Pacific Islands Energy Professional - PCREEE (x2)

• Tonga-based position
• Attractive expatriate package
• Join the principal development organisation in the region

Description

The Pacific Community is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, proudly supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are renowned for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Geoscience Energy and Maritime Division provides advice, technical assistance, research and training support to Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs). There are three (3) areas of scientific programming and two areas of focus within this division:

• Oceans and Maritime – Driving growth in blue economies through well-informed and inclusive action from integrated solutions for ocean and coastal management and maritime and transport.
• Geo-resources and Energy – Strengthening the management of the Earth’s non-living resources through responsible harnessing of mineral resources, including metalliferous and development minerals, and clean and renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal for sustainable development.
• Disaster and Community Resilience – Improving resilience and sustainability through the management of disaster risk and adapting to climate change. This includes building resilience through wider support for climate change, disaster risk management (DRM) initiatives, and water and sanitation initiatives. The RENI project falls within this programming area.
• The other two focus areas within this division are Programming and Operations, which is responsible for driving integrated programming excellence and operational support across the division, and Geo-informatics, which is responsible for providing diverse, integrated, and unique and demand driven services across SPC work programmes, projects and countries. This includes developing, managing, building on and retaining or preserving spatial data and information for the benefit of all scientific areas.

The role – The Pacific Island Energy Professional – PCREEE will support the Manager – PCREEE including Programme Delivery Officer and PCREEE Experts with providing support and advice to governments, stakeholders and the private sector in planning and implementing PCREEE activities, focusing on business mentoring and entrepreneurship, smart mobility, renewable energy mini-grids and energy efficiency investments. 

The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

Regional Collaboration, Coordination and Communication

• Assists with conducting and updating of needs assessments, with the data collection and analysis effort of the PCREEE
• Assist with the visibility effort of the PCREEE and with the updating of the PCREEE website

Technical Cooperation and Services

• Assist in the implementation of the PCREEE activities on business mentoring and entrepreneurship, smart mobility, renewable energy mini-grids and investment in energy efficiency
• Assist in the planning and conduct of business and investment promotion activities and PCREEE training activities

Resource mobilisation

• Draft funding proposals to internal resources in SPC as well as to external sources
• Draft bids and proposals to consultancy works in member countries and those offered by regional and multilateral stakeholders
• Assist in the production of progress and acquittal reports on resources provided to the PCREEE

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Pacific Islands

• Only applicants from Pacific Island countries or territories are eligible to apply
• Applicants must be employed in a Pacific Island national/regional energy office or a recognised NGO working in the field of Energy in a Pacific Island country or territory

Qualifications

• A recognized degree or equivalent in a discipline relevant to renewable energy and energy efficiency, or related field
• Completed short term training relating to energy

Technical expertise

• At least three years’ direct relevant experience in Pacific Islands energy sector
• Understanding of current Pacific Island regional energy scene, and experience of working with gender issues relating to energy
• Strong PC based computer skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) with knowledge of software programmes for data entry and analysis
• Willingness to travel and undertake overseas assignments in SPC member countries, sometimes under difficult physical conditions

Language skills

• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) in English

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work in a team as well as undertake unsupervised work, and communicate with people from different ethnic, cultural and educational backgrounds
• Cultural sensitivity, and a demonstrated understanding of developing country environments
• Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage

Salary, terms and conditions

Requirements: Only applicants who are nationals and residents of Pacific Island countries are eligible to apply. Applicants must be employed in or contracted by a Pacific Island national/regional energy office or a recognised NGO working in the field of Energy in a Pacific Island country or territory.

Letter of endorsement –A signed letter from the employer, stating they agree to release the applicant for the attachment and that the position will be held for the applicant to return to at the end of the attachment with SPC must be provided before an appointment can be finalized.

Required start date – The position is to be filled as soon as possible and appointment is not renewable beyond 364 days. ** Regional and national regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic will ultimately determine when and if the appointee can start employment in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, as per the job requirements. These matters will be discussed thoroughly with successful candidates. In most cases, any appointment and on-boarding would only commence when relocation to the duty station is permitted. 

Remuneration – The Pacific Island Energy Professional – PCREEE is a Band 8 position in SPC’s 2022 salary scale, with a salary of SDR (special drawing rights) 2,361 per month, which currently converts to approximately USD 3,376 (EUR 2,833). SPC salaries are not presently subject to income tax in Tonga. Tonga nationals employed by SPC in Tonga will be subject to income tax.

Benefits – SPC provides a housing allowance of USD 1,000 - 2,000 per month, an establishment grant, return airfare, and will reimburse excess accompanied luggage of up to two additional bags. Employees are entitled to: 25 days annual leave and 30 days sick leave per annum; medical and life insurance; and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

We encourage all eligible candidates to apply but please note that as this is a special short-term contract, the full list of benefits included in other international contract types are not available. Appointees may bring their families, but all extra costs for travel, insurance, education, housing and other additional expenses will be their own responsibility. 

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilinguism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s private policy.

Application procedure

Closing date:  24 July 2022 – 11:00 pm Noumea time

Job Reference: SH000142

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions (below).

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference.

Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Screening questions (maximum of 2.000 characters per question):

• Please describe your experiences and achievements in the energy sector.
• Have you been involved in jointly implementing energy projects or events with partners? If yes, please describe your role and the impacts of the project.  
• Have you drafted projects worth USD 50,000 and above that got approved for funding? If yes, please describe the projects and your approach to drafting the proposal(s).