Team Leader – Energy Transition Specialist (M / F / D)

GIZ; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

An international cooperation organization is seeking an experienced professional to lead the Just Energy Transition project in Pretoria. The role demands a Master’s degree and extensive leadership experience in energy or climate policy, ensuring effective coordination with various stakeholders. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills and a deep understanding of energy transition issues, particularly in Southern Africa.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• At least a Master's degree in energy, climate policy, or related fields.
• Strong leadership skills in multi-stakeholder environments.
• Full professional proficiency in English; knowledge of local languages a plus.
• At least 12 years of experience in relevant sectors.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the Just Energy Transition.
• Coordinate with stakeholders, including the EU Delegation.
• Oversee project outputs and ensure compliance with EU standards.

Skills

Leadership and coordination

Interpersonal and communication skills

Full professional proficiency in English

Education

Master's degree in a relevant field

Job description

Overview

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a state owned organisation. We work worldwide in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ International Services (InS) is an integral division of GIZ. We offer the experience, the regional and technical know-how of GIZ in the global market and provide international clients with expertise in terms of economic and result-oriented services.

GIZ International Services is preparing for the EU-funded tender: “Technical Assistance Facility – Support to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET South Africa)".

The overall objective is to contribute to the successful implementation of the Just Energy Transition in South Africa.

Specific objectives

• Policy & Regulation: Improved policy and regulatory framework for just energy transition
• Capacity development: Strengthened institutional capacity to implement the just energy transition
• Investment promotion: Increased public and private investments in the just energy transition
• Provide overall strategic direction, technical leadership, and managerial oversight of the Technical Assistance Facility.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with the EU Delegation, South African counterparts, and other donors and stakeholders.
• Ensure coordination, coherence, and quality across all workstreams of the Facility, aligning with the objectives of the JET-IP and EU development cooperation frameworks.
• Oversee the preparation and delivery of project outputs and documents such as (but not limited to) Implementation Strategy, Annual operational work plans, Rolling plans for the deployment of key and non-key experts, M&E Framework, Terms of Reference for experts, Selection of experts and Reports as well as knowledge products, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Manage and support the team of non-key experts, ensuring timely delivery and compliance with EU visibility and communication requirements.
• Ensure that cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability are mainstreamed throughout project activities.

Qualifications and Skills

• At least a Master's degree in energy, climate policy, environmental sciences, economics, public administration, or a directly related field. (In the absence of a Master’s degree, a Bachelor's degree and an additional 5 years of relevant professional experience will be accepted.)
• Strong leadership, organisational, and coordination skills, particularly in multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral environments.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior government officials, civil society, and development partners.
• Full professional proficiency in English (written and spoken); knowledge of local South African languages will be considered an asset.

General Professional Experience

• At least 12 years of professional experience in the energy, environment, climate change, or sustainable development sectors.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in managing or coordinating large-scale technical assistance programmes or international donor-funded projects, ideally within the context of energy transition or climate finance.
• Proven experience in team leadership, project coordination, and performance monitoring in complex, multi-stakeholder programmes.

Specific Professional Experience

• At least 6 years of experience working directly on energy transition issues, including areas such as coal phase-out strategies, renewable energy deployment, or energy sector governance.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with Just Energy Transition approaches, including social inclusion, community engagement, labour reskilling, and economic diversification in carbon-intensive regions.
• Experience working in the Southern African region, with a solid understanding of national institutions, energy policy frameworks, and socio-economic development priorities.
• Advantage: Familiarity with South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), national climate commitments (e.g., NDCs), and international cooperation mechanisms. Knowledge of other Just Energy Transition Partnerships would be an asset.
• Experience implementing or managing EU-funded programmes or working under EU procedures (PRAG) will be considered a strong advantage.
• Proven ability to lead the development of deliverables such as technical reports, policy briefs, capacity-building materials, and visibility outputs.

The operational base for the project is Pretoria. The intended start date is 01 / 04 / 2026 and the project duration is 60 months.

This job is suited to a full time position.

Please understand that we can only accept and process applications via our E-recruiting system. Following the confirmation of your successful application, kindly check your spam / junk mail folder on a regular basis, since some providers classify emails from our recruiting system as spam.

Everyone has the same opportunities in our company, regardless of gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or physical disability. We recruit based on specialist expertise and social skills. Transparency and fair opportunities for career advancement are just as much a matter of course for us as gender not being a barrier to taking up a management position. We are a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and work to build a future worth living around the world. We support projects in over 130 countries to achieve goals sustainably together with our partners. Extensive check-ups and preventive measures (e.g. on appointment, before the outward journey, during the stay in a country of assignment, in an emergency) are provided to our staff and the family members accompanying them as a matter of course. You will receive various additional benefits during your stay abroad that will depend on your country of assignment. We reward staff who achieve their agreed annual targets with a variable remuneration component.

Your professional and personal development is important to us. At GIZ, you will be offered global work opportunities and an atmosphere that is characterised by diversity, respect and genuine equal opportunities. Gender equality promotion is a matter of course for us. Our are also impressive in terms of work-life balance and family friendliness. Flexible working hours that fit your life situation, comprehensive onboarding and internal health management are an integral part of our corporate culture, along with the opportunity to use childcare facilities and parent / child offices.

GIZ is a signatory of the Diversity Charter. Recognition, appreciation and inclusion of diversity in the company are important to us. All employees shall be valued - regardless of gender and gender identity, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, social background, age or sexual orientation.

We support equal opportunities and welcome applications from people with disabilities.

Chiara FRANK