Job Opportunities at Energy 4 Impact

Purpose of the Role

Under the guidance of the CEO, the aim of this role is to identify and secure new projects for E4I, focusing on conceptualising and developing high quality bespoke proposals consistent with E4I’s strategy, goals and objectives.

The BDM role will be central in securing income from donors that fund some of our most critical work. The BDM will be expected to support and lead on the identification of new funding opportunities for E4I, ensure E4I is well-positioned to bid, and play an important role in the submission of Expressions of Interest and Proposals.

The post holder will work with other teams across the organisation when developing proposals, such as the Communications team, Programme Management team, Country Managers and The Advisory team, as well as with E4I’s potential bidding partners and implementing project partners. This is to ensure we exploit synergies within other functions in the organisation and ensure we present the highest priority and most strategic work to our donors.

Key responsibilities

• To support organizational efforts to identify and pursue new prospective funding from a variety of donor targets while building and developing relationships with donors.
• Support and/or lead when required on the development and writing of convincing technical funding proposals with a lucid and compelling style of writing, illustrating technical rigor with donor friendly language and demonstrating a thorough understanding of objectives and requirements of the tenders/donors.
• Support and actively participate in the execution of overall BD and proposal development lifecycle which include: intelligence gathering/research/landscape analysis/gap and competitive analysis, mapping, relationship building, teaming agreements, gathering of administrative documentation, proposal writing, budget development and submission.
• Write, proofread and finalise key elements of proposals including budgets, logframes, GANNT charts etc.
• Provide detailed and strategic analysis of Request for Proposal solicitations, instructions and other proposal-related information and ensure the proposal fits with donor guidelines and international standards.
• Work under the leadership of the CEO to support the development and execution a comprehensive BD strategy for the organisation.
• Put a particular focus in enhancing BD in Europe and West Africa to maintain and expand our operation in the region by building a pipeline of funding opportunities and donor relationship.
• Keep the organisation advised with maximum forewarning of upcoming calls for proposals from relevant donor funding programmes.
• Keep fully abreast of Trends, news & developments from outside E4I in the renewable energy/energy poverty field, other initiatives by private companies and other NGOs so that BD efforts can be better streamlined and have more likelihood of success.
• Support and lead when required the development of strategic partnership or consortia for joint bids.
• Develop and create the necessary tools and infrastructure to support proposal and business development (proposal plan, proposal development process, organisation history, qualifications, executive summary sections and other relevant information and energy access data base).
• Support other staff who currently work on resource mobilisation in addition to their other responsibilities (such as country managers) in generating business for the organisation by providing them the required support to develop winning bids and write high quality proposals.
• Support in maintaining our capacity to manage information about the BD process with regards to our: the status of current live pipeline of proposals/funding opportunities and a track record of successful and unsuccessful bids and existing and past donor relationships in order to support reporting status of pipeline to board & Senior Management Team, at global & country levels.
• Develop presentations for external stakeholders and donors as required.
• Represent the organisation in appropriate professional and prospective donor networking opportunities with the objective of generating new funding opportunities.
• Support and coordinate when required the proposal hand-over process from the proposal development team to the project implementation team.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate or Postgraduate in International Development studies/ Energy and Environment, Climate Change studies or other relevant subject.
• Experience in Energy / climate change proposal development in an international development context, for bilateral, multilateral donors and/or foundations including clients such as DFID, EU, World Bank and USAID; especially on large projects (>£500k).
• Proven experience in proposals writing (including log frames) with track record of developing proposals that attract significant funding from major donors.
• Good understanding of international development programmes including terminology and language. Effective at liaising with multiple stakeholders, meeting deadlines and budgeting.
• Excellent communication, writing and research skills.
• Knowledge of donors and networks in the energy sector in particular at national and regional (Africa) level.
• Experience in summarising outcomes of energy projects/research/studies in a very user friendly language. Skilled at presenting complex project information in a clear and engaging way.
• Experience in preparing budgets for donor proposals, particularly understanding of budgeting and financial requirements and reporting processes; and good skills in spreadsheet/budget preparation.
• High level of computer literacy (primarily in Microsoft Office packages).
• Excellent planning and time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Team player – able to forge productive, collaborative relationships with colleagues internally and externally.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure to deliver as part of a team.
• A high level of attention to detail and accuracy in working with numbers; strong analytical ability, able to evaluate and to appraise critically quantitative and qualitative information.
• Experience in formatting large documents in MS Word.
• Approachable, flexible, creative and with willingness to accommodate other people’s ideas.
• Fluency in spoken and excellent written English is a must. Fluency in French is desired.
• Ability to travel in country, regionally and internationally sometimes on short notice.
• Empathy with E4I’s mission, and values, with a high level of corporate commitment, demonstrated by an ability to take decisions and to act in the best interests of E4I

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Purpose of the Role

The aim of this role is to enhance the profile, reputation and visibility of the organisation internationally and among our target audiences and to deliver multiple communications initiatives to meet Energy 4 Impact’s strategic goals and objectives. In addition the role will identify and disseminate best practice examples within the organisation to improve the implementation of Energy 4 Impact’s existing portfolio of work and business development activities.

Working within the Head of Communications, the Knowledge and Communications Specialist role will be central in creating information and delivering communications both inside and outside the organisation. The post holder will be expected to support and lead on the identification of internally generated knowledge and learning, as well as of external market and development trends. S/he will turn complex information into compelling stories, craft think pieces, infographics, presentations, fact-sheets, press releases, key messages, briefings, while maintaining and strengthening media outreach and increasing online engagement through social media sites.

The post holder will work with other teams across the organisation when developing communications and knowledge products, such as the Programme, M&E and Advisory teams, Country Managers, the Business Development team as well as with Energy 4 Impact’s implementing project partners and clients. This is to ensure we exploit synergies within other functions in the organisation and ensure we give visibility to our most strategic work and its impact to our audiences, including our donors.

Key responsibilities

• Identify and capture key information from programmes’ implementation, impact reports and research studies, including success stories, key lessons, best practices, case studies, industry insights; and package information clearly so to produce insightful content for a variety of channels and audiences.
• Market knowledge products to maximise their visibility among target audiences (at events, through industry networks and channels)
• Identify newsworthy and trending stories, draft press releases, opinion pieces, and actively seek opportunities to achieve positive media coverage.
• Identify speaking opportunities for key staff, preparing relevant briefs / materials and preparing speakers for media interviews.
• Handle the daily proactive and reactive media relations with media representatives; develop and maintain key relationships and run media briefings as and when required.
• Collate, analyse and evaluate impact of media coverage, social media and other communications activities (events, webinars, etc.).
• Support the programme, business development and communications team on the development and writing of compelling capacity statements, marketing materials (brochures, infographics, and presentations) and corporate publications (newsletters and the Annual Report).
• Support the delivery of marketing, advocacy and awareness campaigns.
• Manage the production of high quality photographic and video material.
• Work with the Head of Communications to support the development and execution of a comprehensive communications strategy for the organization and contribute to the development of the annual PR and marketing plan.
• Work with the programmes and advisory teams to identify best practice methodologies from the existing portfolio of work.
• Develop a knowledge management methodology for the organisation and lessons learnt sessions to ensure knowledge is captured and usefully disseminated across the organisation.
• Keep fully abreast of trends, news and developments from outside Energy 4 Impact in the renewable energy/energy poverty field, other initiatives by private companies and other NGOs, so that communications efforts can be better streamlined and be more impactful.
• Keep staff informed of positive developments in the organisation, as well as relevant industry developments and events.
• Support the development and maintenance of the organisation’s website and social media channels.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate or Postgraduate in Communications/ Public relations/ Journalism/ English / International Development studies or other relevant subject. A degree obtained in Anglophone countries would be preferable.
• Outstanding research, writing and presentation skills and proven experience in writing and publishing well researched, thought provoking, compelling copy for blogs, publications, presentations, pitches, videos, websites and social media channels.
• Good all-round knowledge of a broad range of communications: marketing, online advertising, digital media, social, print and broadcast media.
• Good understanding of corporate branding and experience regulating the implementation of branding requirements.
• It is essential to have demonstrable experience in summarising outcomes of energy projects/research/studies in a very user friendly language. Skilled at presenting complex project information in a clear and engaging way.
• Fluency in spoken and excellent written English (native-like competence) is a must. A good knowledge of French would also be an advantage.
• Previous experience in energy / climate change in an international development context would be desirable.
• A high level of attention to detail; strong analytical ability, able to evaluate and to appraise critically quantitative and qualitative information.
• Understanding of planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting.
• Excellent planning and time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• High level of computer literacy, primarily in Microsoft Office packages and graphic designs softwares (Photoshop, Canva, Prezi, etc).
• Team player – able to forge productive, collaborative relationships with colleagues internally and externally.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure to deliver as part of a team.
• Approachable, flexible, creative and with willingness to accommodate other people’s ideas.
• Ability to travel in country, regionally and internationally sometimes on short notice.
• Empathy with Energy 4 Impact’s mission, and values, with a high level of corporate commitment, demonstrated by an ability to take decisions and to act in the best interests of the organization.