Director, Strategy

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Department

Smart Power Myanmar – Smart Power Myanmar was established to accelerate the spread of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions in Myanmar and transform the long-term economic potential of millions of people currently without access to electricity. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and managed by Pact, we connect economically viable and reliable energy solutions, such as renewable energy mini-grids, to demand from rural families, entrepreneurs, farms, and enterprises to boost incomes, grow businesses, and foster economic growth. Smart Power Myanmar is laying the path for a sustainable, integrated approach to electrification in Myanmar.

Position Overview

Smart Power Myanmar, part of Pact Inc’s development portfolio in Myanmar, is entering a new phase of its life as the leading organization in Myanmar enabling a vibrant and commercially viable DRE market. Contingent on successful award of funding, over the next 3 years SPM will put more than USD $30 million to work towards financing of solar energy projects across Myanmar, helping to avert almost 1000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, leveraging $60 million in related investment, and helping more than 137,000 people and hundreds of businesses gain access to electricity. To achieve this, SPM is seeking to become a more sustainable facility in order to better support the commercial solar energy market in Myanmar for the long term.

To support this ambitious strategy, SPM is recruiting a Director, Strategy to ensure that the organizational building blocks are in place for the strategic transformation to succeed, and to enable SPMs sustainability and revenue generation drive, and to help build up the next generation of local leaders.

The Director, Strategy will be responsible for enabling SPM’s implementation of its 3-year sustainability strategy, and to prepare the organization to become financially and commercially independent and sustainable. The Director, Strategy does this by:

• Driving SPMs sustainability and commercialization agenda and building out its business model in close collaboration with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
• Leading a team of professionals that are responsible for SPMs Impact & Learning, Data, Business Development and Communications
• Working directly with the leadership team as well as other employees at all levels to ensure they are well prepared and receive the skills and coaching necessary to drive SPM’s growth
• Building the necessary external partnerships and relationships that will make up SPMs community now and in the future.

Key Responsibilities

I. Driving Organizational Transformation

• Be the lead strategy champion of SPM. Ensure alignment and understanding of SPMs strategy across the organization and ensure that there are clear linkages between the operational focus of all teams, and the strategic goals of SPM.
• Drive decision making at leadership and team level to effect the organizational change necessary to deliver on SPMs strategy
• Work with SPM leadership team to develop and execute a commercial transformation plan. This includes setting milestones for the organization to track progress towards commercial transformation, and developing specific initiatives to achieve those milestones
• Drive SPMs strategic priorities and work directly with all of SPM’s teams to develop ambitious and achievable goals and KPIs
• Launch new programs and activities within SPM against SPM’s strategy
• Critically evaluate the effectiveness of SPMs performance, and working closely with SPMs CEO to revise and optimize SPMs strategic plan as needed, based on data and evidence collected by SPM

II. Leading the Strategy & Impact Team

• The Strategy & Impact team encompasses Impact & Learning, Data, Business Development & Communications. The Director, Strategy is responsible for leading this team and ensuring it meets its objectives
• Together with individual team members and managers, develop objectives and KPIs that are aligned with SPMs overall strategic objectives
• Work with individual team members to understand how they can support and contribute to the objectives of other SPM teams including, for example by collecting and understanding data together with other SPM teams and using that data to derive and document learnings
• Integrate the work delivered by the Impact & Learning, Data and Communications staff with SPMs business development strategy, and leverage it to drive SPMs commercialization
• Ensure SPM continues to be data-driven, and that the Data Lead collaborates with all other SPM teams to support them in data collection, and in using data for knowledge generation and decision making
• Together with the Communications Specialist, set the tone for SPMs communications and develop internal and external messaging that communicate SPMs impact effectively

III. Building out the Business Model for SPM

• Support SPMs evolution towards an increasingly financially sustainable and commercial business model. This includes assessing how the existing work done by SPM can be commercialized, mapping out the competencies and capabilities that exist within the team, and how they may contribute to the commercial sustainability plan
• Identify potential new revenue streams, and develop the strategy, plans and objectives for testing and implementing those revenue streams, including specific and detailed go-to-market plans
• In close collaboration with the rest of the SPM leadership team, develop and refine SPMs hypothesis for its commercial focus and potential
• Help execute the commercial implementation plans and work closely with the relevant leaders within SPM to oversee execution and implementation
• Support SPM’s program teams in building structures and processes that enable effective implementation of commercial and business goals
• Evaluate the SPM team’s progress against commercial objectives, and communicate this progress with the SPM team and its donor
• Together with relevant leaders within SPM, build plans for 1) integrating new business opportunities and revenue streams into the existing value-proposition of SPM and 2) setting up impact objectives and monitoring processes for new areas of business
• Identify strategically important clients and business partners that can contribute to SPM validating its business model
• If and when needed, raise funding for scaling new initiatives that have been validated within SPM

IV. Shaping the SPM team

• Ensure the SPM team is well placed to succeed. It is an important goal for SPM to localize the leadership team as the organization transitions to become commercially viable. The Director, Strategy will work with the SPM team to ensure that the leadership team is prepared to embrace this challenge
• Coach and support managers and leaders within SPM, identify and recruit talent for critical and leadership roles, and support the SPM CEO in building retention and growth plans for key roles within the organization
• Set coaching and professional development goals for senior leaders and other key employees, and work with them to create professional development plans to reach those goals
• Develop and integrate employee performance management systems to be rolled out across the SPM team
• Build capacity among other leaders and senior staff within SPM to run a successful business
• Work with the leadership team to drive and develop SPMs organizational culture in a manner that supports the transformation
• Organize activities and develop programs that enable employees at all levels to have a strong voice in the organization, that build skills among employees to best embrace the transformation of SPM, and that enhance the communications between SPM leadership and all of SPMs employees

V. Building partnerships and community

• Identify and onboard partners for SPM, including banks and financing service providers, funders and investors, and co-financing partners for new and future projects
• Build the community around SPM; ensure that SPM becomes a platform for DRE in Myanmar, and develop inclusive activities that enable all stakeholders in the renewable energy sector in Myanmar to participate, contribute to and benefit from a vibrant DRE market

Other

• Strategy support to SPMs CEO and other SPM leaders as needed
• Help to ensure that SPMs communications plans and materials are aligned with SPMs strategy, address the necessary audience, and are representative of SPMs vision
• Ad hoc support to the SPM CEO as needed

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree and at least ten (10+) years relevant experience or Bachelor’s degree and at least twelve (12+) includes 5 years of management experience
• High-level cross-cultural leadership experience, preferably in a CEO or Executive Director role
• Demonstrated experience working in leadership roles within companies or organizations in emerging and frontier markets, preferably in Myanmar
• A strong practical understanding of the social and business environment in Myanmar through direct work experience in the country
• Strong strategic mindset with a profound understanding of the role of strategy in driving organizational growth
• At least twelve (12+) years of progressively responsible experience developing and implementing company and organizational strategy
• Ideally has a combination of experience working in development organizations or settings, in addition to private sector experience
• Has an entrepreneurial approach to getting things done. Is a doer and has a bias for action. Ideally has experience in setting up entrepreneurial ventures
• Understands what drives organizational culture and is keenly aware of the role of internal and external communications in shaping the organization’s reputation and brand among employees and external stakeholders.
• Has experience in building shared organizational culture values in teams that are diverse, multicultural, and multi-disciplinary
• Fundraising and investor management. Ideally has experience in raising funding from private and multilateral donors and investors, as well as in providing funding through commercial investment or grants, or both.
• Direct experience with organizational and corporate governance and board management
• Strong team management skills: ability to motivate a team of employees around organizational goals

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.