Clean Energy Senior Specialist, Pretoria, R k pa neg.

Our client in the Research and Development (R&D) core has an employment opportunity for a Clean Energy Senior Specialist to establish, maintain and grow the Organisation’s Energy Centre’s knowledge base with respect to PV, CSP, wind and other renewables, natural gas (LNG, piped gas, unconventional gas), international and national market trends in order to support the Organisation’s decision-making with respect to market-related, directed research on these topics.

Our client has established an integrated energy research centre, where it will leverage the immense knowledge and skills base in energy that already exists within the organisation, and will reach out to external partners. The integrated energy research agenda will focus on energy efficiency and renewable energies as two global megatrends. These two topics will be flanked with research on ‘enablers’ for them, such as natural gas, smarter grids, energy storage and mobility. System integration will play an important role in bringing the different facets of these topics together and make them work in an integrated energy system. Our client is committed to provide decision-making support to South African businesses and policymakers that will be informed by its technical and technology research.

Requirements:
• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• At least five to ten years’ work experience in the energy sector.
• Five to ten years’ experience in renewables and natural gas markets.
• Very familiar with energy policy and regulation.
• Very familiar with the South African renewables market/regulation and IPP processes.
• Preferably familiar with (renewable) energy projects and regulation in at least one other market than South Africa.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and experience in dealing with a wide variety and different levels of stakeholders.
• Excellent team player.
• Good communication and presentation skills.
• Extensive report-writing skills.

Responsibilities:
• Lead the establishment and maintenance of an integrated, consolidated database with respect to renewables capacities and costs nationally and internationally (with focus on African markets).
• In close collaboration with the Research Group Leader: Regulatory Environment, lead the establishment and maintenance of an integrated, consolidated database with respect to incentive/regulatory schemes for renewables nationally and internationally (with focus on African markets).
• Represent the Organisation at all relevant national industry associations with respect to renewables (SAPVIA, SAWEA, SASTELA, SABIA, SAREC, etc.).
• Give expert advice to clients from public and private sectors on latest developments in the renewables markets and industry as observed by the organisation.
• Give expert advice to clients from public and private sectors on latest developments in the natural gas markets and industry as observed by the organisation.
• Give expert advice to clients from public and private sectors on project development aspects of renewables projects.
• Give expert advice to clients from public and private sectors on project development aspects of natural gas projects.
• Proactively establish close working relationships between industry players in the South African and African renewables space, and the organisation.
• Proactively establish close working relationships between industry players in the South African and African natural-gas space and the organisation.
• Proactively identify research need in the renewables industry and with policymakers that is aligned with the organisations energy initiatives focus areas, and derive business opportunities from it.
• Proactively identify research need in the natural gas industry and with policymakers that are aligned with the organisations energy initiatives focus areas, and deriving business opportunities from it.
• Lead the establishment and maintenance of an integrated, consolidated database with respect to natural gas projects in South Africa and the region (sources: domestic exploration, LNG, piped gas; end use: power generation, transport, space and industrial heat, etc.).
• Represent the Organisation at all relevant national industry associations with respect to natural gas.
• Proactively enable South African industry players to play a role in the natural gas industry by giving expert advice on natural gas project development, contractual and technical issues, as well as regulatory and market developments.
• Lead the establishment and maintenance of an integrated, consolidated database with respect to natural gas projects in South Africa and the region (sources: domestic exploration, LNG, piped gas; end use: power generation, transport, space and industrial heat, etc.).
• Represent the Organisation at all relevant national industry associations with respect to natural gas.
• Proactively enable South African industry players to play a role in the natural gas industry by giving expert advice on natural gas project development, contractual and technical issues, as well as regulatory and market developments.
• Identify opportunities for other units to support South African industries in the renewables and natural gas space, for example through calibration, verification and testing of equipment or through environmental assessments/studies, etc.
• Maintain close contact with the organisation’s internal units that offer services that are potentially relevant for the renewables and natural gas industry.
• Develop and implement the concept for renewables and gas transparency platform in order to enable the organisation to publish the non-confidential findings from its market intelligence with respect to renewables and natural gas markets in easy-to-digest reports for the broader South African public, including potential publication on organisation’s website.
• Proactively build, maintain and increase the human capital base of the Organisation’s Energy Centre with respect to renewables and natural gas markets.
• Manage the conduction of the organisation’s internal training seminars.
• Guide junior staff.
• Identification of, motivation for and attendance of relevant external programmes and trainings.
• Advise university students on their research projects (i.e. theses).

Instructions
Credit, criminal, qualification and employment history checks are a pre-requisite for this position.
Should you not be contacted within 10 days please consider your application as unsuccessful.
Please note that correspondence will be entered into with short-listed candidates only.