Renewable Energy Specialist (AKAHP)

IN-COUNTRY

Host Agency: Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Pakistan (AKAHP)

Placement: Islamabad, Pakistan

Duration: 9 months

About AKF Canada

Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is a leading global development organization and registered charity working to tackle the root causes of poverty. Since 1980, we have helped create strong community institutions that support sustainable, locally-driven initiatives to improve the lives of millions of people in Africa and Asia. By combining local knowledge with global best practices, we strive to bring about transformative and long-lasting improvements to quality of life. In Canada, AKFC mobilizes funding and expertise and promotes awareness of global issues. In all of our work, advancing gender equality, inclusion, and pluralism are key objectives and approaches.

Working alongside the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network and through partnerships with local communities, civil society, and business as well as governments and international aid agencies, we are building a future where we all thrive together.

About Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Pakistan is an apex agency of the AKDN. It aims to create safe,  sustainable, and resilient habitats with the opportunity to thrive, whether in a remote mountain village, a town, or a densely populated urban centre.

We work with communities to help them prepare for and respond to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. AKAHP has touched and improved the lives of millions of people in its four key thematic areas: safety, resilience, services, and opportunities. It has served over one million people through proactively conducting habitat assessments and plans, strengthening climate-resilient critical community infrastructures, supporting nature-based solutions for reducing risks and climate change adaptation, providing robust technical assistance for maintenance and improvement of 20,000+ households, constructing 4,000+ shelters and constructing pre-fabricated homes for internally displaced people, as well as and training 40,000+ volunteers on community-based disaster risk management who have responded to 200+ disaster events. AKAHP’s efforts have made WASH services accessible to 500,000+ individuals in some of the most remote and isolated regions of Pakistan. It has also installed 100,000+ energy-efficient products, provided technical assistance for the construction of 2,400+ housing units, and trained 3,000+ artisans on habitat-related skills. AKAHP’s far-reaching developmental impact has earned international recognition and prestigious international and national awards.

Summary of Position

The consultant will be responsible for strengthening AKAHP’s flagship Building and Construction Improvement Program (BACIP) with a focus on energy efficiency. The consultant will be responsible for proposing innovations and improvements in the BACIP portfolio, to ensure it is kept abreast of the current needs and market dynamics. This undertaking would entail research on the housing improvement needs for energy efficiency, current products, market gaps, and subsequent proposal/design of solutions to fill these gaps.

Responsibilities

• Assess studies on emerging technologies, understand the environmental impacts of energy production, and transfer their understanding to practical business strategies and action research.
• Extensive review of all the hitherto BACIP interventions including products, publications, case studies, and impact assessments reports.
• Conducting extensive research and analysis of the current housing challenges and needs with a focus on energy, BACIP products, and contemporary market gaps and solutions – domestically and internationally.
• Exploring energy efficient (EE) products used in similar geographies and climatic conditions.
• Assessing the feasibility of such products for remote communities in Pakistan and identifying the most suitable products for these communities while considering the relevancy and sustainability of such products in medium to long-term periods in targeted areas.
• Developing a priority list and designing energy-efficient solutions to reduce the organization’s operational carbon footprint.
• Proposing upgrades or enhancements to existing EE/BACIP products.
• Recommend further adjustments based on the pilot results.
• Developing customized training module(s) and training internal staff on EE/BACIP products and building local capacities on product design and improvement keeping supply chain and circularity at the core of the entire process.
• Identifying opportunities and development of concept notes & proposals to support larger scale launch of the proposed solutions.

Note: The position may require the incumbent to travel to remote areas and interact with people in often distressing and marginalized settings.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Strong academic background (preferably master’s or PhD in engineering) along with relevant professional experience (>5 years) in:
  • Action research in product development with reputable organizations or institutions
  • Designing and developing EE/ home improvement products following well-established standards and best practices.
  • Experience working in a developing country with a focus on mountainous regions and rural settings.

Language

English proficiency required; some understanding of Urdu would be considered as an asset

Please note that due to the nature of funding for this position, the placement is only open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

AKFC is committed to advancing gender equality and inclusion through our programming and operations in Canada and overseas. AKFC requires all employees and consultants to review and abide by the AKFC Gender Equality Policy. 

AKFC recognizes the importance of safeguarding and is committed to ensuring it manages a wide range of risks such that beneficiaries, staff, other associates, and the organization are kept safe from harm. All employees and consultants must respect the AKF Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy. 

AKFC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

---

How to Apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by clicking the link below.

Deadline to apply: August 31, 2023 by 11:59pm EDT

Apply