Swaniti Initiative - Deputy Lead - Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems

Deputy Lead

Who are we?

Swaniti Initiative aims to strengthen public service delivery by working with state and local governments across South Asia with a strong focus on India. Our interventions have included strengthening scheme implementation by identifying current gaps and limitations, providing research support to Hon'ble Members of Parliament about best practices in moving forward, and developing data-technology tools that can back decision-making processes.

With flagship initiatives like Supporting Parliamentarians in Analysis and Research in Constituencies (SPARC) and Leadership and Engagement Associate in District (LEAD), Swaniti has supported constituency development and district development planning in various parts of the country. At present, along with working with 200+ Hon'ble Members of Parliamentarians for policy making, are working as advisors to state governments to ensure the delivery of schemes to the last mile. Major verticals of our work are climate and sustainability, social protection, and livelihood.

What will you work on?

The primary objective of this project is to facilitate the widespread adoption of rooftop solar systems within healthcare institutions across seven states in India. This project aims to achieve several key outcomes, including ensuring reliable power supply, enhancing healthcare services, reducing operational costs, and promoting environmental sustainability through renewable energy sources.

Health institutions, encompassing hospitals and medical colleges, play a pivotal role in the efficient delivery of healthcare services. Recent years have witnessed a substantial investment in augmenting health infrastructure, marked by the installation of state-of-the-art medical equipment. However, this modernization drive has inadvertently led to a surge in energy demands within these institutions. Furthermore, the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the critical need to establish on-site oxygen plants within healthcare facilities. These additional facilities have significantly heightened electricity consumption and recurrent expenditures of these institutions.

Recognizing the escalating energy needs and the imminent financial strain confronting health institutions, the project aims to address these challenges by implementing rooftop solar panels. These solar installations are intended to effectively meet the escalating energy demands of healthcare institutions. The introduction of rooftop solar systems is envisioned as a strategic solution to ensure a sustainable, reliable, and cost-efficient energy source, thereby alleviating the burden on these institutions, and fostering a more resilient healthcare infrastructure.

What will be your roles and responsibilities?

The Lead/Deputy Lead will ideally be someone with technical knowledge of Decentralized Renewable Energy systems with experience in state technical assistance. The Lead/Deputy Lead will work closely with the appointed nodal officer at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and state energy departments to develop team goals in a manner that is inclusive of all stakeholders. They will also create schedules and communicate a clear list of expectations and goals for the team members to follow. Additionally, the overall lead will also be tasked with finalizing research plans for data collection, metrics, and frameworks for selection of public health institutions for rooftop installations and assist departments and state governments in creating frameworks for longlisting and shortlisting of vendors for installations.

Lead/Deputy Lead will be required to:

- Coordinate with programme staff at the state level, and other external consultants to carry out programmatic and administrative tasks.

- Support in stakeholder consultations, with private players on concessional financing for DRE's.

- Provide technical support and guidance on the design, development, and implementation of DRE's including solar RPTV systems.

- Leverage contacts within the MNRE office to ensure that government buy-in for the program remains consistent.

- Plan, organize, manage, coordinate, implement and monitor the programme strategies and activities including research designs, formats for data collection, monitoring, databases, and dashboards as required.

- Prepare inputs for performance parameters and indicators, prepare programme performance reports, and ensure frequent reporting to ministry.

- Prepare a detailed MEL sheet to track the indicators for success and report back to the management

- Coordinate with the state teams to present information on adoption of the DRE-based schemes

Lead the preparation of technical proposals, project specifications, and feasibility studies for DRE initiatives.

Requirements:

Qualifications:

- Masters in Renewable Energy, Environmental Science, or related field with special emphasis on DRE based solutions

- Minimum 5-7+ years of experience for Leads and 5+ for Deputy Leads of running technical units with state energy departments, or managing operations / consulting assignments in relevant environmental programs etc.

- Proven track record of managing large team, spread across multiple locations

- Proven track record of designing and implementing governance projects, including capacity building activities, policy advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.

Essential Skills and Attributes:

- Team Management

- Donor Management

- Critical thinking ability

- Problem-Solving skills

- Leadership and Strategic Management

- Data Analysis

- Proficiency in MS office and basic IT Tools