Job Opportunity for Outreach Manager – Renewable Energy Siting at The Nature Conservancy in New Delhi

WHO WE ARE

A PIONEER IN CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP

This is an exciting time at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as we are shifting our strategy for greater impact in the world, seeking to address some of the most complex challenges facing people and nature — issues such as climate change, conserving lands, waters, and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient and sustainable.  

Our Mission

TNC’s mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Rather than viewing development –
including economic growth – and conservation as contradictory goals, TNC works to demonstrate how nature has value for people and development and how nature can provide enormous economic benefit. TNC envisions a future where people and nature can flourish together.

Our Vision

A world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfil our needs and enrich our lives. 

The Conservancy Team

We achieve this through the dedicated efforts of our 3,800 diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists, all of whom support conservation in 76  countries and all 50 United States. We are striving to develop a workforce as diverse as the places where we work, and we have a deep commitment to diversity.

Organizational History

TNC is the largest conservation organisation in the world, working in all 50 states in the United States and more than 76 countries. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia on October 22, 1951. TNC is science-based and in every place, we work, we partner with governments, businesses, and local communities. TNC is advancing its mission by protecting and restoring rivers, landscapes and oceans for people and their development at an unprecedented scale; it is transforming the way humanity uses the Earth’s natural resources to sustain ourselves.

YOUR POSITION WITH TNC

RES-Outreach Manager will assist in the development and implementation of a key strategy at TNC and helps drive implementation of the overall business plan to achieve planned conservation outcomes envisioned by India strategy. India has committed to achieving 50% cumulative electric power generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 (by targeting to install 500 GW of renewable energy (RE)) and simultaneously creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 – 3 billion tonnes of CO2 eq. However, achieving both these goals requires land, which is a limited resource in a country that supports 18% of the world’s population on just over 2% of the world’s land area. We are working with partners to enhance an online tool (SiteRight) that guides decision makers in siting renewable energy projects, by adding selection criteria on land use, land type, and suitability for ecological restoration, alongside existing economic and technological criteria. This will help decision makers identify land with relatively low ecological and social values that are suitable for setting up solar and wind plants, thereby avoiding impacts to sensitive natural lands as well as productive agriculture areas. We have done this effort in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and in the processes of expanding it to additional states with high rates of solar and wind development. 

To advance this work, we are seeking a long-term Renewable Energy Siting (RES) Outreach Manager who will provide day-to-day leadership and support for an outreach program of this project, including leading on outreach strategy, partner management, stakeholder engagement, and strategy support. While the RES-Outreach Manager will report to the RED Project Lead, they will also interact with colleagues working on renewable energy project in global TNC team. The position will be based in Delhi with significant travel to the different states across India. This current funding is committed for an 18-month period with the option to renew based on additional funding secured. This position is based in New Delhi, India.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

RES-Outreach Manager will support India strategy leadership by managing priority projects and serves as a technical resource on the relevant strategy and/or project(s). RES-Outreach Manager will work with members from across TNC, including TNC-India, as well as global TNC staff members and partner organizations to support the work on environmentally and socially responsible renewable energy siting in India.  RES-Outreach Manager will be responsible for the overall management of the outreach program to advance sustainable renewable energy siting, including raising awareness amongst decision makers about the importance of proactive, landscape-scale renewable energy siting; getting inputs from key stakeholders to inform the design of a siting decision support tool in key states; identifying and advancing steps to institutionalize a smart siting approach (via stakeholder engagement, consultations and workshops, or other mechanisms) and mainstreaming the adoption and use of the decision-support tool (SiteRight). This role will also be responsible for managing the day-to-day aspects of outreach program of this project in coordination with partner organization and TNC team (e.g., planning workshops and events, ensuring outreach progress is on track, etc.). The RES-Outreach Manager will also work closely with our Policy Analyst-RES, fund raising, Communications and other teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Assists in developing reports, research, and analysis. presentations and assessments on topics related to the India renewable energy outreach strategy.                          
• Build relationships, do active outreach, and hold consultations with state energy regulatory agencies, relevant central Ministries and Departments, renewable energy businesses, independent power producers, financiers, and other important stakeholders to inform the tool design and dissemination, and ultimately advance use of the completed siting tool in decision-making
• Develop and implement a compressive stakeholder outreach strategy, including identifying and prioritizing engagements with key industry siting decision stakeholders; convene a working group of key stakeholders to accomplish project deliverables.
• Manage ongoing relationships and engagements with partners to achieve project deliverables.
• In coordination with Project lead and Renewable Energy Siting-Policy Manager, identify entry points for mainstreaming siting and the decision-support tool among state and national government agencies, as well as national and international financial institutions.
• Gather inputs from key stakeholders to inform the design of the tool and identifying entry point activities for mainstreaming use of the SiteRight tool for decision-making across stakeholders.

Oversee outreach strategy for the sustainable renewable energy siting project in India, as the project evolves, including the following:

• Refine and implement an outreach work plan, coordinate with the outreach partner organizations and respective team members on various outreach activities, which includes agreeing on tasks, deadlines, and provide necessary resources to project members and partners
• Manage ongoing relationships and engagements with outreach partners and contractors to achieve project deliverables. 
• Communicate project related outreach activities and progress with TNC India Core Management Team, Philanthropy Team, and other team members as necessary.
• Manage timelines, budgets, deliverable execution, related communications, and donor and partner reporting related to outreach activities.
• Outline scope of future outreach work/strategy to advance sustainable renewable energy work, including key partners, strategies, and gaps.
• Engage in developing long-term outreach strategy goals and deliverables in partnership with the broader TNC team, including supporting strategy and project development and implementations related to renewable energy siting.
• Develop and implement a stakeholder outreach plan, including:Formulate an outreach plan to get SiteRight and/or its principles adopted among key end-users and implement the plan in coordination with project partner(s)
• Build relationships and hold consultations with identified stakeholders to disseminate the tool, continue to improve its design and functionality, and expand its adoption by key stakeholders.
• Ensure TNC’s work on Renewable Energy siting is evident and build broader support on the initiative, externally as well as internally.
• Assist with other programmatic needs which may include coordinating stakeholder meetings, preparing presentations and reports related to the broader work on infrastructure siting and lands conservation; Additional deliverables may be assigned or adjusted based on the evolution of the program’s strategic conservation work. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, international relations, international development, social science, natural science, climate science, ecology, or related field and at least 7 years related experience, or equivalent combination.
• Experience in research, critical analysis, and evaluating information from divergent sources and compiling it into cohesive reports.
• Experience writing and editing promotional and informational material.
• Experience presenting to and/or communicating with government or legislative staff, community or business leaders, program leadership and other wide range of people, such as landowners, corporate executives, and government officials.
• Experience with time management.
• Sound understanding of the renewable energy sector in India and globally.
• Experience in  leading and managing outreach activities, stakeholder engagement, and coordinating with national and international colleagues, collaborators, and partners. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Postgraduate or master’s degree with atleast 10 years of related work experience in fields related to natural resource management/Energy/Renewable Energy/Climate Science/ Environmental Science/or related disciplines
• Familiarity with conservation issues in managing renewable energy at project, state and/or national levels.
• Experience and knowledge of outreach and working with renewable energy regulators, financial institutions, and energy businesses.
• Familiarity with how siting decisions with respect to renewable energy projects are made at various governance levels in public and private organizations
• Familiarity with renewable energy regulatory and/or finance environments, as well key individuals working in this space, is a plus.
• Networking skills to engage with leaders in the renewable energy community, central and state agencies, industries, financial institutions, NGOs, and other organizations.
• Excellent team player with experience working in multi-disciplinary groups, using influence and interpersonal skills, listening, diplomacy and tact to build strong relationships with governments, corporations, partners, donors, volunteers, and all levels of staff.
• Outstanding written and oral communication, negotiating and organizational skills.
• Independent and self-motivated with the ability to participate effectively in a remote team environment.   
• Experience communicating complex processes and ideas effectively to a variety of audiences within and outside an organization. 
• Knowledge of current trends and strategies in conservation and land protection.
• Experience working effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Experience negotiating complex agreements.
• Ability to effectively address and manage conflict
• Experience working and communicating with a wide range of people.
• Travel frequently and on short notice, sometimes on weekends.
• Ability to resolve complex problems independently with minimal supervision.   
• Facilitate and promote the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies into TNC work.
• Expert-level knowledge of national and regional social, political, and ecological landscapes.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural experience appreciated.

ADDITIONAL JOB INFORMATION

About the Employer Organization 

Successful chandidate for this position will be hired as an employee with Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS). 

Nature Conservancy India Solutions Private Limited (NCIS) is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013, having it registered office in India in New Delhi. India. It is a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of The Nature Conservancy.  The company currently provides technical consultancy, monitoring & evaluation and other related services in the domain of conservation and environment to its various clients within and outside India.