Job Opportunity for Engagement Lead – Energy Transitions at CEEW in Dehradun

Purpose

At CEEW, the Energy Transitions team’s vision is to support India leapfrog to a clean energy future, albeit in a socially equitable and environmentally responsible manner. We generate evidence for change, engage with policymakers and private sector to devise and implement progressive policies, regulations and market mechanisms, and evaluate the impact of government initiatives on the ground.

The Energy Transitions team seeks to hire a suitable candidate for the position of Engagement Lead to support team’s efforts on supporting states in increasing the share of distributed renewables (DRE) in the grid. A suitable candidate will require expertise on three fronts – nudging the consumer to adopt new technologies, identifying solutions with equitable incentives for stakeholders and facilitating the process with conducive policies and regulations. This will further require the candidate to have comprehensive understanding of tariff mechanisms, state-level policies and regulations pertaining to distributed renewables, hands-on experience in stakeholder engagement (including discoms, electricity regulators, state governments and developers), profound understanding of consumer behaviour, and the power market. The candidate will be expected to travel frequently or move to a capital city in priority states and build relationship work with key stakeholders, particularly, government (both at central & state level) and industry.

Job Duties and Accountabilities

Desirable Outcomes (first year)

• Expand the distributed RE programme in atleast one state and support in other states.
• Build your profile and network in the state as a sector expert
• Conceptualise and execute atleast one innovative idea to scale up the adoption of distributed renewable energy (DRE) in the priority state

Primary responsibilities

• Conceptualise and implement new research methods, innovative ideas on market solutions, policy interventions and market design that can support the scale up of DRE technologies
• Identify distributed renewable energy deployment issues and opportunities from the state’s perspective to co-conceptualise and execute research that can aid policy, regulatory and market related changes
• Deepen the relationship in existing states and build relationship in new state – Respond to policy and regulatory updates, implementation of solar policy schemes, formulation of new schemes etc.
• Conduct regular reviews, monitor and analyse day-to-day regulatory and policy changes in the renewable energy markets, especially on grid-connected DRE at the state, national and international level
• Conduct various types of analyses using advanced data analytics tools to further the research and programme objectives
• Develop trust-based relationships with key stakeholders, especially with discoms, regulators, state nodal agencies, developers and other research organisations to understand the challenges and opportunities in the DRE sector
• Share knowledge and findings on various internal and external platforms based on the research and implementation efforts through presentations, memos, short reports, opinion pieces, videos, etc. with support from CEEW’s Outreach team
• Publish high-quality research reports, policy papers, issue briefs, memos, opinion-pieces, blogs etc.

Programme Assistance

• Lead project implementation in state by contributing towards preparing detailed activity plans and timelines, resource planning, stakeholder management, and donor engagement.
• Support the team in engaging with donors on the ongoing programmes.
• Lead team’s outreach efforts including organising webinars/physical events, representing CEEW in industry events, and writing op-eds, briefs and reports.
• Write memos, briefs and issue notes which could be circulated among senior Government officials and other internal and external stakeholders
• Building stronger ties with government, industry and institutional partners

Selection Criteria

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with a specialisation in renewable energy technologies, economics, public policy or related field
• Sound understanding of India’s energy markets (specifically grid-connected DRE markets) and policy and regulatory environment
• Strong research background with an adequate understanding of research methods and quantitative skills

Work experience

• At least 5-8 years of relevant work experience in the field of research, policy/industry engagement and project management in the area of electricity policy, electricity distribution, and renewable energy
• Prior experience of writing white papers, articles, policy briefs and research reports
• Strong track record of team and project management including timely delivery of outputs
• Demonstrable experience in stakeholder engagement at state-level and experience of working with public and private institutions within and outside India

Key skills

• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills
• Proficiency in MS-Excel is a must. Understanding of STATA/R/Python and other data visualisation tools would be an added advantage
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to summarise and communicate the insights/findings in written and oral formats
• Proficiency in Hindi and English language

If you are passionate about supporting India’s Energy transition, this is the place for you!

CEEW operates in a dynamic environment and the candidate will be required to show flexibility in undertaking a variety of tasks.

Compensation

Competitive compensation – commensurate to the experience and matching the best of standards adopted by industry or other similar organisations for similar roles.

Application Process

CEEW is an equal opportunity employer and the selection process does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested applicants are advised to apply at the earliest possible.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified by us. We appreciate your interest.