Senior Assistant, Energy

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

Burkina Faso’s accession to GGGI was approved in 2018, with a mandate for GGGI to support the country in its transition toward a strong, sustainable, and inclusive green growth pathway. The cooperation has been consolidated through successive Country Planning Frameworks (CPF), which guide GGGI’s support in line with national priorities, including green investment, climate action and resilience, sustainable rural development, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and productive uses of energy.

GGGI is leading the 36-month, EUR 3.3 million European Union-funded project “Promoting the Productive Use of Low-cost Solar Energy to Strengthen Sustainable Agri-Food Livelihoods and Green Jobs in the OKDB+ Triangle” (PULSE), implemented in consortium with the Centre Ecologique Albert Schweitzer (CEAS) and Trias. The project promotes productive uses of renewable energy to support the modernization, resilience, and sustainability of territorial agri-food systems, with priority value chains including rice, maize, market gardening, and poultry. The project combines renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency, climate-smart agriculture, enterprise support, access to green finance, and institutional strengthening.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Assistant will work closely with the designated GGGI Project Manager, consortium partners, relevant Government institutions, service providers, consultants, and beneficiaries. While working in close collaboration with the CEAS’s part-time Technical Coordinator / Productive Renewable Energy Expert, the Senior Assistant will provide continuous GGGI-side technical oversight and consortium-wide quality control across the full portfolio of energy actions. This is a national position.

PURPOSE

Support the smooth day-to-day implementation of PULSE energy interventions by providing day-to-day technical guidance, technical review, field follow-up, and first level quality checks across the consortium under project guidance, ensuring that productive renewable energy solutions are correctly tracked, safe, and responsive to project objectives

ENGAGEMENT

• Work closely with GGGI, CEAS, Trias, and other project personnel to ensure coherent technical approaches and effective coordination of energy-related activities across the consortium.
• Under the lead of the PM, participate in working -level technical meetings with the Ministry in charge of Energy, Faso Vêenem, the Ministry in charge of Agriculture and relevant decentralized services on the planning, implementation, quality control, and follow-up of project energy interventions.
• Engage with equipment suppliers, installers, energy service companies, consultants, financial institutions, producer organizations, Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs), and other relevant actors to support technically sound and sustainable deployment of productive renewable energy solutions.
• Participate in technical meetings, field missions, workshops, training activities, and consortium coordination mechanisms, and provide clear technical inputs and follow-up on agreed actions.
• Facilitate communication between technical specialists and non-technical stakeholders by translating energy requirements, standards, risks, and recommendations into practical guidance for project teams and beneficiaries.
• Support knowledge sharing and collaboration with relevant GGGI technical teams, the Africa Regional Office, and other GGGI programs on productive renewable energy, energy efficiency, and quality assurance.

DELIVERY

• Provide day-to-day operational and technical tracking and first level quality checks  for all energy-related activities under PULSE, ensuring consistency, and flag technical issues requiring corrective action to the Project Manager
• Support the preliminary review of technical specifications, , , bills of quantities, terms of reference, procurement documentation, supplier offers, installation plans against basic project requirements.
• Support technical assessment, appropriate sizing, installation follow-up, commissioning, and performance verification of productive-use technologies, including solar pumping and irrigation systems, solar-powered processing and preservation equipment, biodigesters, cold-chain solutions, and other energy technologies promoted by the project.
• Support field inspections and technical monitoring visits, and equipment, documenting non-conformities, operational risks, and following up on their resolution with responsible partners and service providers.
• Support data collection and preliminary analysis for energy audits and the identification, prioritization, and follow-up of energy-efficiency and circular-economy measures for targeted agri-food MSMEs and productive users.
• Contribute to the development and application of common technical standards, checklists, protocols, and quality-control tools for energy interventions across the consortium, in alignment with applicable national requirements and good practice.
• Provide technical support to project activities aimed at strengthening national solar-equipment quality-control capacity, including collaboration with Faso Vêenem on testing protocols, technical equipment, laboratory strengthening/accreditation, and technician capacity development, as applicable.
• Assist in organizing and rolling out technical training and capacity building activities for technicians, producers, processors, cooperatives, MSMEs, and relevant public institutions
• Provide routine technical inputs to workplans, progress reports, monitoring logs, risk registers, procurement plans, technical deliverables, and donor reporting, and maintain appropriate technical records and evidence for energy-related activities.
• Support the PM to monitor technical performance, operation and maintenance arrangements, after-sales service, and sustainability risks associated with supported energy investments, and prepare practical recommendations for consideration and approval.
• Support other energy-related technical tasks assigned within the PULSE project, consistent with the responsibilities and grade of the position.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, energy engineering, renewable energy, electromechanical engineering, or another closely related technical field. Relevant professional or technical certification in solar PV, energy efficiency, electrical installations, or related areas would be an asset.

Experience:

• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in renewable energy, electrical systems, productive-use energy technologies, energy efficiency, or related technical fields, preferably in development projects or rural/agri-food contexts.
• Demonstrated practical experience with solar PV systems and productive-use applications, including technical assessment, sizing, installation supervision, commissioning, inspection, operation and maintenance, and/or quality control.
• Experience with one or more productive-use applications relevant to PULSE, such as solar pumping and irrigation, agro-processing equipment, cold-chain systems, solar drying, milling, incubation, biodigesters, or other decentralized energy solutions.
• Experience preparing or reviewing technical specifications, bills of quantities, technical offers, installation documentation, inspection reports, or equipment acceptance/commissioning documentation is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of renewable energy equipment quality standards, electrical safety, energy-efficiency principles, and operation and maintenance requirements; familiarity with Burkina Faso’s energy-sector institutional context is desirable.
• Experience working with Government institutions, private suppliers/installers, producer organizations, MSMEs, or development partners, and ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multi-partner teams.
• Fluency in French is required. Working knowledge of English is desirable. Knowledge of one or more languages commonly used in the project intervention areas (moore and dioula) would be an asset.

FUNCTIONAL

• Applied technical knowledge of solar PV, productive-use renewable energy systems, electrical safety, equipment sizing, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance, and energy efficiency.
• Strong field-oriented problem-solving skills,
• Ability to develop and apply practical quality-assurance tools, inspection checklists, technical protocols, guidance notes, and training materials.
• Good analytical, reporting, presentation, and communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to non-specialist audiences.
• Well organized, proactive, attentive to detail, and able to manage multiple technical assignments and field activities while meeting quality standards and deadlines.

CORPORATE

• Understand and actively support GGGI's mission, vision, and values.
• Promote the optimum use of public resources.
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect, and partnership.
• Process and share information easily.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, build rapport, and resolve conflict constructively.
• Promote creativity and innovation among staff.
• Be able to take initiative within assigned responsibilities and provide practical solutions to technical and implementation challenges.