Job Opportunities at Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA)

Job Description

This position will play a crucial role in implementing CCA’s venture-facing activities to support entrepreneurs who build innovative and scalable companies that contribute to accelerating universal access to cleaner cooking solutions. This position will evaluate businesses and design and oversee strategic projects to help these businesses innovate and reach scale. The Venture Catalyst is part of the larger Market Strengthening Program, which aims to demonstrate the viability of commercially attractive and scalable business models to deliver high-impact clean cooking solutions by developing – and implementing – a range of interventions aimed at businesses, markets, and consumers. The Market Strengthening Program has three components:

1. The Venture Catalyst aims to provide a broad range of specialized support to selected companies, solidifying their commercial viability, enhancing their investment-readiness, and facilitating access to growth capital. The venture portfolio currently includes 30 companies operating in 14 countries.
2. The Demand Catalyst aims to increase consumer demand for clean cooking through interventions that help to elevate the issue of clean cooking amongst potential consumers and facilitate affordability and availability of solutions.
3. The Market Catalyst focuses on market-level interventions that improve the enabling environment for companies and catalyze investment. To achieve these goals, the Market Catalyst generates market intelligence to address information asymmetries, develop policy briefs and other targeted tools, host curated convenings, and design targeted engagements to support relevant stakeholders, namely investors and policymakers.

This position will be an integral member of CCA’s venture-facing team and will contribute to the Venture Catalyst as well as to other venture-facing initiatives of the Market Strengthening team, in close collaboration with others across CCA.

Location

This is a global full-time position with working hours that are aligned with Washington D.C., USA or Nairobi, Kenya. Candidates applying for a position in the United States and the United Kingdom, where UNF has offices, will be considered for a staff position. Candidates applying for a position in all other countries will be considered for a contract position. There is a preference for candidates located in Nairobi.

Essential Functions 

Evaluation of companies and identification of their requirements for support

1.  A core component of CCA’s is to engage with businesses in the clean cooking sector. CCA is looking for skilled professionals with a demonstrated ability to build strong, transparent and trusting relationships with businesses and other key stakeholders. The right candidate should have the competencies required to assess the financial viability and scalability, investment readiness, and operational feasibility of early-stage companies. The candidate should be able to work closely with such companies to determine their gaps in terms of business strategy and market entry, sales and marketing, personnel management and development, supply chain management, R&D, financial management, and governance.

Design, execution, oversight and portfolio management of company technical assistance projects

1. Following the evaluation of companies and identification of their support requirements together with the management team, CCA will execute these projects – either by providing support to companies under Program’s ‘building block’ offering or designing customized projects
2. Where third parties are relevant, CCA develops and manages procurement and relationship with these partners, conduct contract negotiations, and support/monitor project implementation. After the TA has been completed, CCA is responsible for documenting the results and impact of the project e.g., in case studies which highlight successes, challenges, and learnings. CCA is also responsible for overseeing the collection of portfolio company KPIs which enable CCA and its funders to assess their impact.

Support investment initiatives

1. As mobilizing investment is a key pillar of the team’s priorities, CCA is involved in various investment initiatives. This includes developing relationships and further cementing CCA’s position as a trusted advisor to investors, from DFIs and commercial banks to impact fund managers and HNWIs/angel investors. The venture-facing team works closely with broader Market Strengthening colleagues to identify and assess pipeline opportunities, contribute insights and market intelligence to their due diligence processes, and design and implement TA projects which align with their priorities.

Support execution of market intelligence, convenings, and other thought leadership initiatives

1. Given CCA’s role as a thought leader in private sector development and investment in the clean cooking sector, CCA contributes to various related internal and external thought leadership initiatives. This includes the development of white papers, reports, and other publications and tools, as well as the coordination of, or contribution to, CCA-hosted events and roundtables. The venture-facing team also often represents CCA by participating in sector- or investment-related roundtables and conferences organized by industry associations, development partners, and governments around the world.

Selection Criteria

CCA seeks candidates who can cultivate effective working relationships with people, internally and externally, from a wide variety of types of organizations, cultural backgrounds, and areas of expertise.

Leadership qualities

1. Highly ethical with integrity and resilience; leads by example.
2. Openness, humility, and a collaborative style.
3. Strategic thinker with a curious, innovative mindset and proactive personality.
4. Clear commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a demonstrated ability to work inclusively, promote greater voice, and enhance diversity and equity within CCA and with stakeholders.
5. Ability to actively listen, inspire, motivate, and empower a high performing diverse team in multiple countries.
6. Collaborative approach, modelling this behavior by being part of a cohesive team and using it to bring the best out of people.
7. Effective relationship builder: ability to build trust and forge consensus within and outside the organization.
8. Clear, transparent, and timely decision maker.

Specific qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required, with 8+ years business experience in an entrepreneurial environment, with experience in:

• Early-stage businesses or project development in relevant industries and markets.
• Accelerators, incubators, venture studio and other enterprise support programs
• Venture capital, early-stage private equity, or private debt investments
• Consulting experience in management consulting or in-house corporate strategy rolesExperience in managing and implementing donor-funded programs and projects
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose business needs and collaboratively design solutions
• The ability to think strategically, and the willingness to exercise that ability regularly with enthusiasm so as to play an integral role in developing and implementing solutions to challenging problems

1. Experience and wisdom, particularly in developing markets, that conveys credibility amongst stakeholders including senior management teams of companies, investors, government officials, and other ecosystem professionals
2. A high degree of internal motivation and the ability to ‘self-start’ and work effectively in a global, often remote team spread across offices and time zones; and
3. Comfort with ambiguity and an interest to help shape an evolving and growing organization that seeks to play a key role in influencing the growth of a rapidly shifting sector
4. Energetic and positive attitude
5. Solutions-oriented and able to manage and advance multiple task and responsibilities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment 
6. Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
7. Problem-solver with a proactive, no-task-is-too-small nature who takes initiative
8. Team-oriented, supportive work style, and able to work independently
9. Excellent communicator, able to synthesize and convey complex information clearly
10. Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills
11. Ability to work under pressure and handle stress 
12. ​High ethical standards and ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion with sensitive information
13. Ability to learn new systems and collaboration platforms efficiently
14. Proficiency in Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), with particular emphasis on ability to create compelling and professional PowerPoint materials

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Job Description

The Market Strengthening team’s mission is to foster the development of a pipeline of sustainable, scalable, and investable clean cooking businesses that are able to attract capital to scale and replicate, accelerating the transition to cleaner cooking technologies that meet consumers’ needs. The three areas of interventions of the Market Strengthening team include the Venture Catalyst, the Market Catalyst, and the Demand Catalyst. The Venture Catalyst focuses on improving the pipeline of investment-ready businesses through business-level interventions; the Market Catalyst focuses on improving the enabling environment that helps such businesses succeed through market-level interventions; and the Demand Catalyst focuses on understanding consumers and driving demand through interventions targeted at consumers. Gender is a core and cross-cutting theme of the three Catalysts. The Government Engagement Lead will join the Market Strengthening team to contribute to the identification, design, and implementations of interventions that seek to improve country-level enabling institutional and policy environments for strong and sustainable clean cooking markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Government Engagement Lead will be expected to work heavily through partnerships so as to leverage other institutions and efforts and scale the reach and depth of CCA’s work. Partners might include country level clean cooking associations, trade, manufacturing and other industry bodies, civil society organizations, enterprises, advocacy organizations, and international organizations.

The Government Engagement Lead will also work closely with the Strategy and Development team, the Evidence and Impact team as well as with the Chief of Staff on strategic cross-cutting CCA government-related initiatives relevant to the work of the Market Strengthening team.

Location

This is a contract position based in Kenya.

Essential Functions

Country-level interventions

1. Assessing gaps and needs for national policy environments that support dynamic clean cooking markets in collaboration with the Evidence and Impact team, in Sub-Saharan Africa
2. Designing and implementating of CCA’s Government Engagement strategies for awareness-raising, policy reforms, institutional development, governance and programmatic public interventions around clean cooking market development in specific countries, in collaboration with the Evidence and Impact team, in Sub-Saharan Africa
3. Engaging with and supporting the mobilization of civil society and private sector actors and institutions around clean cooking policy issues in collaboration with the Evidence and Impact team, in Sub-Saharan Africa
4. Supporting the Country Director and government engagement team of CCA’s Haiti Cookstoves and Clean Energy Markets project

Multi-country Sub-Saharan Africa interventions

1. Identifying, scoping and designing opportunities for new national policy initiatives for the Market Strengthening team and for cross-cutting CCA areas
2. Playing an important role in the development, roll-out and implementation of a Clean Cooking Delivery Units Network. The locally run delivery units will coordinate across relevant ministries, organize and oversee funding, engage industry and private sector, establish policies and regulations related to clean cooking, and represent national interests in global events and dialogue.
3. Developing public resources for clean cooking market development for policymakers, such as tools, platforms, databases, knowledge briefs and networks as well as contributing to and acting as the main touchpoint and driver of the User Insights Lab for policymakers in close collaboration with the Evidence and Impact team.

General

1. Developing a strategy for the Market Strengthening team’s support to Sub-Saharan Africa governments, in line with the Clean Cooking Sector Strategy
2. Monitoring national clean cooking policy developments and government action and acting as an internal and external go-to point, knowledge disseminator, and thought leader in this area
3. Developing partnerships for engaging with national policymakers around clean cooking
4. Designing and facilitating workshops with key stakeholders for the purpose of multi-stakeholder coordination, multi-stakeholder problem-solving, and co-creation
5. Translating evidence into policy insights and recommendations through various means
6. Supporting the work of the Clean Cooking Evidence and Action Hub, including by providing insights on policymaker needs
7. Support the implementation of the Clean Cooking System Strategy in the Market Strengthening Team
8. Other duties as assigned

Selection Criteria

1. Graduate degree and at least 10 years of related professional experience required
2. Practical work experience with market development / industrial development / private sector development policies and programs in Sub-Saharan Africa
3. Practical experience with the mechanics of policy transformation processes, including policy prioritization, policy design, and policy implementation
4. Practical experience navigating complex policy-making and policy implementation environments in Sub-Saharan Africa
5. Experience providing policy advice to and interfacting with mid- and high-level government officials (e.g. Minster level), particularly in areas of energy, health and/or industrial development
6. Experience with the facilitation of multi-stakeholder collaboration and co-creation processes involving government, the private sector and civil society
7. Ability to cultivate effective working relationships with people, internally and externally, from a wide variety of types of organizations, cultural backgrounds, and areas of expertise
8. Ability to translate technical reports and academic papers into concise policy implications and guidance
9. Demonstrated project management skills, including managing teams and budgets on a tight timeline
10. Experience in low and middle income countries, that conveys credibility amongst stakeholders including senior management teams of companies, investors, government officials, and other ecosystem professionals, particularly among those working towards social and environmental impact
11. Demonstrated interest in the social and environmental impact dimensions of the products and business models that CCA supports, and the ability to liaise and collaborate with other colleagues within CCA and those in the sector at large
12. Energetic and positive attitude
13. Experience using data to drive policy recommendation and action
14. Solutions-oriented and able to manage and advance multiple task and responsibilities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
15. Strategic thinking
16. Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
17. Problem-solver with a proactive, no-task-is-too-small nature who takes initiative
18. Team-oriented, supportive work style, and able to work independently
19. Excellent communicator, able to synthesize and convey complex information clearly in written an oral forms, in particular development of visual assets to present design findings
20. Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills
21. Ability to work under pressure and handle stress
22. High ethical standards and ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion with sensitive information
23. A track record of designing tools for policymakers
24. Experience with design thinking preferred
25. Experience working on market development, public health, policy development, energy access, clean cooking fuels, and cookstoves in low and middle income countries preferred
26. Experience working in a government agency and as a policy entrepreneur preferred
27. Experience with public sector innovation preferred
28. Entrepreneurial experience in the private or non-profit sectors preferred
29. Ability to work in French preferred but not required