Country Support and Capacity Building Officer at the African Union (AU)

Purpose of Job

Performs the operation of the Energy Policies, Strategies and Support division to ensure delivery of results within proposed budget and timeframe.

Main Functions

•    Provide technical and intellectual support in the management of various partnerships relevant for the division and AFREC at large;
•    Identify best practices and monitor effectiveness of the division’s support to AFREC and the AU;
•    Contribute to the development of the departmental strategies and business continuity plan and participate in/ensure their implementation;
•    Participate in negotiations with internal or external stakeholders;
•    Foster and ensure implementation of large-scale and long-term initiatives related to AFREC’s strategic partnerships;
•    Support the organization of thematic networks, consultations and meetings on development cooperation and international relations;
•    Develop training materials and provide necessary training and support to Organization Units.
•    Provide technical resource allocation and policy guidance on matters relating to system -implementation projects and maintenance.

Specific Responsibilities

•    Develop and implement AFREC’s programme on Capacity Building for AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other relevant stakeholders to support the African energy sector sustainability;
•    Develop a framework for building long-term collaboration between AU Member States, international partners, regional and continental institutions on research and innovation in the energy sector.
•    Coordinate the Country Support projects and energy capacity building programme and develop cooperation strategy that encourages cross-border learning and dissemination of knowledge among AU member states and African regional institutions
•    Advise the Head of Division on Capacity Building and Country Support programme.
•    Coordinate the implementation of AFREC’s Member states support and Capacity Building Programme aimed at improving capacity and skills of African stakeholders and institutions across Africa at national, regional and continental level.
•    Identify key African and international institutions with required expertise and develop and coordinate an action plans that effectively address the African skills gap in the energy sector.
•    Propose and develop tailored, comprehensive and continuous capacity building programme (short, medium- and long-term capacity building) for African Energy Sector experts covering all technologies (conventional, non-conventional based on the skills assessment outcomes carried out in the African Energy sector at the regional and national levels for both the private and public sectors.
•    Create a network of the global and national institutions with capacity building expertise; facilitate inclusive exchange networks for knowledge and information sharing between Member countries, funders and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Regional Power Pools, Centres for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency, the Private Sector, Academia and other relevant stakeholders.
•    Develop and promote policies and strategies for improving the performance of the energy sector in AU Member States in line with the mission of the African Union Commission and the mandate of AFREC.
•    Engage stakeholders from African Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and other intergovernmental organisations in implementing successfully the capacity programme while providing sustainable support in the energy sector to AU Member States.
•    Put in place an evaluation and monitoring system to measure the impacts of capacity building by executing mid-term and post evaluation of trainings delivered to AU Member States and update the contents of training materials accordingly to meet the objectives of improving the African energy expertise gap both in public and private sectors.
•    Assist in the preparation of policy briefs, studies, researches and case studies in promoting capacity building, resource integration, investment and development of African Energy Sector in national, regional and continental level.
•    Assist in mobilizing technical and financial support to the Member States for improving capacity of energy sector and preparing and implementing training programmes at national, regional and continental levels.
•    Represent AFREC at workshops, conferences, meetings and seminars pertaining to capacity building and provide guidance on issues related with AFREC’s work on this sector.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

•    Master’s Degree or Advanced Degree in Energy Engineering, Energy Economics, Energy Management, Energy Policy and other Energy-related disciplines with at least ten (10) years of experience out of which 6 at expert/specialist level 3 years at supervisory level

•    Applicants with Bachelor’s degree in the above fields of study will be considered provided they have 12 years of relevant experience out of which 6 years at expert/specialist level 3 years at supervisory level

•    Relevant professional experience in the energy-related capacity building, designing of training materials and country support in international organization is an added advantage.

Required Skills

•    Excellent interpersonal skills
•    Sound planning and organisational skills
•    Ability to negotiate diplomatically
•    Ability to design capacity building strategies based skills gaps assessment and evaluate the capacities needed in AU Member States, regional and continental African institutions in consultation with Member States and relevant stakeholders
•    Ability to delegate the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority with regard to performance management and professional development
•    International or regional experience is desirable with a good knowledge of African energy issues
•    Relevant experience implementing and managing energy sector training and technical assistance programs
•    Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, and Arabic) and fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies

Core Competencies

Functional Competencies