Senior Officer, Mini-Grids & Distributed Energy Systems

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources. 

UNOPS Global Portfolios bring together a range of expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and expert teams operating across regions, we lead complex, multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, peacebuilding and climate action.

We work in close collaboration with the UN family, governments and other local and international partners. Our work ranges from supporting mine action in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected contexts, to expanding access to healthcare and clean water, to helping protect the environment.

From Geneva, UNOPS strives to facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade.

UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

UNOPS provides quality services, integrated solutions and management support to UN agencies, initiatives and partners in a strategic, cohesive, cost-effective and results-oriented manner. Geneva is also home to UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Regional Office.

Sustainable Energy for All has a global mandate to accelerate progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. Hosted by UNOPS, we work at the intersection of energy, climate and development, partnering with governments and organizations worldwide to end energy poverty, double energy efficiency, significantly expand renewable energy and combat climate change.

Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere, can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We promote this vision by pushing for higher ambitions, stronger policies, greater finance flows, increased localization and green jobs, and faster results toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind. 

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Since then, our CEO has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

UNOPS hosts the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Secretariat/Programme in Vienna, Austria. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an independent organization with a global mandate to accelerate progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. We work at the intersection of energy, climate, and development. We collaborate with governments and partners worldwide to end energy poverty, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy solutions, and combat climate change.

Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere, can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We promote this vision by pushing for higher ambitions, stronger policies, greater finance flows, increased localization and green jobs, and faster results toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind. 

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Since then, our CEO has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

Sustainable Energy for All hosts the Secretariat of the Mini-Grids Partnership, a voluntary partnership of over 300 leading mini-grid stakeholders from both the public and private sector, to support the scaling up of the mini-grid sector across Sub-Saharan Africa. The project's objective is to provide a comprehensive data baseline, proof of concept and activate the market for the rollout of mini-grids across Sub-Saharan Africa. Ground-truthing in priority markets will thus validate the technical and financial feasibility of the mini-grids, evaluate their socio-economic impact, identify operational challenges, and inform scalable solutions that will guide the subsequent deployment of mini-grids across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Leveraging the collective strengths of the Mini-Grids Partnership (MGP), the project adopts a comprehensive and iterative approach that emphasizes the importance of stakeholder coordination, technical guidance, and the alignment of actors to accelerate mini-grid deployment. This underscores MGP’s commitment to sustainable and impactful energy access, setting the stage for successful nationwide rollouts by serving as a central hub for innovation and collaboration. The project is premised on the following objectives:

• Facilitate Finance and Investment Planning: MGP evaluates financial viability and identifies potential concessional and commercial financing sources. This assessment refines the business models and financial instruments required to sustain large-scale rollout and realize resource mobilization strategies.
• Resolve Operational and Regulatory Barriers: The project identifies technical, maintenance, and regulatory hurdles. By documenting these challenges, MGP works with partners to develop practical strategies and policy recommendations that overcome barriers to broader implementation.
• Inform Scaling and Knowledge Exchange: Insights and lessons learned from early deployment phases inform scaling-up strategies. MGP consolidates these findings into toolkits and best practices to optimize resource allocation and enhance the operational efficiency of country-led programs.
• Stakeholder Activation and Market Linkages: MGP acts as a neutral convener to mobilize developers, host government agencies, and private sector entities. This involves driving advocacy, facilitating technical briefings, and hosting events designed to secure support and attract innovative funding.

The Senior Officer provides technical and analytical leadership to the Mini-Grids Partnership (MGP) Secretariat to accelerate the scale-up of the mini-grid sector across Sub-Saharan Africa. The postholder is responsible for coordinating flagship research, activating stakeholder networks, and developing investment plans to bridge the gap between pilot ground-truthing and nationwide rollout. Reporting to the Program Manager of the Mini-Grids Partnership, the Senior Officer ensures high-quality delivery of MGP workstreams and provides strategic briefings to SEforALL Senior Management to advance universal energy access goals.

Under this assignment, the Consultant shall undertake the following functional responsibilities:

• Support the Secretariat of the Mini-Grid Partnership including:
  • Lead the end‑to‑end development of MGP’s flagship “State of the Global Mini‑Grids Market” Report, including coordinating partner inputs, managing external contributors, leading peer review and quality assurance, and overseeing production and dissemination.
  • Provide rigorous analytical inputs and coordination for information briefings, including development of executive summaries, slide decks and decision‑ready recommendations for senior stakeholders.
  • Work with SEforALL’s communications team to develop and disseminate communication assets for the MGP (e.g. newsletters, social media accounts, MGP Website) and regularly disseminate information to the wider membership.
  • Organize and manage in‑person and virtual MGP convenings, including side‑events at major sector conferences, and oversee all logistics, agendas, convenor materials and post‑event follow up.
  • Organize regular MGP Steering Committee calls including attendance tracking and documentation.
• Conduct research and analysis (qualitative and quantitative) on critical topics related to distributed renewable energy (DRE) and energy access, synthesizing findings into policy‑relevant outputs, investor briefs and tools.
• Actively contribute to monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities for MGP, designing indicators, tracking results, extracting lessons, and integrating learning into program design and reporting.
• Contribute to managing donor relations, donor reporting and compliance: prepare high‑quality donor reports, ensure timely delivery against donor requirements, support proposal development, and assist with resource mobilization and grant management.
• Support budgeting and financial oversight for MGP activities, working with operations to manage budgets, monitor expenditures, and provide financial inputs for workplans and proposals.
• Contribute to SEforALL’s Universal Energy team thought leadership by identifying key innovations and research updates from the DRE/mini‑grid space, drafting policy briefs, op‑eds and technical notes, and presenting findings to internal and external audiences.
• Represent SEforALL at knowledge‑sharing and thematic events, engaging with donors, investors, developers and technical partners to advance MGP objectives and catalyse partnerships.
• Develop inputs (briefs, talking points, and backgrounders) to support the SEforALL SRSG / CEO and senior management across high‑level meetings and engagements
• Provide day‑to‑day management of external consultants and vendors engaged for MGP workstreams, ensuring deliverable quality, timelines and budget adherence.
• Perform other tasks and duties as may be required, including targeted support to scale MGP activities, mobilize finance and translate evidence into implementable country‑level actions.

Required

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in energy, engineering, law, political sciences, economics, finance, business administration or a related field.

• A Bachelor's degree in energy, engineering, law, political sciences, economics, finance, business administration or a related field with additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the master's degree.

Required

• A minimum of 2 years of experience in the Sub-Saharan African energy sector with a strong network of energy stakeholders.

• Specific experience in the mini-grid sector, either as a financier, private sector developer, government agency, or donor support program.

  
  

Desired

• Experience working in rural development and implementing impactful projects in rural regions of Sub-Saharan Africa is considered an asset.

• Experience working on electrification-focused development projects in Sub Saharan Africa is desirable.

• Experience producing high-quality reports, presentations, and communication materials for diverse audiences, including government stakeholders, investors, and local communities is desirable.

  
  

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
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• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
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• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
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