Technical Lead, USAID Power Africa EDE East & Central Africa Full-time Job

Opportunity:

The anticipated five-year, USAID-funded Power Africa Enhancing Development Through Energy (EDE) East and Central Africa (ECA) project will support and assist USAID partner countries in East & Central Africa to increase the availability of and access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity in the region to connect more users to electricity on the grid and beyond the grid; support cleaner electricity generation delivered by the grid and accelerate distributed renewable energy; and work with target governments to improve the enabling environment for energy sector investment and innovation. Toward these ends, it is anticipated the project will be structured to include, but will not be limited to, the following objectives or tasks:

• Addressing energy poverty
• Promoting and linking to productive uses of off-grid power, especially SMEs
• Developing and implementing new business models for DRE
• Stimulating power demand to match supply
• Supporting an improved policy and regulatory enabling environment
• Driving the energy transition from coal and diesel to RE
• Facilitating financing for energy companies, corporations, and productive uses
• Increasing power supply and grid-based power connections
• Strengthening utilities and other power sector entities
• Increasing regional power trade

Abt Associates seeks a qualified Central Africa/DRC Technical Lead for the USAID Power Africa EDE ECA project. The position will be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and is contingent upon project award.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership in delivery of expected results in the Central Africa region.
• Manage, supervise, and coordinate technical services, prioritize the activities in the Central Africa region, and provide thought leadership and technical support as needed to accelerate activities.
• Regularly liaise with the USAID missions in Central Africa, Power Africa Coordinators Office, and other USG agencies, as appropriate.
• Maintain strong relationships with relevant regional organizations, including the African Development Bank and the Development Bank of the Central African States, and with private sector companies and host country governments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in economics, energy/environmental policy, engineering, or a related field and at least 9 years of experience implementing energy programs in Sub-Saharan Africa OR Masters degree and 7 years of relevant experience.
• Work experience in Central Africa required.
• Excellent analytical abilities, written and oral communications skills.
• Demonstrated ability to promptly address ad hoc requests.
• Experience in supporting governments, the private sector, NGOs and communities to increase power supply, increase grid-based power connections, strengthen utilities and other power sector entities, increase regional power trade, and expand on and off-grid energy access, including through deploying distributed renewable power.
• Experience convening technical and management teams quickly to respond to client requests.
• Experience with gender equity and social inclusion or women's empowerment on energy focused programming.
• Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders including national governments, regulators, utilities, financial institutions, project developers, donor community, and private sector.
• Knowledge of East and Central Africa renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change policies, laws, and capacity constraints.
• Excellent interpersonal, diplomacy, and leadership skills, including the ability to manage relationships and motivate staff across large geographies.
• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Nationals of the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are encouraged to apply.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelors Degree + Nine years of relevant experience, or Masters Degree + Seven years of relevant experience, or PhD + Four years of relevant experience

Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.

Abt Associates is an engine for social impact, fueled by caring, curiosity and cutting-edge research that moves people from vulnerability to security. Whether it's welfare or weather disasters, the environment or economics, agriculture or HIV and AIDS, we address the world's most pressing issues. Our work is diverse and so is our bold workforce. We never fail to ask "What if?" We identify patterns, we search for the best way.