Lead, Carbon Pricing

Job Title: Lead, Carbon Pricing Location: Manila, Philippines (REMOTE) Contract duration: 5-year project Reporting to: Energy Director Travel: Frequently Open to: Residents of Philippines

DRS is looking for a Lead, Carbon Pricing for an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies.

Scope: Our client is launching a new multi-year project focused on supporting the development and implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms. It is a joint initiative of the Energy, Taxation, and Trade teams. The goal is to provide emerging economies in the Southeast Asian region with in-depth, multi-disciplinary support to identify, develop, implement and evaluate domestic carbon pricing mechanisms. To achieve this goal, we are combining our unique energy, tax, and trade expertise to deliver a multi-year project that will support carbon pricing proliferation within this region. The successful candidate will oversee the new five-year project for its duration, guiding a team of experts based in Southeast Asia, Can-ada and Europe. They will drive the development of cutting-edge research and practical guidance for governments, the delivery of technical assistance programs, and outreach with key partners and stakeholders.

Key responsibilities:

• Implementing the new work project on carbon pricing in Asia.
• Maintaining and building a network of contacts, stakeholders, and partners of the program, with a particular focus on the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
• Supporting donor engagement and fundraising efforts for the general needs of the energy program.
• Carrying out monitoring, evaluation, and reporting for all aspects of the project.
• Supporting the professional development of direct reports and other members of the team.
• Coordinating the carbon pricing work of the Energy Program.
• Collaborating with other joint activities of the Energy, Tax and Trade teams where relevant.

Description of Responsibilities Strategy, Vision and Team Leadership

• Support the Energy Director responsible for this work with human resource activities related to their area of work, including recruitment, development, performance management, mentorship, and development of a staffing plan.
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
• Organize and chair meetings as required on their topic of focus.
• Demonstrate clear vision and ability to execute strategic priorities, communicating statement of results to be achieved, decision makers to be targeted, activities to be undertaken, time-frame, resources needed, external funds to be raised, and criteria used to measure performance.
• Ensure that short-term activities and pillar priorities are in keeping with the long-term strategies agreed upon by the Board.
• Develop, grow and manage strategic areas of work.
• Work with the Lead team and staff to recognize and identify challenges, emerging issues, opportunities, and solutions, and define and execute appropriate strategies to seek them out.

Fundraising and Donor relationships

• Lead fundraising efforts by identifying new opportunities, cultivating relationships, and submitting proposals for funding relating to themes of work within the program - Track using Salesforce or other systems.
• Understand program strategies and objectives and identify new or expanded areas of proposed work to take advantage of existing or new funding opportunities and funders.
• Maintain abreast of the funding landscape to identify new funders/funding opportunities for the program.

Operations and Program Management

• Implement current programs and projects.
• Identify and initiate new projects, develop proposals raise funds for new project initiatives, and maintain relationships with funders.
• Develop, present and implement an annual budget for their portfolio of work within the agreed-upon parameters and negotiate or recommend contracts of undertakings, in cooperation with the administration.
• Work closely with corporate finance and administration functions to ensure projects and programs are set up on a legal basis and are actively monitored against risks, both financial and legal.
• Provide an overall utilization plan across the levels of team staff to ensure the right sizing to reduce financial risk and ensure projects are completed successfully
• Review and delegate review of outputs for quality control and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Manage activities in cooperation with other personnel related to work with Global Affairs Canada, including but not limited to the implementation of specific projects, maintaining relationships with funders, and developing the mandate and vision of the work to be undertaken.
• Keep up to date with current policies in areas related to project management/delivery, expenditure management/control and records management.

Communications and Outreach

• Develop the communications strategy for the program and assist in the Program’s communications; communicate program outputs through a variety of media; and maintain relevant areas of website content.
• Communicate the work of the program and its components to a broader audience for maximum policy or implementation impact as decided by strategic priorities and the institutional strategic plan.
• Maintain relationships within the government, and non-governmental and private sectors, recording all such activities in the sanctioned tracking system.
• Assist with the maintenance and promotion of presence, including but not limited to the maintenance of relationships with government and non-governmental organizations.
• Identify opportunities to grow and promote the program through forums, conferences, professional associations, communications, partnerships, and other initiatives.

Research

• Undertake research and manage assigned projects, control budgets and supervise internal or external consultants associated with those projects.

Requirements: Education: A post-graduate university degree or equivalent in energy, economics, carbon/climate policy and/or public policy development or a professional qualification in another relevant area.

Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Around 10-15 years of professional experience in relevant fields, or equivalent experience in national government, the private sector, or international/non-governmental organizations.
• Excellent research and writing skills, with proven experience in applied research and policy analysis in carbon pricing or similar areas.
• Experience providing technical assistance to governments on carbon pricing and/or energy policy, and the ability to explain complex concepts clearly and impactfully to various groups.
• Familiarity with leading global carbon pricing models (e.g., EU ETS).
• Experience collaborating with government officials, whether elected or non-elected.
• Knowledgeable about the energy transition and the carbon mitigation policy landscape.

Skills, Competencies, and Attributes:

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Diplomatic or government relations experience is highly advantageous.
• Proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
• Strong presentation and networking capabilities.
• Excellent IT skills, particularly with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally for work.
• Ability to work efficiently in a remote, asynchronous team environment.
• Flexibility and adaptability to handle multiple topics and themes simultaneously, and to quickly acquire knowledge on new subjects.
• Capability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Language Skills:

• Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills in English.
• Fluency in one or more official languages of the Philippines, Indonesia, or Vietnam will be a strong asset.

HOW TO APPLY Please provide an application including the following:

1. CV;
2. Your financial expectations in gross per annum.

The applications in English should be submitted to d.durnea@developmentaid.org under the title DRS 11635 - Lead, Carbon Pricing. Due to the high number of applications received, we can reply to shortlisted candidates only. Please note that the above requirements can be modified during the recruitment process according to the client's procedures.