative is a customized partnership between Bloomberg Philanthropies and ClimateWorks Foundation, with a single mission: to deliver high-impact and immediate actions to drive a country-level transition from coal to clean energy that is in line with the global 1.5° C pathway.

Since the inception of this partnership in late 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies and ClimateWorks Foundation have supported a broad spectrum of global and in-country partners to overcome economic, political, technical, and social challenges to shift away from coal to clean energy. Starting from 2022, the Global Energy Transition Initiative would cover more emerging and developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. The Program would also expand its strategies from increasing climate ambition to implementing the clean energy transition.

With key partners from these countries/regions, the priorities of the Global Energy Transition Initiative would be to:

• Shape and implement robust country-specific coal phase-out and clean energy transition pathways in line with the global 1.5° C scenario.
• Leverage international and regional initiatives to scale-up clean energy investments and end new coal pipelines.
• Support the advancement of open-source data, policy research, and analytics to inform and empower the energy community and strengthen countries’ and non-state actors’ net-zero accountability.

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced professional to join the Africa Program for the Global Energy Transition Initiative at ClimateWorks Foundation. This position’s primary role is to support the country-level partnership and grant-making strategy development and lead strategy implementation for East Africa, especially Kenya. This position will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the East Africa partnerships, executing East Africa workstream strategy, developing grantee pipelines, and collaborating and coordinating with other regional energy transition works under Global Energy Transition Initiative.

Essential Responsibilities

Develop East African Strategy and Lead Implementation

• She/he will develop on multi-year Africa energy transition strategy development, with a focus on East Africa countries, including Kenya, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• Stay adaptive and agile to the strategy implementation, taking into account the dynamic of political, economic and technological opportunities exposed to the priority countries.
• Foster the strategic synergies and collaboration with other regional/country energy transition under Global Energy Transition Initiative and other ClimateWorks Foundation Initiative.

Collaborate with Global Energy Transition Initiative team across ClimateWorks and Bloomberg Philanthropies

• Collaborate on strategy development with the Director of Africa Program, in consultation with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
• Advise Bloomberg Philanthropies on political, economic, industrial and technology developments and trends that are pertinent to energy transition in East African countries.
• Lead philanthropic energy transition collaboration efforts across ClimateWorks, Bloomberg Philanthropies and other philanthropic organizations to make collective impact in East Africa’s just energy transition.

Build Partnerships and Engage Stakeholders

• Explore new partnerships with global, regional and country-level organizations and regranting organizations to support the East Africa Energy Transition
• Cooperate with ClimateWorks China office to identify synergies and collaboration opportunities in the clean energy development and investments in East Africa countries.
• Identify strategic programmatic cooperation scope with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ regional leads on Global South stakeholders (Civil society organizations, businesses, and governments) and partners on clean energy investments in East Africa that will ultimately benefit African communities and people.
• Convening, coordination and collaboration with a wider range of stakeholders, including the national governments, Multilateral Development Banks, development partners and embassies of donor countries in East Africa’s energy transition.
• Provide thought-leadership to senior-level stakeholders on climate mitigation, energy transitions for East African countries’ economic development.

Grant-making, pipeline development and portfolio management

• Identify new/prospective grantee partners, and develop grantee pipelines.
• Manage the East Africa energy transition grantee partners, initiate grant scope discussion, consult with Africa Program Director of the Global Energy Transition Initiative, and Bloomberg Philanthropies on grant-making strategy and decisions.
• Collaborate with the Global Energy Transition Initiative Director and grant management team during the grant-making process, including initiation of the grant invitation, request for proposal, review and comment, to regular reporting.
• Provide on-going interaction, including strategic guidance to East African grantees and partners during the grant execution period.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of professional experiences in climate policy in the energy sector in the developing economies.
• Savvy about the dynamics between political, government policymaking, business and financial community, and civil society in energy sector decarbonization.
• Strong Stakeholder and partnership development skills.
• Strong East African stakeholder network, with a solid reputation in the field.
• Easily adaptive in a dynamic and changing landscape of energy and climate actions.
• Commitment to building an inclusive and collaborative working culture.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently (both virtually and in-person).
• Willingness to work in a hybrid and virtual team.
• Master’s degree in a related field such as public policy, government relations, economics, or business administration, experiences with energy infrastructure investment, private sector and financial industry experience is a plus.

Compensation

ClimateWorks offers an excellent benefits package and a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience (geographic differential applied based on location). Salary will be based on experience level.

ClimateWorks Foundation offers salaries in local currencies and based on the local cost of labor. The salary range disclosed ($120K to $140K) is only applicable for positions based in US.

Location

ClimateWorks Foundation is based in the San Francisco Financial District. This position will be based in an East African country (preference for being based in Kenya)