Project Coordinator job at Ashden

Project Coordinator job at Ashden

To lead delivery of Ashden’s work within the Transforming Humanitarian Energy Access (THEA) programme, supporting refugee-led clean energy initiatives to implement projects, and secure follow on funding; and to work with THEA programme partners to advocate for more inclusive approaches to financing and delivering sustainable energy access in displacement settings; to ensure delivery of agreed outputs and objectives around the THEA programme, engaging with climate, humanitarian and energy access funders and investors, and support with research, communications and advocacy work associated with the programme.

DUTIES & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Leading THEA Programme Delivery
• Support promotion of Ashden’s THEA call for applications, and encourage refugee-led organisations and refugee businesses to apply for the different calls
• Support selection of refugee-led organisations and refugee businesses (grantees) who will participate in Ashden’s THEA work.

• Conduct organisational assessments and due diligence on grantees and prepare grant agreements.
• Coordinate implementation of grantee projects; tracking progress against programme plans.

• Identify and appoint suitable consultants to support with technical assistance, research and communications activities with grantees.
• Work with refugee-led organisations and refugee businesses to identify and pursue new sources of finance, including grants and investment, and support each organisation in their efforts to secure suitable financing.

THEA Programme Coordinator October 2024
• Support refugee-led organisations and refugee businesses to develop organisational policies and procedures to prepare them to access new sources of finance.
• Take an outcomes-focused approach to programme delivery, continuously monitoring and adjusting milestones and outputs where necessary to achieve results.

• Lead programme monitoring and reporting activities, and budget tracking.
• Work with THEA partners and consultants to deliver research, advocacy and communications outputs related to the programme.
• Collate and manage data on refugee-led organisations, refugee businesses and other partners
• related to the THEA programme, ensuring all information is entered on Ashden’s CRM system.

Communications & Network Building
• In co-ordination with the Head of International Programmes and Communications Team, develop and deliver events and webinars to share programmatic insights to relevant audiences.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with existing and new funders and investors, supporting colleagues to organise investor engagement events.
• Work closely with the Communications Team to ensure that learning from Ashden’s THEA work is widely shared and communicated, using a range of resources to write and contribute to written outputs including but not limited to blogs, case studies and project progress reports for a variety of audiences.
• Contribute content to enhance Ashden and THEA’s social media presence relating to its humanitarian clean energy programmes.
• Build networks of relevant stakeholders, including those with experience in humanitarian, development and climate finance; energy access; and climate change in the Global South, to contribute to the THEA programme as knowledge partners, funders, and investors.
• Represent Ashden at relevant conferences and events.

Monitoring and reporting
• Act as point of contact with grantees throughout the programme period, ensuring strong relationships are maintained.
• Work closely with the Impact Lead and programme colleagues to ensure monitoring tools and processes are developed and used in accordance with THEA objectives, and that project deliverables and impact are effectively captured and communicated.
• Provide relevant and timely information to the Finance team and Head of International Programmes to ensure budgets can be effectively monitored and managed, and finance reports prepared for donors.
• Work closely with programme and fundraising colleagues to ensure lessons learned from programme implementation are incorporated into future programme design.
• Contribute to organisational monitoring, evaluation, learning and improvement activities.

General responsibilities
• Be an ambassador for Ashden.
• Be proactive in keeping up to date with developments affecting your work and maintain and improve personal competence through continuous professional development.
• Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position.
• Support and promote diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.

THEA Programme Coordinator October 2024
• Work collaboratively with others in all aspects of Ashden’s work.

SCOPE & ACCOUNTABILITY
Decision making and limits of authority
• Assessment and recommendations for selection of potential sub-grantees use of development sub-grants and provision of technical assistance.
• Responsible for continuously evaluating own projects and deciding when to take a new approach to ensure successful outcomes, seeking advice from more senior staff as appropriate.
• Financial resources Advising on use of sub-grants and budget for external costs in line with approved programme budgets and Ashden finance procedures (circa£150,000pa)

Information resources
• Ensure Ashden CRM is maintained for all programmatic contacts, and
• relevant documents are correctly named and filed in Sharepoint.
• Ensure articles, reports and publications are suitable for publication
• (including being proof-read and designed where necessary).
• Proactively monitors external information sources (e.g. news, published
• research, social media) and shares with colleagues as appropriate.

Other resources
People management Co-ordinate work with other consultants and contractors appointed by Ashden to work on the THEA programme as required.
Legal, regulatory and compliance
Ensure compliance with financial management procedures.
Ensure compliance with Ashden’s policies and procedures including:
• Data protection
• Safeguarding
• Health and safety
• Equal Opportunity and Diversity Procedures

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience
• At least three years’ experience managing multi-donor projects in the humanitarian and/or energy
• access sectors [E]
• Experience of community-led renewable energy project implementation [D]
• Experience of supporting delivery of projects involving multiple colleagues and external
• consultants and stakeholders, gained within a comparable field [E]
• Experience of planning and delivering events both in person and online [D]
• Maintaining and strengthening relationships with partners, funders and key stakeholders [D]
• Working closely with internal programme colleagues and external partners to ensure quality programme delivery, project deliverable and impact [E]

In line with our inclusivity objectives for the THEA programme, we highly encourage people with lived experience of displacement to apply for this role. [D]
THEA Programme Coordinator October 2024

Skills & Abilities
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail [E]
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills [E]
• Ability to interpret and analyse information from a range of sources and present to sub-grantees
• and programme colleagues and other stakeholders clearly and accurately [D]
• Able to think and act independently, as well as take direction from senior staff and respond to
• external expert advisors [D]
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills [E]
• Highly numerate and strong financial management skills [D]
• Proficient in Microsoft Office including Excel [E]
• Highly organised, with ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines [E]
• Excellent interpersonal skills – ability to work well in a team and across the organisation,
• establishing excellent relationships with colleagues from different teams [E]

Knowledge, Education & Training
• Demonstrable knowledge in the field of humanitarian energy access and renewable energy, finance and impact investing required [E]
• Proven track record in securing grants, attracting impact investment, and facilitating commercial
• finance for small and medium enterprises [D]
• Proficiency in financial analysis, business planning, and project management [D]
• Knowledge of themes such as humanitarian assistance and funding, and philanthropic environmental funding landscape desirable [D]
• Fluency in English is required [E]. Proficiency in Kiswahili, French or other East Africa languages is
• an advantage [D].

Personal Attributes & Other Requirements
• Able to work some evenings, weekend and out-of-hours from time to time [D]
• Willing to travel to camps and settlements for refugees and internally displaced people [E]
• Resilient and determined individual, who is confident to ask questions and work with a level of flexibility in complex operational environments [E]
• Active and self-led learner who keeps abreast of developments within the sector [E]
• Enjoys working in a complex environment and with colleagues across multiple time zones [D]

Job application procedure

Interested and qualified, Click here to apply.

All Jobs