Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
The Department
As of January 2023, over 100 million people are forcibly displaced, and the number of people forced to flee their homes has doubled since 2011. Despite the fact that the average refugee camp is in place for about 18 years, only 10% of refugees in camp settings have access to electricity, with only 19% having access to clean cooking solutions. A recent study calculated that six UN agencies and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) operate 11,365 diesel and petrol generators in displacement settings, spending more than $100 million per year on fuel and contributing to 194,000 tCO2 greenhouse gas emissions yearly, through the use of diesel power generators alone, leading to the deterioration of the environmental conditions of the already fragile settings where they intervene. Moreover, the financials of this prevailing fossil fuel-based energy supply model do not provide optimization of humanitarian funding.
Investment in clean energy services for the humanitarian sector is critical to attaining universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services (SDG7) and to leaving no one behind. Modern energy access is also a key enabler to economic development and livelihood opportunities, food and water security, reducing environmental degradation, and supporting more peaceful coexistence of refugees and host communities โ while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Against this backdrop, Mercy Corps developed the Enter Energy Initiative whose vision is to power displaced and host communities in their journey to resilience through clean, affordable and sustainable energy solutions and decarbonize the humanitarian operations that support them.
The main objective of Enter Energy is to provide the enabling environment for reputable energy companies to deploy sustainable, clean, and affordable energy services to improve the socio-economic well-being of displaced and host communities, while contributing to the decarbonization of humanitarian operations. Over the next five years, Mercy Corps seeks to scale this vision to up to 10 countries globally.
The Position
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader with a background in energy access and/or humanitarian interventions to make a real impact. Based in Europe, the Enter Energy Global Director will lead the realization of the Enter Energy vision across countries and in conjunction with key stakeholders.
Reporting to the Chief Climate Officer, the Enter Energy Global Director will spearhead the Global Enter Energy Hub: an ecosystem support actor that builds evidence, collects best practices, forms or supports new partnerships, tests innovations, raises and helps deploy finance, and advocates with key stakeholders to remove barriers to the quicker deployment of sustainable humanitarian energy solutions.
The Enter Energy Director will: a) define the vision and pathway to growth for Enter Energy, also lead advocacy for the Enter Energy model to become the reference model for humanitarian agencies that want to power their own operations and programming in situations of displacement; b) promote partnerships with the private and public sector to deploy the best practices of public-private sector-led renewable energy services provision in situations of displacement; c) lead the blended fundraising efforts for Enter Energy to reach scale by building on MC existing donor relationships and establishing new ones.
They will work closely with MC Technical Support Unit, Regional and Country teams, Programs, New Initiatives, Fundraising, Communications, and Finance teams.
Essential Responsibilities
VISION AND PATHWAY TO GROWTH
- Lead the development and creation of a pathway to scale for the implementation of the Enter Energy Initiativeโs vision and strategy.
- Supervise the collaboration with a legal advisor to determine the most appropriate legal set-up for the Enter Energy Initiative.
- Closely liaise with implementing countries teams to ensure correct leverage of existing programs and clear understanding of regulatory framework to contextualize the Enter Energy Initiative.
- Leverage humanitarian energy initiatives to ensure complementarity toward maximization of impact (e.g. derisking financial mechanisms)
PARTNERSHIPS PROMOTION AND ADVOCAY
- Lead advocacy efforts within the humanitarian sector to encourage partner agencies to adapt and tailor the Enter Energy model to their operational and programmatic commitments to decarbonize their interventions in situations of displacement.
- Develop alliances and partnerships with potential partners from the humanitarian, private and public sectors.
- Represent the Enter Energy Initiative internally and externally, focusing on enhancing visibility through communication materials and channels; and at dedicated fora (e.g., working groups, conferences, events, humanitarian cluster structure)
FUNDRAISING
- Lead the Global Enter Energy Hubโs efforts to identify and secure new donor funding for the Enter Energy initiative, in close collaboration with MC Programs, New Initiatives, Fundraising, Communications, and Finance teams.
- Build relationships with existing and new donors, including development agencies, development financing institutions, corporate trusts and foundations, and other potential targets.
- Lead the preparation of high-quality bids, proposals and concept notes which are consistent with the vision of the Enter Energy Initiative and tailored to the needs of the donor. Some proposals will be solicited, while others will be unsolicited and bespoke.
- Analyse new business opportunities (e.g., requests for proposal) and make go/no go recommendations.
Supervisory Responsibility
Direct supervision: Business Development, Legal and Financial consultants
Dotted-line/Indirect supervision: Enter Energy country team leads
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Chief Climate Officer, dotted line to Technical Support Unit Director for Energy Access.
Works Directly With: Technical Support Unit and Energy 4 Impact experts, Regional and Country Program Teams, New Initiatives, Corporates and Foundations, private and public sector companies, humanitarian energy stakeholders.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills
Qualifications
- Graduate or Postgraduate Degree in Business Management, Economics, Finance, International Development, Energy, Environment, Climate Change or other relevant subject.
Experience
- 7 yearsโ experience in leading and shaping innovative initiatives.
- Advocacy and relationship building and management experience with UN and other NGOs.
- Positive track record in establishing partnerships with private and public sector organizations.
- 5 yearsโ experience in NGO fundraising, business development and proposal preparation, ideally in an energy access and humanitarian response context
Skills & Knowledge
- Clear visioning and leadership skills to be able to positively influence internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to develop partnerships and strong and effective relationships with multiple stakeholders.
- Excellent organization and project management skills. Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
- Successful track record in program fundraising (for projects of $100,000 to $10 million), especially in energy access and humanitarian response
- Extensive network with public donors, private foundations and other relevant stakeholders
- Strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to prepare high-quality proposals and concept notes and communicate complex ideas in a user-friendly way.
- Strong analytical and research skills.
- Ability to work with a diverse mix of professionals and different cultures.
- Fluent English a must.
- Fluent French an advantage.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have a big vision and be able to think innovatively with close alignment with the mission and values of Mercy Corps. They will have the ability to work calmly under pressure with a can do and collaborative mindset. They will also have high attention to detail and focus on results. The successful candidate should be willing to travel internationally, sometimes at short notice. A passion for working on the development and impact of the sector is a plus.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The part-time position (3 days/week) is based in any of the MC Europe offices, and it requires up to 30% travel with the vision to evolve to full-time.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
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 worldโs 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
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
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 is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
- Graduate or Postgraduate Degree in Business Management, Economics, Finance, International Development, Energy, Environment, Climate Change or other relevant subject.