Senior Researcher or Researcher in Energy Policy

Closing date for applications: 7 July 2024 at midnight (SAST)

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) is advertising a post for a Researcher or Senior Researcher in Energy Policy.

Job Purpose
The main objective of this position is to lead work on South African energy policy that advances a Just Transition towards an environmentally sustainable economy that protects workers and affected communities and ensures decent work, social inclusion, reduction of poverty and access to reliable and affordable renewable energy.

About You
You should have significant research experience and some thematic expertise in the area of energy policy, particularly in South Africa. You should have strong research leadership skills and the ability to collaboratively lead, manage, and execute research projects.

You should value working towards a fairer and more just world.

Main Responsibilities
Research

• Designing and undertaking primary and secondary research in the focus research and policy areas, leading to a range of outputs including Research Reports, Working Papers, journal articles and summary materials, such as factsheets.
• Oversight of the relevant energy policy work.
• Reviewing, commenting on, and editing research outputs by other project teams and IEJ members, or external consultants.
• Leading on convening research and policy forums in focus areas, for example, conferences or symposiums.
• Participating in workshops and conferences.
   

Advocacy

• Conducting media engagement (radio, TV interviews etc.).
• Leading, representing IEJ in and participating in meetings with external stakeholders including government and union officials.
• Oversight of all advocacy activities related to this stream of work.
• Building partnerships and collaborating with trade unions, civil society role players and other relevant stakeholders.
• Representing IEJ in relevant forums.
   

Strategic contributions

• Thinking about how to frame IEJ’s position on key political and strategic issues.
• Developing key messages.
• Developing language for the communication of IEJ, including visual messaging.
   

Mentoring

• Assisting, when required, in building the capacity of junior researchers and researchers to produce publishable documents.
• Where applicable, assisting in mentoring through managing and revising the work of these junior researchers and researchers
   

Project management and donor relations

• Preparing and managing the implementation of project plans.
• Contributing to the preparation and management of project budgets.
• Undertaking line management of more junior project staff.
• Preparing reports of project work undertaken.
• Contributing and preparing donor narrative reports.
• Contributing to donor calls for applications.
   

Skills and experience
Required skills and experience include:

• A PhD (for Senior Researcher) or Masters (for Researcher) and equivalent professional experience.
• Excellent research background with existing publications.
• Training in energy policy, economics, political economy, finance, or social sciences.
• Strong analytical and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to engage with media and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of thematic focus area.
• Project planning and staff management expertise.
• Interested in and passionate about the mission of the IEJ.
• Excellent computer literacy is essential, especially in MS Outlook, MS Word and MS Excel.
• Strategic and analytical thinker; proactive and performance‐orientated.
• Organised, self‐reliant, good problem‐solving, results‐oriented multi‐tasker with management skills and judgment.
• Flexible and resilient.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills.
• Presentation skills and the ability to effectively interface with all team members and stakeholders.
   

About the Just Energy Transition Project
The IEJ has an active area of work around the just transition. Within this, we undertake project work to support an approach to climate policy that promotes human rights, gender equity and social transformation while advancing economic policies that ensure environmental sustainability. We also work with trade unions to build momentum behind alternative policy propositions that balance the urgent need for employment creation while addressing environmental imperatives such as the scaling back of carbon-intensive energy generation.

A component of this work focuses on Eskom and how research, policy and advocacy is critical in ensuring the utility’s rapid transition to investing in renewables with the broad aim of accelerating access to affordable clean energy. Much of the project works through engagement with existing energy policy processes with IEJ offering support to trade union partners in their existing concrete policy engagement, for example, with regards to the Energy Action Plan, the Integrated Resource Plan, the restructuring of Eskom, and similar processes. Such input seeks to align workers’ interests with clean renewable energy provision and access. The IEJ’s energy policy activities intersect with other dimensions of our work, in particular: macroeconomic policy, finance for development (including reforming state-owned enterprises), and feminist economics.

Contract
The contract will be a full-time three-year contract, with the possibility of extension depending on funding, beginning as soon as possible. The appointment could be either at the Senior Researcher or Researcher level.

Salary (TCTC)
Senior Researcher: R846 400 – R1 058 000

Researcher: R634 800 – R793 500

Location
The position is based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The IEJ currently operates on a hybrid work model where all staff are expected to be in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This may change in future.

About the Institute for Economic Justice

The IEJ is a non-profit activist think tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The IEJ’s mission is to advance economic justice by collaborating in the provision of rigorous, accessible research and policy alternatives that empower progressive social forces to create systemic change from above and below in South Africa and the continent.

The IEJ is committed to gender and racial equity and transformation and will consider this when reviewing applications.

Application Process
Apply via the Google Form here. Queries can be sent to applications@iej.org.za, but no applications will be accepted by email or replied to.