GVEP International,RESP Project Advisor Jobs in Rwanda

Closing date: 25 Jun 2016

Job title:
RESP Project Advisor

Reports to:
Head of Advisory Services

Based in:
Kigali, Rwanda

Background

GVEP is an
international advisory organization supporting the energy sector in Sub-Saharan
Africa. We deliver dem

and-driven, practical, and customised support to SMEs,
project developers, social enterprises, and micro-enterprises that provide
renewable energy services to off-grid communities.

Our team of 90
people includes primarily locally based professionals who are supported by a
small head office in London. The organization is comprised of:

· Country Teams
in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal. These teams provide business and
technical skills training and mentorship to micro-enterprises that deliver
“last-mile” energy services, and support them to access finance from MFIs,
SACCOs and local banks.

· Advisory Services team
in Nairobi that provides consulting and advisory to SMEs, project developers
and social enterprises, and supports them to secure corporate/project
financing.

· Administrative and
support staff based in our London HQ and Nairobi regional head office.

GVEP is funded by
major development agencies e.g Sida (Sweden), DfID (UK), World Bank, USAID,
Barclays, OFID, and EU. Our FY2014 revenues were ~$5m, and since our founding
in 2006, we have leveraged $55+ million of grant funding to support more than
3,000 businesses.

Our clients are
primarily based in East Africa and range in the stage of their development from
ideation/pre-pilot to scale-up. We work with companies employing a range of
business models and technologies. Many are developing small-scale assets for
power generation and distribution (e.g. through mini-grids) using solar,
biomass gasification, or hydropower, while others produce or distribute solar
lights or home systems, clean cook-stoves or biomass-based fuels.

Our common near-term
aim is to help our client develop into a business that will withstand a due
diligence process designed to assess its financial, operational and technical
robustness. Our ultimate goal is to increase the likelihood that the company
matures into a profitable commercial enterprise that plays a meaningful role in
electrifying the 1.3 billion people currently without power. In short, we work
with companies to increase their prospects for survival and growth.

We help companies
develop their business model, enhance operational execution, and access
financing. Engagements typically consist of some combination of management
consulting or capital advisory, market research, and assistance developing new
partnerships. Many clients find significant value in our knowledge of, and
preparation for, financiers – from commercial private equity firms, to impact investors
or donors.

We have completed
more than 220 engagements with more than 112 companies, and our clients have
raised a cumulative $83 million of debt, equity and grants since engaging with
us.

Role

This role is within
Advisory Services, a Nairobi-based team of professionals from a range of
private sector backgrounds including investment banking and private equity,
management consulting, law, entrepreneurship, infrastructure project
development, micro-finance and engineering. However, this role is based out
Kigali, Rwanda to support the Scaling up Off-Grid Energy in Rwanda (SOGER)
Programme

This programme will
comprise of three project components, designed and developed to respond to the
country’s challenges and the government’s priorities with regards to poverty
reduction and energy access in rural areas:

·        
Component
1: Renewable Energy Small Projects (RESP) Development Facility: to accelerate
the development of small grid-connected or isolated mini-grid RESP projects,
·        
Component
2: Pico-hydro project development: to support the development of pico-hydro
micro-utilities
·        
Component
3: Energy and Farming: to increase productivity for small farmers through
access to appropriate solar powered irrigation systems.

The RESP project
advisor will work on supporting and leading the successful delivery of the RESP
facility as well as providing support to the Pico-hydro component , in close
collaborarion with the Programme Technical Manager and other project team
members.

Key Responsibilities
for the role include:

· Origination of a
project pipeline and recruitment of small grid-connected projects and/or
isolated mini-grid projects.

· Project
development support (feasibility studies, advice on demand/distribution,
regulation, system design and equipment, and investor facilitation) for small
grid connected or isolated mini-grid projects.

· Ongoing technical
assistance during operation and construction phases and enabling environment
support for small grid connected or isolated mini-grid projects.

· Identifying and
recruiting RESP developers, including help with site identification, to build a
pipeline of viable projects

· Working with RESP
developers and providing them technical, financial and business advisory
support.

· Work with RESP developers
on capital raising support and help the project developer in tapping various
source of finance (grant/equity/debt) for both early stage as well as later
stage of the project.

· Work with the
mini-grid project developers (small-hydro/pico-hydro and other RE) and help
them with site identification and other project development support for the
entire life-cycle of the project.

· Conducting
advisory engagements (which span strategy consulting, investment readiness,
partnership facilitation, project development support, and “customized
projects”) with mini-grids project developers, renewable energy SMEs &
social enterprises.

· Providing and
developing technical capacity building trainings to RESP project developers

· Support the
Pico-hydro component with Technical assistance and access capital raising
activities when required.

· Assisting in
programme reporting and provide feedback to the programme manager on all
developments around the projects and field activities

· Provide effective
linkages between the projects, and relevant stakeholders, and identify new
partners and opportunities for the developers

· Helping to develop
GVEP’s internal processes and knowledge of technologies, business models,
regulatory issues, financing process, etc.

· Delivering high
quality work product and providing high quality inputs to colleagues, with
attention to detail and a focus on results.

Requirements

· Experience:

o 5-10 years of
project engineering and/or project management experience in the Renewable
Energy sector, with at-least 3 years of experience in the
small-hydro/pico-hydro and/or mini-grids sector

o Experience working
with rural and off-grid business models and technologies, and an understanding
of unique challenges faced by businesses operating in Africa and/or other
developing countries

o Direct experience
of working with green mini-grid project developers and understand the
challenges that project developers face.

· Attributes:

o Strong Technical
Skills related to small hydro and/or mini-grids

o Good Project Management
Skills, including ability to handle the project budget

o Good Financial
Modelling Skills

o Understanding of
the mini-grids space (various business models/productive power/regulatory etc.)

o Good team building
and motivational skills with an ability to work with a diverse mix of
professionals and deliver.

o Very strong
communication skills, both oral and written.

o Ability to see the
big picture and connect the dots.

o A can-do and
collaborative mindset – comfortable with the ambiguities and demands of a
rapidly evolving and entrepreneurial environment with a team from diverse
backgrounds.

o Passionate about
working in the impact space.

· Preferred:

o Working with rural
and off-grid business models and technologies, and an understanding of unique
challenges faced by businesses operating in Africa.

o Knowledge of
Swahili language

How to apply:

To apply, please
send your CV, along with a cover letter to shashank.verma@gvepinternational.org.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The deadline for this position
is 25th
June 2016
.

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