The New Zealand – Maluku Access to Renewable Energy Support (
) programme aims to accelerate renewable energy (RE) development to improve access to energy on Seram and surrounding islands in Maluku province. The five-year programme is funded by the New Zealand Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is implemented by renewable energy company Infratec Ltd. in partnership with Mercy Corps Indonesia. NZMATES is working towards promoting and accelerating the identification of renewable energy projects and increasing their attractiveness and viability, social and environmental assessments, technical considerations, and triggering and facilitating investment and funding from government, private sector, or other donors. NZMATES has partnered with and collaborates closely with PLN, EBTKE, Dinas ESDM, and BAPPEDA on increasing the use of renewables and improving energy access through grid-connected and off-grid RE projects.
The NZMATES Team is based in Ambon and provides support to fill gaps in knowledge, resources, and research, and ensure that projects are aligned with the Government of Indonesia and with community development objectives. The proposed support for RE projects includes assistance with project identification and appraisal, technical and social assessments, finance matching, and project design to strengthen long-term sustainability. NZMATES also intends to enhance local public and private sector capacity and offer opportunities for direct training, technical exchange programmes, and interaction between Maluku educational institutions and NZ renewable energy specialists.
NZMATES is a uniquely flexible programme which is designed to respond to the needs and priorities of partner organisations and changing realities on the ground. Work plans and programme activities are not pre-defined but are developed collaboratively with partners through a 6-monthly planning cycle.
The Senior Renewable Energy Technical Specialist (SRETS) will join an existing team, based at Mercy Corps Indonesia’s office in Ambon and travel to programme locations in remote areas of Maluku province. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the SRETS will work with staff from different disciplines in a collaborative way. He/she will lead engineering tasks and technical assessments, and will supervise, mentor, and work together with two Renewable Energy Technical Specialists (RETS), as well as mentoring other non-technical staff less familiar with renewable energy technologies and programmes. This role’s main responsibility will be to lead the technical aspects of the NZMATES programme, including strategizing, planning, mapping, communicating, and leading the implementation of technical assistance for renewable energy projects in the programme pipeline.
The SRETS will lead engagement with PLN, requiring excellent technical skills and the capacity to plan, strategize, and design projects for the NZMATES pipeline, as well as train and mentor key staff members. The SRETS will be in charge of keeping PLN informed about NZMATES, and responding to PLN’s requests and ensuring close collaboration. The SRETS will engage PLN staff to get their inputs, reviews, feedback, and work on the project pipeline. He/she will also lead technical engagement and discussions with EBTKE and Dinas ESDM in a similar fashion to plan, strategize, communicate activities, identify opportunities and ensure close collaboration. The SRETS will also engage closely with international donors, NGOs, educational institutions, private sector entities, and/or communities, to facilitate collaboration and support for developing RE technical projects.
In his/her day-to-day the SRETS’ activities will include partaking in field trips to assess existing infrastructure or identify new potential renewable energy projects, leading the development and review of tendering and engineering processes (e.g. detailed engineering, producing bills of materials, drawings, and layouts) and leading the development of technical assessments for potential renewable energy projects, mainly mini- and small-hydro and/or solar PV and storage technologies, grid-connected solar PV, and/or other renewable energy technologies. The SRETS will work on aspects such as design, engineering, feasibility studies, budgeting and modelling, and contribute to supporting project delivery with external stakeholders (e.g. supervision, training materials, commissioning good practices, etc.).
The SRETS will also support assessments such as scoping potential renewable energy project sites, assessing available RE resource potential, and conducting techno-economic studies from project identification phase (e.g. scoping, pre-design, cost estimates, and pre-feasibility studies), mainly for solar PV mini-grids, small hydro projects, hybridisation of diesel-based generation, and grid-connected projects. The SRETS will need to keep up to date on provincial, district and national development plans for renewables, scope efforts from other entities and keep a clear overall vision of the renewable energy portfolio in the province, and how NZMATES can support promising projects.
It should be noted that while the SRETS will be responsible for a wide range of technical areas, the role will be supplemented with technical engineering support when required, from within Infratec in New Zealand or externally. The RESTS is also expected to closely engage with the NZMATES Community Engagement Officers for support in data gathering, and to incorporate social assessments and considerations into the projects’ technical aspects.
This is a full-time, permanent position based in Ambon, Maluku.
Please send your CV together with the form on this
with position applied on the email subject to
The vacancy will be closed
and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview. We look forward to hearing from those who are interested in taking this opportunity to grow and develop with us.
Thank You,
Human Resources Department
Yayasan Mercy Corps Indonesia
