Energy & Agriculture Senior Advisor NGO Jobs – SNV Netherlands Development Organization
Job Title: Energy & Agriculture Senior Advisor
Organization: SNV Netherlands Development Organization
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About US:
SNV Netherlands Development Organization is a not-for-profit international development organizational founded in the Netherlands in 1965; and currently maintains a global presence in 30 countries; across Africa, Asia and Latin America. SNV has been present in Uganda since 1989 and currently undertakes donor funded programming within 100+ districts across the country. As an organisation, SNV focuses on the Agriculture, WASH and Energy sectors and maintains the belief that no one should have to live in poverty; and that all people should have the opportunity to pursue their own sustainable development. SNV contributes to programming within the Agriculture, WASH and Energy sectors by strengthening the capacities of targeted partners and communities at the field level; in order to realize increased skill sets and sustainable performance; reduce poverty levels, expand employment; improve food security; while paying special attention to gender equity, social inclusion of marginalized groups and stakeholder accountability.
About Programme:
The Climate Smart Agriculture – East Africa (CSA-EA) Programme is a 5-year, €39 million project being implemented in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The project uses an Inclusive Business development approach to support the international and Dutch efforts on climate change and sustainable production in arable farming. The programme will work with and through the private sector and supports public sector partners in creating an institutional environment for wide-scale adoption of CSA-practices, including more efficient use of water and (renewable) energy sources. It is driven by 3 pillars: i) adoption of CSA practices & technologies in arable crop production farming systems; ii) acceleration of investments and business growth in selected value chains; iii) improved enabling environment for scaling out of CSA. Interventions are centred on business cases which are derived from a thorough climate risk assessment and financial analysis of value chains in pulses, oilseeds, potatoes and grains. A climate-smart business case matching grant facility aims to further improve access to finance and facilitate scaling. The programme is implemented by a consortium consisting of SNV, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the CGIAR research programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Agriterra and Rabobank, and is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS).
Job Summary: The Energy & Agriculture Expert has the responsibility of the development and implementation of business cases whereby renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions are integrated to develop climate proof value chains. The CSA-EA programme expects to engage with a variety of companies offering different products and services, including renewable energy companies offering solutions for increased agricultural production (e.g. solar-powered irrigation systems) and energy-efficient processing techniques (e.g. solar cooling and drying, biomass-bio-digesters, etc.), amongst others. The Energy & Agriculture Expert will identify these solutions in response to value chain assessments done by the CSA-EA team. Prioritised value chain commodities are pulses, oilseed and grains. The incumbent will identify and support business cases for the co-investment fund and broker access to finance and investment of the businesses. S/he will coordinate and work with financial institutional partners to scale climate-smart investments. While being based in one of the CSA-EA countries, the Energy & Agriculture Expert will provide expert TA across the three countries (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania) in which the programme operates, building on solid networks in the sector and creating synergies with other existing programmes and projects operating in this space.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Actively contribute to value chains and climate risk assessments of prioritised commodities (pulses, oilseed, potatoes and grains) from an (renewable)energy perspective;
- Energy assessments per prioritised value chain, considering present and future growth scenarios, identifying energy bottlenecks and costs;
- Tasked with the identification of potential renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions that can be applied along the different agricultural value chains, responding to projected energy needs; including in-depth analyses of costs, benefits, capacity to pay, return of investment, and co-investment opportunities;
- Identify renewable energy and energy efficiency business cases for the co-investment fund, as well as opportunities for integration of climate smart and renewable technologies and innovations into business cases and support the development of these business cases;
- Contribute to the establishment of appraisal criteria for the co-investment fund, milestone based payment schemes and contribute to the assessment of the business cases;
- Support the implementation and roll-out of business cases, including the delivery of needs-based and tailored training packages, trainings and coaching on renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions in agricultural value chains;
- Promote the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions along agricultural value chains, including awareness raising and support in establishing distribution networks and financial solutions to increase uptake of these products and services to climate-proof agricultural production and processing;
- Broker access to finance and investments between SME’s and financial institutions, integrating renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions in agricultural value chains;
- Review opportunities as well as barriers for scaling of renewable energy and energy efficiency business cases for climate proofing agricultural value chains;
- Support agribusiness platforms to promote, advise and jointly agree on climate proofing value chains, policy recommendations and climate-smart investments through renewable energy and energy efficiency applications;
- Developing and sharing evidence-based project papers and policy briefs on renewable energy and energy efficiency applications in agricultural value chains, documenting evidence, best practices and lessons learned on business cases;
- Dissemination of results and sharing of knowledge and experiences, building on existing platforms/sector organisations;
- Oversee and support country programme implementation on all aspects related to renewable energy and energy efficiency, including brokering of relations, support in particular business cases, implementation of activities and reporting.
- Support product development in Energy & Agriculture in coordination with colleagues from the CSA-EA program and SNV’s global team.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation Energy & Agriculture Senior Advisor job must hold a relevant academic qualification: Renewable Energy, Business Administration, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economy, Climate Smart Agriculture, etc.;
- At least five years of experience of working with or in Energy and Agriculture, preferably with Renewable Energy applications in the prioritised commodities (pulses, oilseed, potatoes and grains) in East Africa;
- Work experience in private sector business and entrepreneurship development, value chain development, and finance/investments for renewable energy, climate smart technologies and innovations.
- Ability and demonstrated experience of designing and appraising business cases;
- Proven track record in pro-poor growth approaches taking into consideration social inclusion, accountability, gender and sustainability;
- Experience in women and youth entrepreneurship programs;
- Strong business relationship management experience and focus, with the ability to stimulate trust and confidence with clients and investors including managing various stakeholders;
- Strong external network in the private sector (renewable energy, agriculture and/or other relevant sub-sectors) in East Africa and beyond;
- Excellent communication (written and oral), reporting, product development and presentation skills;
- Flexible approach to take on additional responsibilities as assigned/delegated;
- Excellent organising, negotiation, influencing, capacity development, process facilitation and advisory/coaching skills;
- Willingness to travel to project locations in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join SNV are encouraged to apply online by clicking on the web link below.
Deadline: 30th April 2019
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