Senior Specialist-Energy Transition

The
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
, an intergovernmental treaty-based organization headquartered in Gurugram, India, is a coalition of solar-resource-rich countries. It was conceived to address the unique energy needs of its member nations through the deployment of solar energy technologies. The ISA provides a dedicated platform for cooperation among its 120+ member countries, including governments, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and other stakeholders. Its mission is to drive collective action towards increased solar energy use, ensuring energy security, sustainable development, and improved energy access, particularly for low-income and energy-deficient regions.

To further its vision of universal energy access and a just energy transition, ISA's assembly had approved the establishment of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) during its Fourth Assembly in October 2021. The MDTF is a catalytic financing mechanism that mobilizes donor contributions and facilitates high-impact programmatic interventions aimed at accelerating the deployment of solar energy across ISA member countries. It is designed to reduce aid fragmentation, increase strategic coherence, and serve as a centralized platform for programmatic funding aligned with ISA's global energy agenda.

In 2025, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) was appointed as the Trust Fund Management Agency (TFMA) to operationalize and manage the MDTF. A dedicated Program Management Unit (PMU) is being established to support day-to-day operations, provide technical and strategic guidance and ensure high-quality implementation of MDTF-supported programs across all ISA member countries, including India. The purpose of this Terms of Reference is to hire a highly experienced Energy Transition Specialist as part of the Program Management Unit (PMU).

The MDTF focuses on three strategic pillars:

1. Energy Transition Planning (ETP):
Supporting national and sub-national governments to develop integrated, investment-ready energy transition blueprints that identify pathways to accelerate clean energy deployment, reduce emissions, enhance energy security, and stimulate green jobs.

2. Utility Digitisation (Digitalisation of Utilities for Energy Transition - DUET):
Strengthening the technical and operational performance of distribution companies (DISCOMs) and utilities through AI-powered grid digitization tools, demand forecasting systems, and loss reduction mechanisms to modernize electricity distribution and integrate distributed renewable energy (DRE) and battery energy storage systems (BESS).

3. Global Capability Centre:
setting up a capability centre for providing ready expertise on designing and executing demonstrative, high-impact pilot projects that serve as replicable models for ISA member countries, thereby facilitating south-south learning and cross-border knowledge exchange, for example on topics like e-procurements etc.

The MDTF aims to raise USD 100 million over three years, leveraging significant co-investment from governments, donors, private capital, and development financial institutions. The objective is to generate measurable climate outcomes by accelerating clean energy deployments, enabling institutional readiness, improving governance and capacity, and unlocking investment pipelines across ISA countries. By focusing on context-specific implementation and embedding support within national and sub-national systems, the MDTF is uniquely positioned to drive bottom-up, scalable transformation across diverse geographies.

Scope of Work:

ISA plans to hire a
Senior Specialist-Energy Transition
for the Program Management Unit under the Multi Donor Trust Fund. The role will report to MDTF In-charge or delegate.

Project Management and Coordination:

• Develop and implement project plans on digitization and modelling specifically focused on energy transition initiatives at the sub-national level for India, ensuring alignment with ISA's goals. For the sake of clarity, while this starts with Indian sub-nationals, but the engagement is likely to cover multiple utilities in Africa, Asia and Latin Americas and Carribean over energy transition planning.

• Coordinate with local governments, stakeholders, and ISA member countries to facilitate digitization, energy transition planning and execution.

• Monitor project timelines, budgets, and deliverables to ensure successful completion within defined parameters.

Technical Support:

• Provide technical assistance in renewable energy planning, including solar, wind, and energy storage systems.

• Support the development of just energy transition roadmaps tailored to sub-national contexts through skills on macro-economic assessments and energy modelling.

• Assist in resource allocation and capacity-building efforts for local governments and organizations.

• Support ISA's work feeding into international negotiations, COP pledges.
Stakeholder Engagement:

• Facilitate workshops and meetings with stakeholders to gather inputs and ensure collaborative decision-making.

• Act as a liaison between ISA, donors, sub-national entities, and other partners to strengthen partnerships.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Track project progress using established metrics and prepare regular reports for ISA leadership and donors.

• Identify risks and propose mitigation strategies to address challenges in energy transition projects.

Other areas of work may be added onto during the course of the engagement.

Knowledge Sharing:

• Document lessons learned from sub-national projects to inform ISA's broader energy transition strategies.

• Contribute to training programs for local stakeholders on renewable energy technologies and project management best practices.

Educational Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Engineering or Energy Studies, Development Studies or Economics, or related disciplines.

• At least 10 years of experience preferably in renewable energy/energy efficiency/power sector reforms/energy modelling/climate change projects.

• Experience with UN agencies or Inter-Governmental Organizations (preferred).

Competencies:

Professionalism:
Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
Communication:
Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; able to interact with senior government and private sector leadership; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed; ability to disseminate information through online platforms, social media and traditional methods.

Teamwork:
Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Planning & Organizing:
Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.