Lead – Engagement & Outreach, Renewable Energy (Odisha)

iFOREST is inviting applications from experienced and dynamic professionals for the position of Lead – Engagement & Outreach for the Clean Energy Programme in Odisha. 

Location: Bhuvneshwar, Odisha

About iFOREST

iFOREST is an independent not-for-profit research and innovation organisation which was established in 2019 to identify, promote and scale-up solutions for pressing environment-development challenges in India and other developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Our work is rooted in regional priorities to accelerate environmental actions at the sub-national level and to improve national policies and plans to support it. Our mission is to address the unique needs of regions by leveraging our resources and expertise to scale up national action and make a global impact. We use our regional knowledge to inform national policy and plans and strengthen international collaboration.

To achieve our goals, we conduct independent evidence-based research, develop new knowledge and innovative solutions, convene stakeholders to increase awareness and build consensus, and partner with think tanks, civil society, government agencies, philanthropies, and industry to scale up solutions.

About the Clean Energy Programme

The Clean Energy programme of iFOREST focuses on the issue of growing regional imbalance in India’s RE expansion. By promoting RE, including distributed renewable energy, in ‘low-RE states’ and collaborating with the industries to replace fossil fuel-based captive plants with renewables, iFOREST aims to catalyse action towards realizing the ambitious goal of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. Specific focus remains on eastern and north-eastern states of India. The engagement continues both at a regional level and at the state-level.

About the role

iFOREST is looking for a suitable candidate to design, lead and execute engagement and outreach related activities for the ongoing Clean Energy Programme in Odisha.

The selected candidate will be responsible for undertaking complete set of activities for engagement and outreach related activities in Odisha. This would entail planning, organizing and managing meetings, including one-on-one meetings, roundtables, workshops and conferences. It is important that the candidate is able to build partnerships with diverse set of partners, including the government departments and organizations, industry, civil society organizations and other relevant expert groups. The candidate should also support in conceptualization of communication strategy and materials that supports stakeholder engagement.

The selected candidate should be open to traveling to districts and other state locations as per the requirement.

The candidate should have demonstrated experience in executing and managing engagement and outreach related activities. It is ideal for the candidate to have an understanding of the renewable energy sector and the associated policy landscape.  

 Specific tasks to be undertaken by the successful candidate would include: 

• Identify the right/complete set of stakeholders to engage with based on programme/project objectives.
• Set up meetings, make presentations and build strategic relations with key stakeholders, including government officials, institutions, industries, think tanks, civil society members and other experts as per the programme priority.
• Undertake complete set of activities to deliver high quality multi-stakeholder dialogues, including roundtables, workshops, conferences etc.
• Coordinate with stakeholders for collecting data and information.
• Identify opportunities for public engagement for the organization.
• Contribute to designing communication matters for engagement.
• Identify and propose new and aligned areas of work (for research and engagement) for clean energy promotion in the focus geography, based on stakeholder feedback and conversations.
• Remain updated with the developments in clean energy sector, including policy and regulatory changes and industry trends.
• Undertake any other related assignments as may be entrusted by the reporting authority.

Required competencies

In line with the listed responsibilities for the successful candidate, she/he is expected to  have the following competencies:

• Exhaustive experience of strategic engagement with the a diverse set of government and non-government stakeholders, especially senior officials. 
• Demonstrated experience of designing and organizing multi-stakeholder meetings of varying scale.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Confident and extrovert personality who can engage with ease and finesse.
• Maturity to make presentations on institutional perspectives and research findings.
• Willingness to travel as per the requirement.
• Knowledge of clean energy sector is a plus.
• Team player with a positive attitude towards collaborative work.

Qualification & Work Experience

• Master’s degree (minimum) from a reputed institution in any relevant field, including management, economics, public policy, international relations, development studies, energy policy etc.
• At least 10 years of work experience in profiles involving active engagement with stakeholders.

What we offer

 We assure you a rewarding experience if you are passionate to build a career. At iFOREST we strongly support our colleagues’ professional development and recognition, and offer an inclusive and amicable work environment.

We offer highly competitive salaries in a think tank space, and reward performance through our annual appraisals.

Remuneration

Competitive salary as per candidate’s experience and proficiency. Final designation of successful candidate will be based on qualification and experience.

Application deadline & instructions

Immediate opening. Position open until filled.

We prefer the candidate to submit an online application at https://iforest.global/careers/. In case of any difficulty, you may also send your application to careers@iforest.global. Applications must be accompanied by a CV and a Cover Letter.

Please ensure that the Cover Letter is no more than 500 words and clearly describes your suitability for the described position and the motivation to join iFOREST.

CVs without the cover letter would not be considered.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.