Energy Adviser

British High Commission Pretoria; Pretoria; On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The British High Commission Pretoria seeks a skilled Energy Policy Advisor to support the Just Energy Transition Partnership. This role focuses on energy sector developments in South Africa, requiring expertise in policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and technical documentation. The candidate will work closely with international partners, conduct independent research, and contribute to strategic insights for energy initiatives.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of work experience in energy or related fields.
• Ability to work autonomously and conduct independent research.
• Technical competencies in Climate, Environment, Infrastructure, and Energy.

Responsibilities

• Monitor developments in the energy sector in South Africa.
• Produce detailed written commentary and research on energy policies.
• Advise on energy sector ODA programmes and review deliverables.

Skills

Research

Communication

Analytical Thinking

Stakeholder Engagement

Education

Degree

Tools

Excel

Job description

Main purpose of job:

Climate and Nature are a priority for HM Government, especially in South Africa - the world’s 14th largest emitter of Green House Gases and in 2021 the UK agreed a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with South Africa and other International Partners where SA committed to reduce carbon emissions and the International Partners Group (IPG) committed $8.5bn. The UK chairs the IPG and committed $1.8bn of investment finance and some grant finance.

The role sits within a team, including 3 others who work on the JETP. The JETP Team lead reports to the Deputy High Commissioner and the High Commissioner coordinates the local Heads of Mission. The JETP covers a range of areas (including Just issues, EVs etc) and the Team runs meetings with IPG and SA Government and the Team Lead manages its own development programme.

The role would focus on energy issues which are a major part of the JETP, supporting the Team Lead with inputs on developments in the sector but also obtaining points from providing inputs to others in the mission, including the UKPACT programme, Department of Business and Trade and liaising with energy specialists in other parts of the International Partners Group. The person would report into the JETP Team lead but work closely also with the JETP Policy and Programme Lead. The role would have a major technical focus, but political understanding is important. For more - see responsibilities and skills below.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Monitor developments in the energy sector in South Africa in the Key Areas below by - engaging with key stakeholders including development partners e.g. GIZ, Danish Energy Agency, multilaterals such as African Development Bank, World Bank and with private sector energy developers, financiers, government - Necom, MoEE, National Treasury, NERSA, Energy Council and other industry bodies. Attending International Partner Group technical working group meetings -building trusted relationships with key stakeholders to provide insight and intelligence. Reviewing original and third-party comments on key draft policy and review documents, codes and regulations in the Key Areas below e.g. for creation of the Network Service Operator, Market Operator, market rules, pricing, tariffs. Produce notes and emails on meetings, notes on a regular monthly update on key news and developments, chair and feed into donor coordination meetings and meetings with SA Government and others.
• Produce detailed written commentary and insight (of own volition - not just summarising others’ comments which may or may not exist or be comprehensive) for the UK and IPG on key documents and codes and regulations. Draw international comparisons
• Research situation in SA and elsewhere on a stance, policy or sector and provide timely and insightful reporting and critique for other development partners, SA Government and/or colleagues in the High Commission and the UK.
• Advise UK ODA programmes in the energy sector and Department for Business and Trade, focussing on the Key Areas below, identifying areas of need for capacity building, commenting on evidence and value for money of what works/doesn’t and how to structure implementation, key deliverables. Draft Terms of Reference or Task orders where relevant
• Review and comment on key deliverables by development implementing partners (especially UK ODA implementing partners) in the Energy Sector Key areas
• Monitor delivery partners’ performance and support and the UK and IPG’s performance and support via monitoring and evaluation frameworks such as log frames or indicator analysis.

Energy Sector Key Areas:

Transmission - private and public funded, national and interconnectors. Transmission tariffs.

Wholesale Liberalised Market development and management - in South Africa and the Southern Africa Power Pool, including aggregators and trading, wheeling and cost of use and relative tariffs.

Network services balancing arrangements

Generation - Integrated Resources Plan, capacity market arrangements under the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act and REI4P, investment stages and biases of technologies

Distribution - both at Eskom level and municipalities including reform measures for trading services, billing, collections and technical and commercial loss reduction.

Consumer Pricing - including tariff structures, time of use tariffs etc.

Technical rules for connection.

Green hydrogen - viability of different use cases, including export costs, stages of SA investments, startups, financing availability, government policy.

Support the rest of the team in consolidating policy reform recommendations, briefings for meetings and inputs for key lines to take, communications and with locations and ideas for visits. Arrange meetings and take minutes of key meetings.

5 -10% of time - provide corporate support to rest of mission in South Africa and other countries (as part of any cadre accreditation)

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Degree and at least 5 years of work experience
• Ability to work autonomously, carry out independent research (reviewing academic reports, synthesising evidence), critique validity of claims and produce quality documents and articulate verbal inputs, without much supervision or direction
• Good understanding of the use and weighing of evidence in research, familiarity with technical papers – both legal and financial (including potentially financial models), fair understanding of funding of private sector projects via equity and debt, uses of guarantees in public and private transactions, issues of cost of capital, risks, payment mechanisms
• Understanding of PPPs and practicalities of private - public transactions
• Ability to make international comparisons, taking into account differing political economies
• Confident in speaking and writing and able to prioritise amongst a number of challenges and to explain complex matters in simple terms
• Willingness to learn
• Well versed in excel - so can set up basic models/structures
• Technical competencies similar to those in Climate, Environment, Infrastructure and Energy (CEIE) Technical Competency Framework - GOV.UK
• Especially one or more of the following:- I&U competency 2 (Infrastructure delivery and impacts), Energy Competency 2 (Transition) and Energy Specialisms (particularly power sector reform)

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Understanding of energy and/or utilities
• Involvement in infrastructure project structuring - ideally also private transactions, not just public sector
• MBA or Masters in Finance qualifications or legal experience in transactions
• Good understanding of value for money concepts in development
• Experience with development or public sector projects and concepts such as cost benefit analysis (not necessarily the ability to conduct one), output, outcome and impact indicators
• Understanding of political economy issues