Project Manager (gn)

The Renewables Grid Initiative is a unique collaboration of NGOs and TSOs from across Europe engaging in an ‘energy transition ecosystem-of-actors’. We promote fair, transparent, sustainable grid development to enable the growth of renewables to achieve full decarbonisation in line with the Paris Agreement.

Project Manager

Hiring as soon as possible; location is Berlin

This application will remain open until we have found a suitable candidate

Background

The Renewables Grid Initiative is a unique collaboration of NGOs and TSOs from across Europe engaging in an ‘energy transition ecosystem-of-actors’. We promote fair, transparent, sustainable grid development to enable the growth of renewables to achieve full decarbonisation in line with the Paris Agreement.

RGI facilitates the exchange between its Members and further stakeholders to come up with

a) new approaches on how to plan and build the grid infrastructure needed for the energy transition while defending environmental safeguards and fully recognising societal concerns related to the development of large infrastructure and

b) new and more progressive political positions related to the operation of the electricity grid in a fast-changing environment.

‘Implementing RGI Declarations/IRD’ is a framework under which TSOs and NGOs collaborate at national level to support the continuous and ecologically sound development of the grid infrastructure needed for a successful energy transition.

Specific tasks

The Project Manager will work on the following projects and tasks:

• Lead of the IRD project ‘bird portal’ – RGI, the German branch of BirdLife (NABU), the four German Transmission System Operators and two Distribution System Operators collaborate to improve the information basis for bird protection measures for new and existing power lines, running an online portal which allows everyone to report the finding of a dead bird to NABU.
• The PM will be fully in charge to operationally manage and strategically develop further this activity, including to expand the current national network and also promote the establishment of similar projects in further European countries.
• Lead of IRD project ‘Shaping the grid debate/Debatte Stromnetze gestalten’ – ‘Shaping the Grid Debate’ aims to promote a socially just and environmentally compatible transformation of the energy system in Germany.
• Under the umbrella of RGI, the German NGO Germanwatch enters into an exchange with local and regional actors and also initiates a corresponding dialogue at the federal level.
• The PM will be fully in charge to operationally manage this collaboration and to bring in new project partners.
• Support of IRD project ‘Work together to work better/Lavorare insieme per lavorare meglio’ – This project aims at addressing different environmental, social and financial challenges related to grid development. RGI, the TSO and NGO work together to enable “better projects” from the planning phase to the implementation. The candidate in close
• collaboration with the Senior PM will support the organisation of workshops, the rolling out of communication activities and the background research on specific topics.
• Support the establishment of further IRD projects in different European countries – In addition to the above-mentioned projects, several Members of the Renewables Grid Initiative are interested in establishing collaborations at the national level.
• The PM will facilitate the engagement of principally interested NGO/TSO-tandems in different countries, guiding potential partners from initial project ideas to specific project outlines and contractual agreements. This will be done in close collaboration with a senior RGI manager.

Further tasks – For each of the above projects, the PM will be requested to keep track and realize advocacy opportunities, take a lead on supporting communication activities including to document and disseminate generated insights across Europe and secure that national activities are being leveraged in other RGI processes where suitable and possible. Beyond this, RGI is a working environment which appreciates and requests flexibility.

Depending on resource availability, the PM may be asked to take over additional tasks across the RGI project portfolio.

Qualifications and skills

Candidates should have

• working experience of at least three years with an international component.

• a solid understanding of the energy sector and a relevant understanding of expectations of different stakeholder groups for the energy transition.

• background knowledge on stakeholder acceptance and nature protection issues related to large-scale energy infrastructure.

• proven ability to work on multiple parallel projects.

• experience in speaking in front of large audiences.

• the availability to travel (nationally and at EU level).

• excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and German; further European language skills are highly desirable, especially Italian.

• an ability to learn fast and to quickly understand new issues; convincing personality with strong capacity to build up trustful relationships and networks.

• an ability to work fully independently and highly efficiently and to structure the own work but also to work with flexible roles in different teams.

• the interest to engage and be a respected discussion partner for stakeholders from the TSO/private sector as well as from the NGO/non-profit sector and beyond.

• a genuine interest in climate and nature protection.

• a big plus: insights into the debate of European grid development in the context of the energy transition and an understanding of energy policy in different EU Member States

What we offer

• We are a small, highly international, diverse and interactive team, continuously inventing something new.

• We work with our Members from 11 European countries and at European level.

• We are operating at the heart of an exciting industry that is currently undergoing a massive transformation.

• We work at the interface of the corporate energy world, non-governmental organisations and the policy world.

Your application

Please address your application to Antina Sander, Deputy CEO of RGI. Include a letter of motivation in which you indicate expected salary and first possible available date, a CV, responses to the two questions under item 6 below and references.

Send it to jobs@renewables-grid.eu.

The starting date for this post is as soon as possible. The contract will run for initially two years with the option of prolonging it.

Our office is based in Berlin.

Only candidates with the required qualifications will receive feedback to their application. Only complete applications will be considered.

According to European practices, the CV should include personal information such as date of birth and address where you currently reside. A photo is appreciated.

Questions

• Please give an example of you developing and/or managing a multi-stakeholder project. What were the specific challenges, how did you overcome them? (max. half a page)
• How do you think national collaborations of NGOs and TSOs make a difference for the energy transition? (max. half a page)