Inactive

General Statement of Purpose of the Contract: The Indo-Pacific region, spanning the west coast of the United States to the west coast of India, is home to about half of the world’s population, major t... General Statement of Purpose of the Contract: The Indo-Pacific region, spanning the west coast of the United States to the west coast of India, is home to about half of the world’s population, major trade routes, and some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. USAID is advancing America’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific by supporting bilateral and regional efforts focused on three objectives: 1) strengthen democratic systems; 2) foster economic growth; and 3) improve the management of natural resources. USAID also plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and addressing its impacts by implementing ambitious emissions reduction measures, protecting critical ecosystems, transitioning to renewable energy, building resilience against the impacts of climate change, and promoting the flow of capital toward climate-positive investments in target countries. USAID/India supports various U.S. whole-of-government initiatives under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including what is currently being described as Clean Asia Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy (Clean EDGE), as well as the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership (DCCP) and the Infrastructure Transaction and Assistance Network (ITAN) initiatives. Building on their longstanding energy and climate cooperation, the United States and India are working together on connectivity and sustainable economic development in the region. In 2021, the U.S. and India announced the Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership, strengthening bilateral collaboration across climate and clean energy. The Partnership will proceed along two main tracks: the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue (CAFMD). The Clean EDGE initiative is a U.S. whole-of-government effort to grow sustainable and secure energy markets throughout the Indo-Pacific region. As part of Clean EDGE, USAID is supporting South Asian countries to develop an appropriate mix of energy resources to provide access to clean, reliable, and affordable power. Meeting this goal will reduce poverty, drive economic growth and job creation, mitigate global climate change, and increase energy security in South Asia. USAID/India is investing close to $60 million in regional clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency activities for South Asia. The new activities- the South Asia Group for Energy, the South Asia Regional Energy Hub, and the South Asia Regional Energy Partnership- will help the countries of South Asia benefit from the new opportunities and face the challenges brought on by advanced energy technologies. USAID/India’s Indo-Pacific Office, which is designated as the Indo-Pacific Hub for South Asia, is working with India to engage in free, fair, and reciprocal trade and improve the management of natural resources. IPO is responsible for managing and implementing the Indo-Pacific initiatives as well as overseeing USAID/India’s clean and renewable energy portfolio. A major responsibility of the regional hubs is to elevate USAID's contributions to implementing the Indo-Pacific vision in Asia. The hubs will work with Headquarters and bilateral missions to amplify development impact; examine issues from a regional perspective; and identify opportunities for regional program alignment. The IPO team includes 16 staff members, consisting of three U.S. Direct Hires, two U.S. personnel service contractors and 11 Cooperating Country Nationals (CCN). Statement of Duties to be Performed The energy team leader position is in the IPO and manages a team of up to four CCN staff. The energy team leader is a senior energy and climate change advisor within USAID and is responsible for providing strategic and technical guidance to the IPO energy staff. S/he plays an important role in supporting coordination within the team, with other USAID/India Mission offices, with the interagency, and with other Missions in South Asia and the Regional Development Mission for Asia (based in Bangkok). Working closely with the energy program management specialists, s/he will engage with high-level officials of the Government of India, build partnerships with private sector enterprises, and develop public awareness of energy and climate-related topics. The energy team leader will support the transition of bilateral energy programs to the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation once that framework is established. Working with the energy team and other Mission staff, s/he will work with the U.S. Development Finance Corporation representative based in Mumbai and other U.S. agencies to develop energy and related infrastructure priorities in the region, in collaboration with USAID bilateral Missions. The energy team leader will lead regional and interagency coordination of energy topics, including energy related climate change issues, and will play a key role in supporting USAID’s contributions to CAFMD and SCEP. S/he may provide support for USAID’s engagement with the Japanese-United States Strategic Energy Partnership (JUSEP), or collaboration with the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, and the US) and work with regional organizations such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The energy team leader will work with the energy team to serve as a technical resource for USAID Missions located in South Asia. Working closely with office management, s/he will coordinate with like-minded donors in South Asia to coordinate and complement regional energy programming. The energy team leader works independently on most technical matters. Being a key expert upon whom the Mission relies to guide policy, program and resource allocation decisions, s/he interacts directly with a range of Mission staff, including the USAID Mission Director, USAID Deputy Mission Director, other Office Directors, and interagency representatives, on related issues. S/he works collaboratively and proactively with other technical experts and support offices throughout the Mission on energy program matters. For example, s/he will represent the IPO on the USAID/India Country Development and Coordination Strategy Development Objective 2 (DO2) project team, which aims to reduce air pollution and its negative impacts on health. S/he will lead the coordination of energy programs with DO2 activities and objectives as well as with climate change programming. Finally, s/he works directly with energy and climate staff in USAID/Washington, DC in various Agency bureaus. Specifically, the Energy Team Leader is expected to perform duties in the following areas: Managing and Reporting Services - 40% Manage USAID/India energy portfolio: Leads energy team meetings; Coordinates regional and bilateral work across the energy and climate change portfolio including providing support to Missions in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka; Provides feedback on reports and technical strategies, monitoring the budget, and project reviews and evaluations; Provides inputs and coordination for long- and short-term U.S. and Indian consultants, visiting USAID colleagues, and U.S. government officials that are relevant to the energy portfolio; Plans and arranges program-related technical assistance, including identification of specific needs and opportunities for Program Design and Learning activities, preparation of scopes of work, and budgets. Lead the preparation of speeches, briefing memos, and talking points for senior embassy officials. Coordinate and contribute to the drafting of Operational Plans, Program Performance Reports, Portfolio Review documents, and other program management and reporting materials. Provide briefings to USAID and its partners on the status of USAID energy and climate activities in India. Prepare and deliver technical presentations on the same issues to local government and U.S. government officials and international and local program partners and colleagues. In collaboration with IPO’s outreach and communication specialist, work with the Office of Program Support to communicate achievements and progress in the energy sector to Embassy, Washington and external stakeholders as necessary. In collaboration with IPO’s outreach and communication specialist, work with the Office of Program Support to communicate achievements and progress in the energy sector to Embassy, Washington and external stakeholders as necessary. Lead the Annual Performance Plan and Report and the Annual Indo-Pacific Reporting for the energy area, which includes setting the performance target for the upcoming years and reporting on the past year’s achievements. In collaboration with energy program specialists, represent USAID in national, and international fora, in advocating for USAID programs, and in events to showcase USAID energy initiatives. B. Technical and Strategy Support - 40% Support the energy program management specialists to provide effective guidance on all aspects of activity design and implementation, including leverage of additional financial resources, synergies with other U.S. Government (USG) agencies promoting U.S. foreign policy interests, partnerships with the U.S. and Indian private sector, knowledge management for staff, work plan development for the most complex energy programming, and performance measurement. Lead work to assess and address policy and institutional constraints impacting the energy sector and connections to climate change, and identify priority issues requiring policy reform, such as utility reform, institutional strengthening, benchmarking, and regulatory reform. Lead work to identify key technical challenges in achieving energy development and climate change goals in India and South Asia. Design energy-related strategies, programs and activities to meet Mission strategic objectives based on knowledge of international best practice and the constraints presented in each country in South Asia. This includes preparing concept papers, statements of work or program descriptions, requests for proposals/applications, Acquisition and Assistance requests, decision memos, Congressional Notifications, inter-agency agreement letters, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and other related documents with the goal of ensuring that program design and implementation will achieve planned results and USAID goals. Develop, maintain and strengthen working relationships with key partners, including Government of India organizations, regional organizations, international organizations and other donors, private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to identify and implement efforts to increase synergy among the key stakeholders and promote collaborative planning toward long term sustainable solutions. Communicate and collaborate with Washington-based USAID bureaus and offices such as the Asia bureau and the bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, as well as USAID Missions in South Asia and the IPS Hub based in Bangkok, on current and future activities, strategy and direction for South Asia, budgets and earmarks/directives, and sharing proven practices between the field and headquarters. C. Cross-sector coordination - 20% Participate in, coordinate, and manage energy evaluations and assessments that are conducted in conjunction with other offices, U.S. government agencies, international organizations, or other donors. In coordination with the Mission’s Development Partnership and Innovation Office and the energy program management specialists, support the transition of bilateral energy programs to the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation once established. Lead coordination with the Mission pollution and health impacts (DO2) team. Advise DO2 project team on how energy portfolio activities are contributing to DO2 goals, and work with the energy team to integrate pollution and health objectives into the energy portfolio, and provide support for broader coordination on climate change as appropriate.