Job title: RESP Project Advisor
Reports to: Head of Advisory Services
Based in: Kigali, Rwanda
Background
GVEP is an international advisory organization supporting the energy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. We deliver demand-driven, practical, and customised support to SMEs, project developers, social enterprises, and micro-enterprises that provide renewable energy services to off-grid communities.
Our team of 90 people includes primarily locally based professionals who are supported by a small head office in London. The organization is comprised of:
· Country Teams in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal. These teams provide business and technical skills training and mentorship to micro-enterprises that deliver “last-mile” energy services, and support them to access finance from MFIs, SACCOs and local banks.
· Advisory Services team in Nairobi that provides consulting and advisory to SMEs, project developers and social enterprises, and supports them to secure corporate/project financing.
· Administrative and support staff based in our London HQ and Nairobi regional head office.
GVEP is funded by major development agencies e.g Sida (Sweden), DfID (UK), World Bank, USAID, Barclays, OFID, and EU. Our FY2014 revenues were ~$5m, and since our founding in 2006, we have leveraged $55+ million of grant funding to support more than 3,000 businesses.
Our clients are primarily based in East Africa and range in the stage of their development from ideation/pre-pilot to scale-up. We work with companies employing a range of business models and technologies. Many are developing small-scale assets for power generation and distribution (e.g. through mini-grids) using solar, biomass gasification, or hydropower, while others produce or distribute solar lights or home systems, clean cook-stoves or biomass-based fuels.
Our common near-term aim is to help our client develop into a business that will withstand a due diligence process designed to assess its financial, operational and technical robustness. Our ultimate goal is to increase the likelihood that the company matures into a profitable commercial enterprise that plays a meaningful role in electrifying the 1.3 billion people currently without power. In short, we work with companies to increase their prospects for survival and growth.
We help companies develop their business model, enhance operational execution, and access financing. Engagements typically consist of some combination of management consulting or capital advisory, market research, and assistance developing new partnerships. Many clients find significant value in our knowledge of, and preparation for, financiers – from commercial private equity firms, to impact investors or donors.
We have completed more than 220 engagements with more than 112 companies, and our clients have raised a cumulative $83 million of debt, equity and grants since engaging with us.
Role
This role is within Advisory Services, a Nairobi-based team of professionals from a range of private sector backgrounds including investment banking and private equity, management consulting, law, entrepreneurship, infrastructure project development, micro-finance and engineering. However, this role is based out Kigali, Rwanda to support the Scaling up Off-Grid Energy in Rwanda (SOGER) Programme
This programme will comprise of three project components, designed and developed to respond to the country’s challenges and the government’s priorities with regards to poverty reduction and energy access in rural areas:
- Component 1: Renewable Energy Small Projects (RESP) Development Facility: to accelerate the development of small grid-connected or isolated mini-grid RESP projects,
- Component 2: Pico-hydro project development: to support the development of pico-hydro micro-utilities
- Component 3: Energy and Farming: to increase productivity for small farmers through access to appropriate solar powered irrigation systems.
The RESP project advisor will work on supporting and leading the successful delivery of the RESP facility as well as providing support to the Pico-hydro component , in close collaborarion with the Programme Technical Manager and other project team members.
Key Responsibilities for the role include:
· Origination of a project pipeline and recruitment of small grid-connected projects and/or isolated mini-grid projects.
· Project development support (feasibility studies, advice on demand/distribution, regulation, system design and equipment, and investor facilitation) for small grid connected or isolated mini-grid projects.
· Ongoing technical assistance during operation and construction phases and enabling environment support for small grid connected or isolated mini-grid projects.
· Identifying and recruiting RESP developers, including help with site identification, to build a pipeline of viable projects
· Working with RESP developers and providing them technical, financial and business advisory support.
· Work with RESP developers on capital raising support and help the project developer in tapping various source of finance (grant/equity/debt) for both early stage as well as later stage of the project.
· Work with the mini-grid project developers (small-hydro/pico-hydro and other RE) and help them with site identification and other project development support for the entire life-cycle of the project.
· Conducting advisory engagements (which span strategy consulting, investment readiness, partnership facilitation, project development support, and “customized projects”) with mini-grids project developers, renewable energy SMEs & social enterprises.
· Providing and developing technical capacity building trainings to RESP project developers
· Support the Pico-hydro component with Technical assistance and access capital raising activities when required.
· Assisting in programme reporting and provide feedback to the programme manager on all developments around the projects and field activities
· Provide effective linkages between the projects, and relevant stakeholders, and identify new partners and opportunities for the developers
· Helping to develop GVEP’s internal processes and knowledge of technologies, business models, regulatory issues, financing process, etc.
· Delivering high quality work product and providing high quality inputs to colleagues, with attention to detail and a focus on results.
Requirements
· Experience:
o 5-10 years of project engineering and/or project management experience in the Renewable Energy sector, with at-least 3 years of experience in the small-hydro/pico-hydro and/or mini-grids sector
o Experience working with rural and off-grid business models and technologies, and an understanding of unique challenges faced by businesses operating in Africa and/or other developing countries
o Direct experience of working with green mini-grid project developers and understand the challenges that project developers face.
· Attributes:
o Strong Technical Skills related to small hydro and/or mini-grids
o Good Project Management Skills, including ability to handle the project budget
o Good Financial Modelling Skills
o Understanding of the mini-grids space (various business models/productive power/regulatory etc.)
o Good team building and motivational skills with an ability to work with a diverse mix of professionals and deliver.
o Very strong communication skills, both oral and written.
o Ability to see the big picture and connect the dots.
o A can-do and collaborative mindset – comfortable with the ambiguities and demands of a rapidly evolving and entrepreneurial environment with a team from diverse backgrounds.
o Passionate about working in the impact space.
· Preferred:
o Working with rural and off-grid business models and technologies, and an understanding of unique challenges faced by businesses operating in Africa.
o Knowledge of Swahili language
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply, please send your CV, along with a cover letter to shashank.verma@gvepinternational.org. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The deadline for this position is 25th June 2016.
