Senior or Principal Consultant/Project Manager: Energy Access

NIRAS is a global interdisciplinary engineering and consulting company with Headquarters in Denmark and over 2,400 permanent staff based in offices around Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. The overseas development work is carried out by the NIRAS International Consulting business unit (NIC). NIRAS is currently looking for a Senior Expert/Project and Bid Manager/Director to strengthen our capacity in energy and climate field which represent core sectors for NIRAS.

We offer interesting work in a dynamic, multinational, and interdisciplinary team and in strong collaboration with colleagues across our EU, Africa and Asia based offices. The main responsibilities related to the position are project management/direction, technical Quality Assurance and backstopping of projects awarded to NIRAS as well as the building of an opportunity pipeline and the acquisition of new projects. There will also be opportunities for consulting assignments and short-term missions.

More specifically, the responsibilities will include:

Drafting of technical proposals related to energy access and energy finance;
Management / Direction of projects including technical and financial backstopping (also on-site);
Acquisition of technical and financial assistance projects, including management of bidding processes for key donors (especially for FCDO, GIZ, EU, World Bank, ADB, NEFCO, RVO);
Contribution to technical working groups and actively work across sectors including energy, climate, finance and investment sectors.

About the job

Division of responsibilities and activities:

Business Development (~50%):

As a Technical Writer, provide technical inputs to tender strategy and the drafting of technical proposals ;
As a Bid Manager/Director oversee all aspects of the bid development process ensuring adequate resources are available to develop the bid and coordinating the selection of best fit partners and team members, the development of technical content and creation of technical and financial proposals;
Expand personal business networks around the types of areas NIRAS works in with respect to renewable energy development;
As a member of the Market Team and Sector Community, contribute to the development of marketing materials, presentations, market research and knowledge products to develop NIRAS’ technical offering and brand.

Project Management/Direction (~25%):

As a Project Manager, support and guide project personnel and take overall responsibility for contract management; risk management; financial management; and quality assurance;
As a project manager, coordinate all aspects of project delivery including personnel, financial and contractual compliance, adherence to workplans and budgets;
Develop strong client relationships and provide high level technical advice and analysis to project teams as required.

Consultancy (~25%, depending on seniority and technical profile):

Deliver research, data collection and analysis, and consult with and advise clients and stakeholders;
Deliver high quality, high value, consultancy as a team member or coordinator of a small team;
Adopt a client orientated approach that enables the identification of new business opportunities from existing work or client interactions;
Through work assignments and own research, build knowledge and expertise within identified areas of interest, in synchronisation with market trends and company priorities.

About you

Required qualifications and experiences:

Academic degree (Master or equivalent) in renewable energy management/technologies, (development) economics, international/global studies, environmental science, ideally with focus on energy access, or other relevant social sciences or economics
A minimum of 5 years of practical experience as a project or tender manager working in development consulting, international organisations or relevant NGOs
Experience with bilateral and/or multilateral donors (mainly FCDO, GIZ, EU, World Bank, ADB, NEFCO, RVO – it’s an additional asset to know KFW, AfDB, SDC or AFD)
5 - 10 years of sector knowledge in energy and/or finance
Specific experience in renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) policies, financing mechanisms, environmental management or energy technologies with respect to energy access
Experience on energy finance (fund management, micro-finance, results-based financing and monitoring, risk assessment, financial due diligence) is a strong asset
Experience in stakeholder engagement and socio-economic issues (such as gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), productive use of energy (PUE), employment opportunities, health and safety etc.) is a strong asset
Experience in energy access and/or finance in Africa or Asia
Excellent English language skills. French is a strong asset
Very good communication skills, intercultural competence, ability to work in a team, flexibility to work on a broad range of topics, willingness to travel
Excellent analytical and writing skills
Strong personal networks (e.g. with donors, partner organisations, experts)in the area of energy and climate change.

We offer you

Our values - we listen, we learn, we deliver - are the starting point for how we think and work, and essential for creating high quality across all work disciplines. In NIRAS International Consulting (NIC), we have a flat structure and all staff have the opportunity to contribute to the development of our business, to share ideas and to make rapid progression in their own careers. Our team spirit is extremely important to us – we seek to support and develop each other. NIRAS offers attractive working conditions and an open working atmosphere in an international field of activities.