Tara Climate Foundation is a philanthropic climate foundation dedicated to fostering a future where Asia’s unwavering commitment to climate action paves the way for just, thriving and resilient societies. Tara operates in East, Southeast and South Asia, excluding India and China.
Our mission is to support a diverse group of partners in accelerating Asia’s energy transformation and championing climate action. Tara plays three main roles in the region:
Grantmaker: Tara works closely with mission-aligned foundations and philanthropists to pool resources and grant funds to organisations working to accelerate Asia’s energy transition and climate action (excluding China and India).
Convenor: Tara cultivates networks that facilitate the exchange of ideas between business, civil society, and government throughout and beyond Asia.
Local and regional expert: With strong networks spanning civil society, businesses and government, Tara funds thorough research and analysis to address knowledge gaps, stay abreast of emerging trends, and craft evidence-based strategies to advance our mission.
Since establishing its headquarters in Singapore in 2021, the foundation has provided grants to more than 300 organisations across 13 countries and jurisdictions. Our team of over 50 experts is spread across the Asia-Pacific region, working to combat climate change in this decisive decade.
Over the last 2 years, Tara has experienced significant growth, expanding our funding base to include more than 15 philanthropic foundations.
Tara is hiring a full-time Senior Strategist for Clean Energy who will work closely with the country leads of Tara to develop and implement strategies for philanthropic intervention to accelerate clean energy across the Tara region. The
programme is currently focused on supporting think tanks, business and civil society efforts to accelerate the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.
We are looking for an experienced strategist with outstanding networking skills and a passion for driving systemic change. The role requires a good understanding of the barriers to and drivers of clean energy transition, and a strong strategic capacity to develop a multi-faceted strategy for clean energy acceleration. The ideal candidate will need to develop a strong network across multiple stakeholders including but not limited to NGOs working on sustainable energy, think tanks, trade associations and donors working in relevant sectors.
This exciting role will be pivotal to fostering the acceleration of clean energy to displace polluting fossil fuels in Asia.
Strategy and Technical Advice
-Own and oversee progress toward implementing the clean energy and energy efficiency thematic pillars for Tara’s organizational plan, supporting country leads to embed priorities within their work and being responsible for monitoring, evaluation and annual reporting
-Develop a forward-looking approach to clean energy strategy, analysing where the region will need to be in five years' time on clean energy and supporting country teams to develop strategies fit for meeting future challenges.
-Conceptualise, update and implement regional strategic frameworks on key clean topics such as renewable zones/subnational, grids, RE policy framework, building community support for RE and energy efficiency, supporting country teams to embed within their grantmaking where relevant.
-Identify other areas where a regional strategy is required to complement national strategies to accelerate clean energy.
-Work alongside country teams to identify and increase the number of new partners working on clean energy acceleration across Asia, thereby contributing to the growth and diversification of the ecosystem of clean energy advocates in the region.
-Work with regional team members to identify and leverage synergies on areas such as diplomacy, clean energy supply chains, corporate procurement, data and communications.
Partnerships and coordination
-Build a productive network of key stakeholders, including civil society organizations, foundations, governments, businesses and more, pushing for strong collaboration and a creative shared approach to problem-solving.
-Liaise with philanthropic foundations to advise on strategy, prepare grant proposals and assist with alignment of foundation engagement on the topic.
-Help organize training programs and skill shares with partners to ensure that partners are kept up to speed on the latest innovations in clean energy across the region and key strategic opportunities to influence clean energy acceleration
-Contribute to an active international network of re-granters and strategists on the clean energy needs of the region.
Grants management
-Manage a regional grantmaking budget and work with grantees to develop proposals and grant reports.
-Provide guidance to grantees, partners and prospective partners in the field to ensure activities achieve their intended objectives and results.
-Monitor deliverables and submissions from grantees/ partners and provide general oversight to their timeliness and quality.
-Advise programme directors/ senior management on any potential risks and recommend mitigation measures when needed
Excited by the prospect of working for a dynamic and fast-growing international organisation with a mission to solve the climate crisis, the ideal candidate will have:
Skills & Experience:
- At least seven years of relevant work experience in the clean energy sector or related field.
- Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing complex strategies, with strong ability to see the bigger picture and adapt priorities to an evolving landscape.
- Strong understanding of the barriers and enablers to wind and solar deployment across Southeast, South and East Asia (excluding China and India).
- Excellent written and verbal skills in English essential, ability to communicate in another regional language a plus.
- Collaborative team player with excellent interpersonal and relational skills.
- Excellent organisational and time management skills, with a proven ability to take direction and initiative, prioritise well under pressure, and be a creative problem-solver.
- Flexible working hours over international timezones required.
- Experience working in an international and/or cross-cultural team environment is desirable.
- Strong administrative and computer skills (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and ability to design in PPT
Education
- Advanced degree or relevant expertise in a relevant field such as renewable energy, environmental management, business administration, economics, or sustainable development.
What Tara offers:
- The unique opportunity to work as part of a highly dynamic, international team who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work
- A flexible work environment
- Opportunities for career develop and challenge yourself
- Competitive compensation and benefits
- A collaborative, fun and thriving team, driven by our mission and live our values
