Deputy Programme Director

• Regional lead strategist role to accelerate Asia’s clean energy transition
• Advise & manage collaborative international team on strategy & implementation
• South/Southeast/East Asia location, remote; working/residency rights required

The Organisation

With a vision of a just and thriving Asia powered by renewable energy, Tara Climate is a new and rapidly expanding philanthropic initiative focusing on South, Southeast, and East Asia (excluding China and India). Tara Climate supports think tanks, civil society, research organizations, and other non-state actors to accelerate Asia’s energy transformation.

Tara Climate was previously hosted by the European Climate Foundation but is now an independent entity headquartered in Singapore but with a team spread throughout the region. Tara plays three main roles in the region: providing grants to a diverse group of partners, constantly developing and assessing strategy, and the convening of partners within and across borders.

Benefits and Culture

• Results orientated, highly dynamic, passionate, international team
• Flexible work environment with a self-managed approach
• Competitive compensation commensurate with experience and country benchmarks
• Generous leave policy
• A residence and work permit for your Asia location is required, an Asian language would be an asset
• Committed to regional leadership, Tara gives preference to candidates from the region
• Travel in the region once borders re-open

The Role

As a result of regional expansion, Tara is recruiting a programme leadership role responsible for regional strategic development and execution and the management of a team of energy transition country programme and regional programme leads.

Sitting on the Tara leadership team and reporting to the regional programme director, you will be working with NGOs, think tanks, and donors, to drive systemic change. Your other key responsibilities are to:

• Support and guide country and regional strategists to deliver high-quality work
• Explore new partners and strategies in countries where Tara has a smaller presence
• Co-develop regional strategies and frameworks for the organisation with key partners
• Monitor and oversee deliverables and submissions from international partners
• Advise the operations team on legal/operational/risks requirements for grant-making
• Assist with reporting to funders and proposal development

Skills Required

You will be an experienced programme strategist and regional manager with a collaborative approach to working and a passion for driving systemic change through your regional leadership. The ideal candidate will have a good understanding of the opportunities and challenges related to the energy transition in Asia, with programme strategy and oversight experience gained in either local or international foundations, donor agencies, or NGOs in South Asia and/or the Mekong region, and experience guiding and advising regional programme teams. You also have:

• Regional leadership experience successfully translating strategy into implementation
• Sound knowledge of the energy system and its interlinkages to climate change
• A good understanding of the role civil society organisations play, especially in Asia
• Ability to form trusted professional relationships across different sectors and cultures
• Experience working with philanthropic funders or bilateral or multilateral donors a plus
• Excellent English language skills; written/oral fluency in another Asian language an asset
• Flexibility over working hours to accommodate global time zones and travel as necessary
• Full working rights for the Asian country you reside in is mandatory for this position

If you are deeply committed to addressing the climate crisis, and you meet the criteria above, please send your resume and cover letter, addressing the key skills and experience required, to [email protected] quoting # 914650 or call Lois Freeke in Melbourne on +61 (0)3 8080 8976.

Please note there is no formal closing date for this role, if you are interested we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.