ASEAN Senior Programme Engagement Lead, UK PACT

ASEAN Senior Programme Engagement Lead, UK PACT

Project Overview and Role:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Palladium is recruiting for a strong senior programme engagement lead with a passion for building regional linkages in Southeast Asia to enable accelerated carbon reductions to join our UK PACT team in Jakarta for the ASEAN Green Transition Fund (GTF). Designed by the UK Government’s Mission to ASEAN as part of a new set of regional ASEAN-UK programmes, GTF aims to support the climate element of ASEAN-UK Plan of Action and deliver on UK commitments as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner. The fund aims to provide technical assistance to ASEAN (institutions and members) on climate mitigation and is delivered via the UK PACT platform which aims to improve the effectiveness of key institutions (public, private and civil society) in partner countries so that they can deliver accelerated emission reductions and raise the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets. Specifically, the programme will deliver the following results:

An increase in the capacity and capability of partner institutions (regional, national, sub-national and civil society) to deliver enhanced and accelerated climate actions; and
An increase in regional and in-country buy-in to urgently facilitate low-carbon development.
Purpose of the position
Supporting Palladium ASEAN GTF team, the Senior Programme Engagement Lead is responsible for stakeholder management as well as monitoring and coordination of projects and activities in the energy & green finance sectors. The role holder will work very closely and coordinate with the UK Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, as well as the relevant teams in British High Commission and Embassy teams in post in all Southeast Asian countries to support strategy development, and pipeline development and grant management of GTF projects. Where required, the role holder will also support UK Mission to ASEAN team in its engagement with the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as government counterparts in relevant ASEAN countries.
The Senior Programme Engagement Lead will be the on-the-ground liaison for Palladium managing and coordinating day-to-day activities, in coordination with ASEAN GTF team in the region and UK staff. The position will be based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Primary responsibilities
The Senior Programme Engagement Lead will be the ‘on-the-ground stakeholder manager for energy and green finance sectors for Palladium affirming and implementing the FCDO strategy for GTF, managing day-to-day activities from stakeholder engagement and providing key contextual insights and managing upcoming portfolio of grants.
Specifically, the Lead will:
Stakeholder Relationships:
Maintain an excellent working relationship with the UK Mission to ASEAN team, supporting them in engagement with ASEAN Secretariat, partner country government agencies, civil society groups, research agencies, (green) financial institutions and relevant private sector firms in order to collaboratively design and generate buy-in for the programme’s strategy, plans, and resource requirements;
Act as an ambassador for GTF, promoting funding opportunities to potential implementing partners in the energy and green finance sectors, project and programme outputs to intended beneficiaries, and broader UK engagement on low-carbon development where relevant, and as agreed with FCDO.
Strategy Development and Engagement:
Work collaboratively with the UK Mission to ASEAN, post teams, FCDO UK, the Palladium core team to implement an adaptive strategy for GTF energy & green finance projects in-the region drawing on the various types of funds, skill-shares and technical assistance available;
Identifying complementary existing energy & green finance programmes (funded by the UK and other donors) to feed into GTF implementation plans, theories of change and log-frames and avoid programme duplication;
Provide technical advice and input for continuous energy & green finance context analysis and assessment of regional and local market capacity to identify the most appropriate avenues for interventions and pathways to climate change impact within each key strategic sector, and flag policy, technological and commercial developments and risks that could influence the delivery of UK-ASEAN climate collaboration.
Programme Management; Identification, Selection and Implementation of Interventions
Coordinate GTF grant funding windows in energy & green finance sectors to align with relevant PACT country implementation plans in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, and lead on market engagement to ensure the right local stakeholders are aware of, and well-placed to apply for, funding opportunities;
Organise and manage energy & green finance call for proposals in collaboration with UK Mission to ASEAN team, posts, the Palladium team in the UK and the FCDO lead;
Facilitate and contribute to the project selection process, particularly with regard to assessing deliverability and impact potential on the ground;
Support energy & green finance project set-up coordinating with the Palladium core team to adhere to any local due diligence required and to support initial briefing to potential Implementation Partners;
Oversee timely implementation of energy & green finance projects and regularly ensure the feedback of results, impacts and learning through quarterly reports to FCDO covering overall progress, progress against outputs, main activities and deliverables for the next period, budget, spend and forecast, and risks;
Advise FCDO on potential to extend, scale up or replicate successful projects, and work with successful Implementation Partners to do this with FCDO approval;
Support defence against fraud, corruption and safeguarding risks, conducting spot checks and other processes to ensure FCDO grant funding is spent as intended and that Implementation Partners meet FCDO compliance requirements.
Programme Reporting
Support Implementing Partners in energy & green finance sectors on project reporting, ensuring reporting meets FCDO requirements
Oversee sector specific risk management, working with all parties, ensuring any issues identified result in quick mitigation strategies and/or are escalated as required;
Contribute to programme governance and decision-making, both regionally, in-country and centrally, as required.

Required Qualifications:

Person Specification
Strong regional stakeholder management skills with proven ability to engage with and manage donor client formal reporting and ad-hoc requests
Strong knowledge of the energy and green finance (with a strong focus on carbon pricing & market policies) sector landscape in Southeast Asia
Good understanding of collaboration mechanisms with ASEAN Secretariat
Good programme and grant management skills, with a proven track record of managing a complex portfolio of grantees in various sectors.
Demonstrated ability to build networks and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders at different levels of seniority;
Good knowledge and understanding of the regional political economy and business operating context in ASEAN, including socio-economic context and development challenges and priorities
Excellent organisational, inter-personal administration and communication skills;
An ability to see both the big (strategic) picture, identifying opportunities for innovation and value addition for GTF, as well as keeping alert to project delivery risks;
Professional fluency in English;
A high degree of personal resilience, flexibility and ability to adapt to changing circumstances;
Highly collaborative and committed to close working and open communication with colleagues in post and in the UK, and other GTF partners;

Commitment to neutrality in all dealings with stakeholders, including political stakeholders, to build trusted relationships and ensure maximum effectiveness of the programme.

Company Overview:

About Palladium - Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the worlds most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, peoples lives.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.