International Energy Legal and Regulatory Expert

Job Title: International Energy Legal and Regulatory Expert
Project Name: FSSP Vietnam
Job type: Contract, short-term
Location of Position: Online /Remote
Reporting to: Project Manager
Remuneration: TBD
Indicative LOE/Time Frame: 19 working days, between now and January 2026
Language Requirements: English, Vietnamese considered an advantage
Application Deadline: June 27, 2025 – applications will be considered on a rolling basis
Application Instructions:

1. A cover letter is mandatory to be considered. Cover letters should effectively align your skills and experiences with the specific job responsibilities outlined in the position's description, demonstrating your aptitude and enthusiasm for the role, your daily fee and current availability.
2. Click the “Apply now” link to upload your cover letter and CV (Curriculum Vitae).
3. Only successful candidates will be contacted. No phone calls please.

Alinea is an international development consultancy providing technical and management expertise that helps people improve their lives. We work with governments, investors, companies,and communities to create lasting change. Over 38 years, Alinea has successfully delivered more than 1000 projects worldwide. alineainternational.com

Alinea International does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment and hiring process. All offers of employment or job opportunities with Alinea International that include any form of a request for payment of fees or collect information on bank accounts are fraudulent. Any requests for such payment or information should be refused and reported to your local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action and to Alinea International.

At Alinea International we value diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility and belonging in everything we do. We are an equal opportunity employer opposed to all forms of discrimination. We actively seek and encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds recognizing that an inclusive workforce enriches our organization and achieves smarter, more innovative results.

Alinea is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Due to the nature of our work, all candidates will be subject to due diligence checks and extensive background checks where appropriate.

Project Description:

Given Alinea’s global technical expertise in providing support services in various countries around the world, including in Vietnam, Alinea has been contracted by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to provide administrative, financial and logistical services as well as the procurement of goods, services and technical specialists through the Field Support Services Project (FSSP) in Vietnam. The FSSP improves the efficiency of the work of the program and project stakeholders and the impact of Canada’s international assistance in Vietnam.

The Vietnam FSSP acts in alignment with Canada’s Official Development Assistance Accountability Act, which aims to comply with aid effectiveness principles and deliver aid that maximizes its impact on development and poverty reduction. Further FSSP helps advance the implementation of GAC’s commitment to Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy offers programming opportunities in Vietnam for inclusive governance and environment and climate action programming.

As GAC is now working to support an energy transition partnership in Vietnam, the FSSP is looking for Vietnamese part-time International Energy Legal and Regulatory Expert (consultants) with a focus on official development assistance (ODA) to provide services, high-level strategic advice and technical and internationally informed inputs and advice to an ongoing project.

About the work

The primary objective of the International Energy Legal and Regulatory Expert is to provide high-level strategic, technically grounded, and internationally informed inputs and advice to strengthen the analytical outputs and deployment pathways across legal, regulatory, and institutional aspects concerning five project categories: Offshore Wind (OSW), Green Hydrogen (GH2) and Power-to-X (PtX), Energy Storage Systems (ESS), Coal-Fired Power Plant Transition (CFPP) transition, and Energy Service Company (ESCO)-based integrated energy solutions for industrial parks. These efforts are expected to also contribute directly and indirectly to the initial development of some (potential) breakthrough projects supported by different thematic sub-WGs under the MOIT.

Specifically, the International Expert will serve as a strategic technical reviewer and contributor to the national expert assessments, providing inputs on legal, regulatory, contractual, and institutional aspects into Synthesis Reports, research reports, formulation of recommendations for further TA, model design, (pre-)feasibility studies, etc.,. These inputs are expected to ensure that the proposed technology pathways are robust, context appropriate, and draw on relevant international experiences and comparative insights from emerging and advanced economies to help identify: i) clarity and consistency in permitting, licensing, and approval processes; ii) contractual and market regulatory issues (e.g., carbon markets, PPAs, grid codes, ancillary services, market participation rules), iii) legal and regulatory risks and mitigation approaches; and iv) actionable, sector-specific recommendations across regulatory reforms and enabling policies to facilitate pilot project designs, including strengthening bankability and legal viability.

The international expert shall be working within the SSA team with other national and international experts, to support the Synthesis and Energy Working Group under MOIT, several sub-Working Groups (sub-WGs), IPG members and related Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), investment project developers and project holders, and other stakeholders. Some of these stakeholders will be invited to do peer reviews of draft outputs.

The Role

Under the general supervision of the Project Manager, the International Energy Legal and Regulatory Expert, will support the scope with activities led by national experts, on the following topics:

1. Offshore Wind (OSW) Development
2. Green Hydrogen (GH2) Development
3. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSHP)
4. Coal Fired Power Plant (CFPP) Transition and Flexibility Options
5. ESCO integrated energy model for industrial parks.

The International Energy Legal and Regulatory Expert is expected to undertake their technical reviews and provide inputs under the five areas together with an International Energy Technology and Systems Expert and an International Energy Finance Expert, supporting the main deliverables developed by the teams of national experts on each of the five themes.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree (master’s degree or Ph.D.) in energy related law, public policy, or closely related field.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant experience working in the energy sector, energy-related regulatory frameworks, including regulations on renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE).
• Minimum 10 years of experience in formulating and analysis of (national) energy plans, energy regulatory frameworks, including regulations of energy markets, procurement, investment; development of strategies and plans.
• Demonstrable experience contributing to development of comprehensive business plans for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, focusing on legal aspects and risk assessment, including those related to market regulations.
• Experience in Just Energy Transition processes is a distinct advantage.
• Experience working in South-east Asia, especially in Viet Nam is a distinct advantage.
• Fluency in English – submission of at least two reports/ writing samples to highlight strong writing skills;
• Knowledge of Vietnamese is a distinct advantage.