Senior Economic Advisor, IGF

About Us

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 300 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.

IISD hosts the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), an intergovernmental organization responsible for advancing the application of leading sustainable development practices as they affect mining and communities in mining areas. A strong emphasis of the IGF is to enhance resource governance capacities at the national level in the mining sector, including best practices in regulatory and policy instruments. 

Scope

As the world transitions from fossil fuels to clean energy, the demand for minerals and metals is set to increase significantly. One of the key challenges for producing countries is to scale up mineral production and related value chains in a socially just and environmentally responsible manner while delivering on their socio-economic development objectives.

The successful candidate will support a new flagship initiative that aims to provide technical support to enhance mining governance in Indonesia, focusing on upstream, midstream, and downstream critical minerals supply chains.

The Senior Economic Advisor will play a key role, working with the IGF and with IISD’s Indonesia work program. The Senior Economic Advisor will lead national consultations with stakeholders in Indonesia in order to map the nickel production, battery, and electric vehicle supply chains, considering ESG risks, challenges, and changes needed, as well as key opportunities for improved domestic value addition. The Senior Economic Advisor will also work with the research team across IGF and IISD to conduct research and technical studies on specific aspects that need to be addressed to improve relevant regulatory frameworks, identify support measures, and implement ESG standards. Furthermore, the Senior Economic Advisor will liaise and coordinate on a regular basis with the funder and with relevant public sector departments involved in the nickel supply chain. The Senior Economic Advisor will coordinate with other IISD colleagues based across the Southeast Asia region and internationally to collaborate on areas of common interest and align work plans across the Institute.

Key responsibilities include

• Implementing the Minerals for Sustainability Project in Indonesia, focusing on supporting the responsible development of Indonesia’s nickel value chain.


• Supporting the team leader to oversee the project implementation, including ensuring that IISD quality assurance standards are met and that agreed timelines are followed.


• Coordinating with colleagues across the IGF and IISD Energy team in the areas of responsible mineral production and supply chains, clean energy, electric mobility, and responsible mining more broadly.


• Coordinating with government departments and agencies in Indonesia to identify challenges and priorities to support the responsible development of Indonesia’s nickel value chain, including relating to
  
  
  
  • production technologies, such as high-pressure acid leaching technologies, and their related social and environmental effects;
  
  
  • social concerns associated with environmental degradation, pollution, deforestation, and land-use change, amongst others;
  
  
  • gendered implications on local communities and their livelihoods, including Indigenous Peoples;
  
  
  • energy use for the increased production and processing of nickel, considering the country’s climate and energy transition goals;
  
  
  • the evolving global regulatory landscape and international ESG norms and the level of compliance in Indonesia.
  
  
  
  


• Maintaining and building a network of contacts, stakeholders, and partners of the program, with a particular focus on Indonesia.


• Supporting donor engagement for the general needs of the project.


• Overseeing monitoring, evaluation, and reporting for all aspects of national activities.


• Supporting the professional development of direct reports and other members of the team

Detailed Description of Responsibilities

Technical Expertise and Leadership

• Conduct multistakeholder national consultations to gather strategic insights on opportunities and challenges related to Indonesia’s pathway in the nickel supply chain.


• Undertake robust technical studies on mineral supply chains. Solid understanding of the geo-economic dynamics of the nickel supply chain in Indonesia in particular (and in Asia overall) is key.


• Demonstrate clear vision and the ability to execute strategic priorities, communicating statements of results to be achieved, decision-makers to be supported, activities to be undertaken, time frame to meet, resources needed, external funds to be raised, and criteria to be used to measure performance.


• Work with the wider IGF and Energy program team to ensure coordination and timely project execution.

Donor Relationships and Engagement With the Indonesian Government

• Lead coordination efforts with the Government of Indonesia on a regular basis to ensure buy-in and ownership of project co-development.


• Coordinate and engage on a regular basis with the project donor and other development partners working in similar areas in Indonesia to ensure coherence and synergies and avoid duplication of efforts.

Operations and Program Management

• Implement current programs and projects. Tracking contracts, activities, and deliverables in line with IISD’s obligations and interests.


• Support the team leaders responsible for this project with managing the project implementation and delivery in Indonesia.


• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.


• Provide timely support to Energy Program processes to develop strategies and theories of change

Communications and Policy Engagement

• Work with the Communication Manager for the IISD IGF and Energy teams on the development and implementation of a communications strategy for the activities and outputs of the Indonesia workstream.


• Help develop a team engagement strategy, including connections and channels of communication with government officials and policy-makers, and network with relevant non-government partners to inform them about the relevance of IISD’s research and technical assistance.


• Develop a productive relationship with media contacts to provide opportunities for opinion editorials and press releases to reach audiences across the Indonesian media landscape.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Knowledge and Qualifications

• A post-graduate university degree or equivalent related to mining governance, including in economics, engineering, public policy and administration, environmental science, business administration, or a professional qualification in another relevant field.


• 10–15 years of professional experience in the fields mentioned above or experience gained in a national government, the private sector, or an international or non-governmental organization.


• Excellent English-language research and writing skills, including proven experience conducting applied research and policy analysis on fiscal policy and/or the energy transition (or similar areas), bringing complex content into a publication-ready state and providing final quality control and sign-off.


• Experience in delivering government technical assistance on energy policy and explaining unfamiliar concepts to groups clearly and with impact.


• Experience working with government officials (elected or non-elected government offices).


• Experience coordinating with development partners and donors.

Skills, Competencies, and Attributes

Required

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.


• Diplomatic/government relations experience will be a strong asset.


• Strong skills in managing projects and people.


• Experience with quantitative and qualitative data analysis linked to mineral value chains. Expertise in the nickel sector is an advantage.


• Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills in English.


• Strong presentation and networking skills.


• Excellent IT skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).


• Willingness and ability to travel internationally and nationally for work.


• Ability to work effectively in a remote, asynchronous team.


• Flexibility and adaptability to work effectively across different topics and themes simultaneously and to pick up knowledge on new topics quickly.


• Ability to work under one’s own initiative with minimal supervision.


• A strong commitment to the ideals, values, and mission of IISD.

Ideal

• Experience with the major national policy areas that IISD is seeking to support, particularly responsible mining and mineral resource governance.


• Fluency in Bahasa Indonesia, including excellent analytical, research, and writing skills, will be a strong asset.

Location: Indonesia

Salary: Salary commensurate with experience.

Employment type: Full-time position

Duration: 2 year term

Start Date: As soon as possible 

Closing Date: January 17, 2025, 4pm CST

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for location where they expect to be based without any sponsorship from IISD.

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English. 

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR. 

• A CV (no longer than two pages) 


• A one-page letter of motivation 


• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional) 

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.  

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants’ advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.  

IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. 

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