Country Lead, Indonesia

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives. Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity. Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement. By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change. With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs. 

About the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (the Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives. Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity. Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement. By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change. With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs.  

About the role

The Country Lead is responsible for planning, developing, and deploying country engagements in Indonesia. This will involve leveraging the full capacities of the Alliance to drive transformative energy transition under the two pillars: (i) Energy and Opportunity; and (ii) Grids for the Future.   Following priority areas of work are integrated into the two pillars:

Priority 1: Energy Access for Development: Powering livelihoods and energy access for remote island communities through Renewable Energy (RE) solutions and Productive Use of Energy (PUE), connecting over 6 million people the Alliance is currently working on deploying an integrated development model in remote island communities in Indonesia that is anchored in access to clean, reliable, affordable electricity via RE and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to catalyse local action aimed at addressing the interconnected challenges of energy poverty, climate vulnerability, and ecosystem degradation.

Priority 2: Modernizing grids by accelerating RE and BESS installation and increasing regional connectivity, adding ~10 GW of new renewable generation.  The Alliance is co-developing the Enhancing Access to BESS for Low Carbon Economies (ENABLE) Platform with ADB and other alliance partners. ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is an ambitious project to create a unified regional energy network across 10 Southeast Asian countries. The Alliance’s role will be to bring in philanthropies, trigger grid modernization using AI technologies, and incorporate a focus on people and communities through our PUE experience and portfolio.

Priority 3: Decarbonization: Removing 100 million tons of CO2 by accelerating the phase-out of 5GW of fossil fuel (e.g., coal and diesel) generation capacity.

The Country Lead will work closely with colleagues, governments, multilateral financiers, and private sector players to identify and validate project pipelines or partnership opportunities. They will also oversee the work of in-country partners, grantees, and contractors.

The Country Lead is also responsible as the Country Representative Officer for the Alliance’s Indonesia office which is established as a representative office of the Singapore legal entity.

Accountabilities

The Country Lead's responsibilities will include:

• Leading the development and implementation of ambitious strategies for energy transition in Indonesia:
  • Leading the country team of country manager and country associate.
  • Developing and creating content such as concept notes, terms of reference, and briefing memos for project scoping, planning, and approval processes.
  • Designing the development and implementation of detailed plans, budgets, and timelines for the Alliance's country strategy deployment.
  • Identifying and developing a project pipeline focused on renewable energy and energy transition projects.
  • Creating engagement plans with potential stakeholders and partners, such as developers, governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs)/development finance institutions (DFIs), private sectors, and civil society organizations (CSOs).
  • Supporting the selection of local organizations and staff for partnerships in project delivery, and working with them to design and implement projects while enhancing their capabilities for sustainable results.

• Assessing existing programs, identifying opportunities for leveraging philanthropic capital, and supporting program delivery:
  • Identifying, vetting, and proposing work scopes for in-country partnerships and projects.
  • Carrying out appropriate grant and contract management procedures.
  • Overseeing the work of grantees, contractors, and partner organizations to ensure the quality of their outputs and delivery aligns with the country strategy goals.
  • Collaborating with country leads and their teams in the Asia region and linking the Alliance's work in Indonesia and the region.
  • Engaging with in-country stakeholders, including government, utilities, development partners, private developers, and others.

• Collaborating with the Impact team/partner to track progress, adjust strategy, and ensure effective data collection:
  • Monitoring and reporting on the progress and outcomes of grants, contracts, investments, and other financial instruments deployed in Indonesia.
  • Identifying gaps, delays, or potential risks to the program and proposing measures to mitigate these issues.
  • Assisting in data collection and collation to enable effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning (Impact) practices.

• Other works as necessary based on coordination with Country Lead, and/or Global Energy Alliance's regional and global leadership.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• A Bachelor's degree is required, with a Master's degree in related fields (such as Renewable Energy, International Development, Energy Economics, etc.) being preferred.
• 12-15 years of relevant experience focusing on economic development, energy/power sector, and/or development of partnerships in Indonesia.
• Previous experience working with international and local philanthropies developing and/or implementing projects in economic growth and/or energy transition is advantageous.
• Proven experience in designing and executing economic development projects, particularly in Indonesia, in collaboration with diverse partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
• Strong knowledge of the political and economic spheres and the context of energy transition in Indonesia. Possessing a well-established network of stakeholders involved in renewable energy/energy transition in Indonesia, including government entities, is a plus.
• Previous experience working directly in the private sector, either with consultants, project developers or financiers involved in supporting renewable energy projects, particularly solar and wind, would be advantageous.
  • The ability to analyze and comprehend private sector business models is beneficial. Experience in developing financial models or supporting in transaction structuring.
  • Experience in participating in renewable energy tenders/projects, and/or providing technical support to national utilities companies.
  • Proficiency in preparing and developing techno-commercial reports, project feasibility studies, and evaluation of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
• Demonstrated project management skills, including the ability to oversee projects, deliver effective presentations, and develop business models, would be an asset.
• Previous experience in a challenging, fast-paced, and highly professional role within a collaborative, dynamic organization, preferably in an entrepreneurial environment where the formulation of policies, programs, and processes was required.
• Demonstrated commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of others.

Behavioural Competencies

• Communication: Excellent interpersonal abilities; listening skills; writing and verbal skills in English. You must be a good writer. Assertiveness in presenting and respectfully challenging ideas, including those presented by leadership; able to present ideas to a range of stakeholders in a clear and compelling way.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: An inquisitive mind focused on addressing the root causes of problems and building interventions to address them. Anticipates future opportunities and consequences.  
• Collaborative: a good listener, showcases humility, ability to understand local context and genuinely partner and work with various stakeholders from varied backgrounds. Leverage functional and substantive expertise organizationally; demonstrates inclusiveness, collaboration.  
• Independent work: Analytical and strong problem-solving abilities, takes initiative, drives for results, ability to prioritize work, communicates problems and proposes solutions, as appropriate. Uses feedback to quickly improve on work and produce an updated product.   
• Execution: Meets deadlines; sense of urgency, responsibility, and self-motivation; ability to multi-task and work under pressure; flexible work style; detail oriented.
• Decision-making: Ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; uses analytical and problem-solving skills; takes initiative and drives for results; able to prioritize and recommend courses of action.
• Leadership: Thinks innovatively and creatively; demonstrates accountability and personal drive.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Committed to the mission of Global Energy Alliance, to inclusion, equity, and diversity in every aspect of your work, and to challenging conventional wisdom through evidence, reason, and amplifying dissenting, unconventional, and marginalized voices.
• Willingness to travel (10-20%) – expected to travel to project sites across Indonesia

Key Relationships

• Indonesia Country Team
• VP, Asia and Asia Management Team
• Chief Investments and Programs Office
• Global teams – Energy & Opportunity, Grids of the Future, Impact and Communications

We operate from a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do. It is not only the right thing to do – we could not make an impact without our team members' diverse perspectives and experiences. We expect all Global Energy Alliance employees to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.  

Global Energy Alliance is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the organization ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.  

Global Energy Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer.