Energy Access Consultant

Description

Background: Mercy Corps is a leading global development and humanitarian organization which operates in more than 40 countries around the world. Our vision for energy is a world where people can leverage the power of clean, sustainable and renewable energy to build resilient, inclusive and equitable communities while adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change. Clean energy improves people’s quality of life and accelerates economic opportunities. Integrating clean energy into food security systems increases productivity across food production, processing, storage and transportation. We run a range of regional and country-based energy programs and also include energy in multi-sector programs. Our technical energy platform, Mercy Corps - Energy 4 Impact, aims to increase access to clean energy through venture building and advisory, sector strengthening, catalysing capital flows, and research and learning. We achieve impact through innovations and scaling of business models and technologies that improve access, affordability, reliability and service delivery for unserved and underserved communities. Energy access is a foundational requirement for the attainment of many SDGs and existing deficiencies which predominantly affect the world’s poorest create a major drag on progress. Despite significant investment in new energy services globally driven by the lower cost of renewables and distributed power, there are still over 800 million people without access to reliable modern energy services. Access to energy is also critical for the survival, health, livelihoods, and safety of the over 135 million people around the world who need humanitarian assistance. Mercy Corps - Energy 4 Impact is building a Roster of Consultants on Access to Energy to perform tasks at different stages of the project cycle, including contributions to proposal and bid writing. To become part of the pool, consultants are expected to have proven expertise in energy access in the countries where Mercy Corps - Energy 4 Impact works. Key areas of focus include powering agriculture such as irrigation, cooling and processing, maximising the value from the electricity grid, energy in urban informal settlements, humanitarian energy, women's economic empowerment, productive use of energy, clean cooking, and advising SMEs on business models, market research, product design, investment readiness and capital access. Purpose / Project Description: The Consultants on Access to Energy will perform tasks along the following functions:

1. Collaboration in the elaboration of strategies, for programs, countries and regions
2. Creation of market scanning tools for energy access-related supply and demand - also to evaluate potential private sector partners
3. Business modelling and capital raising advice across different sub-sectors to support the expansion of current energy access activities, and to help energy companies grow their business, increase their sales volumes and reach new markets
4. Supporting the structuring and facilitating the growth of different investment facilities, including funds, crowdfunding, innovation and challenge competitions, in order to grow energy companies, derisk them as they explore new markets, and promote new technologies
5. Designing and conducting desk-based and field-based research & assessments, inclusive of literature review, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, site-specific assessments, data analysis and report writing
6. Proposal development for energy access programming (grants and contracts)
7. Mapping energy access value chain in various themes or contextsThe areas of expertise required to collectively form the pool of consultants through individual candidatures include but are not limited to:
   1. Agriculture (crops and livestock, productive use applications such as solar irrigation, cooling and e-transportation)
   2. Electrification (solar home systems/mini-grids/stand-alone systems, grid expansion and densification). We are particularly interested in those with a background in electric engineering, technical system design, business modelling, advice to SMEs etc
   3. Clean cooking (supply, distribution, financing, advice to SMEs)
   4. Financing (SME and end-user financing, de-risking instruments, results-based financing, capital raising (grants, equity, debt), crowdfunding, climate financing, etc)
   5. Last mile distribution (end-user financing, retail and distribution strategies, after-sales service, etc)
   6. Policy and regulations for electrification, productive use applications and clean cooking
   7. Climate-smart and renewable energy technologies and related financing systems
   8. Strategy management (sales strategy, business planning, strategic partnerships, market positioning, market expansion, gender strategy, etc)
   9. Financial management (financial modelling, unit economics, book-keeping, budgeting, forecasting, etc)
   10. Credit risk management (credit risk mitigation, credit risk policy, implementation of developed policy, etc)
   11. Operational management (supply chain, internal tools and processes, capacity building, improving operational efficiency, etc)
   12. Human capital advisory (human resource strategy, team restructuring, HR policies, etc)
   13. Impact metrics (development and implementation of business and technical KPIs and other analytics)
   14. Digitalization and data (IT infrastructure, data tracking and visualization, PAYGO implementation, etc)
   15. Communications and visibility (communications policy, marketing and branding, etc)
   16. Other areas as relevantConsultant Objectives: The consultant’s objectives will depend on the assignment. Consultant Activities: Once retained, the individual consultants will receive detailed requests and scopes of work in accordance with the specific needs that will arise. The individual consultants will have the right to refuse a specific assignment in accordance with their own availability. The individual consultants will be assigned a point of contact depending on the assignment but should be prepared to work across teams with autonomy and flexibility. Consultant Deliverables: The specific scopes of work will detail the deliverables per each assignment. Timeframe / Schedule: The Consultants on Access to Energy will be retained for a period of up to 12 months, during which time a variable level of effort will be agreed. Indicatively, each consultant can expect to be assigned a certain number of days a month. Some assignments may also be one-off and short (several days) to support a particular area of expertise required in a broader assignment. The Consultant will report to: Either a Member of Energy 4 Impact’s Senior Management Team or Mercy Corps’ Director for Energy Access, depending on the opportunity. The Consultant will work closely with Energy 4 Impact’s Technical Advisory or Business Development Teams Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit Mercy Corps & Energy 4 Impact Country Teams Required Experience & Skills:
       • At least 3-years’ experience in the specific sector of energy access expertise for which the application is submitted.
       • Willingness to travel, also at short notice if required by the assignment.
       • Proven work experience in some the countries where Mercy Corps - Energy 4 Impact works.
       • Relevant bachelor or masters degree to the required energy access expertise desirable.
       • Fluency in written and oral English is a must.
       • Fluency in French, Kiswahili and other local African language is an asset.Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
         Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today. Equal Employment Opportunity
         We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work. Safeguarding & Ethics
         Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.