Energy Planning Officer
Background Information - Job-specific
UNOPS hosts Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Secretariat/Programme in Vienna, Austria. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an independent organization with a global mandate to accelerate progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. We work at the intersection of energy, climate, and development. We collaborate with governments and partners worldwide to end energy poverty, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy solutions, and combat climate change.
Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere, can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We promote this vision by pushing for higher ambitions, stronger policies, greater finance flows, increased localization and green jobs, and faster results toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Since then, our CEO has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.
This position is located within the Integrated Energy Access Planning team. Through its new Integrated Energy Access Planning Programme, SEforALL seeks to accelerate the development and adoption of ‘best-in-class’ integrated energy access plans (IEPs) as a way of helping high energy access-deficit countries gain a more integrated and data-driven understanding of the technologies and spending required to achieve universal energy access. IEPs can generate strategic insights into the optimal ways to expand access to not just electricity but also clean cooking, enhanced medical cold-chains for vaccine distribution. To do this, SEforALL is establishing a Center of Excellence to set the standard for best-in-class IEPs, guiding universal energy access efforts across markets. The Centre of Excellence will seed the sector with resources and innovations, global advocacy for the widespread adoption of IEPs while working with governments to showcase, implement and learn from best-in-class IEPs.
The main objectives of the Integrated Energy Access Planning team are:
- To accelerate the adoption of ‘best-in-class’ integrated energy plans among high energy access-deficit countries;
- Setting the Standard: Create practical tools and knowledge products that help ‘set the standard’ for best-in-class IEPs;
- Filling the Gap: Commission IEPs in countries where IEPs may not exist or where they could be improved upon ;
- Country-level Advisory Support: Provide tailored advisory support to countries that have developed or are developing an IEP to help them better utilize their IEPs and translate them into policies, finance and action;
- Building Demand: Use high-level advocacy to secure political buy-in on integrated energy access planning and the role of distributed energy in meeting energy access goals.
SEforALL is also spearheading a significant project in Zambia, in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). The project aims to scale up Zambia’s mini-grid sector by establishing a comprehensive data baseline, validating the technical and financial feasibility of mini-grids, and activating the market for the rollout of the “1,000 communities” program. This initiative focuses on supporting the deployment of an initial 100 mini-grids as a proof of concept to assess financial viability, identify operational challenges, and evaluate socio-economic impacts. The insights gained from this phase will inform strategies for scaling up the deployment to the remaining 900 communities, ensuring a sustainable and impactful nationwide rollout.
The project emphasizes stakeholder activation, sustainable program design, and the transfer of knowledge and technology to local communities, aiming to build in-country capacity and create a replicable model for other regions. By focusing on these strategic objectives, SEforALL is laying the groundwork for a successful expansion of clean energy access in Zambia, with the potential to serve as a model for similar efforts in other countries.
The position will require the incumbent to primarily support within the Zambia project, while also contributing to various activities with the IEP team.
Functional Responsibilities
IEP Programme Implementation Support:
- Provide support to the Programme Lead, for timely completion of all SEforALL’s IEP programme deliverables including activity implementation.
- Under the guidance of the Programme Lead, support the development of technical modules on electrification modeling in country IEP projects.
- Contribute to the drafting of technical specifications, support with monitoring progress, and providing regular reporting on IEP projects.
- Assist in identifying and conducting stakeholder engagement with the leading energy planning actors in the sector;
- Support with logistics and organizational activities for knowledge exchange workshops and webinars.
Research and Data Analysis:
- Support desk-based research and partner outreach to assess the status of IEPs in various countries and identify gaps and barriers in the energy planning sector.
- Support the team by contributing to data collection and drafting of position papers on emerging approaches.
- Support the identification and development of engagement models with selected countries.
Geospatial Modeling and Technical Support:
- Assist with the development and application of in-house models for integrated energy access planning, such as mini-grid optimization models, under the guidance of senior team members.
- Support team efforts by assisting with GIS modeling tasks for analyses on thematic areas such as electrification planning, clean cooking, and cold chain assessments.
- Support geospatial and techno-economic modeling tasks by assisting with tasks related to system sizing, cost assessments, and input in the design of sustainable financial incentives,
- Collaborate with project teams to identify data gaps, assist in designing data collection methodologies, and ensure proper data organization, storage, and visualization.
- Working closely with the Programme Lead, assist in data collection, processing, and scenario development for Integrated Energy Planning (IEP) models
Advancing the IEP Centre of Excellence:
- In collaboration with the team, support the Centre of Excellence by contributing to the development of standards, tools, and guidance that promote best practices in IEP development.
- Contribute to capacity-building efforts related to the output of the Centre of Excellence by participating and/or organizing trainings, workshops and webinars.
- Provide analytical support for integrating machine learning and AI-based approaches into energy access planning and data analytics.
- Facilitate knowledge building and sharing within and outside SEforALL, utilizing SEforALL’s systems to promote awareness and understanding of energy access planning practices.
Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education
- First Level University (Bachelor’s) degree in Cartography, Business Administration, Economics, Energy, Engineering, Political Science, Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Geographic Information Systems or a related field. An Advanced Degree (Master's or equivalent) will be considered an advantage.
Work Experience
- A minimum of two (2) years experience in energy access planning and geospatial modeling.
- Experience in GIS data management, remote sensing, spatial analysis and visualization, data analysis relevant to the field of energy access planning is required.
- Experience with (distributed) renewables, energy efficiency and energy productivity process and technology solutions as well as an understanding of different sectoral approaches and technology applications is desirable.
Language
- Fluency in English is required.
- Working knowledge of another, official UN language is an asset.
