Senior Program Officer – Corporate Engagement, South Korea at Tara Climate Ltd

Tara Climate Foundation is a new and rapidly expanding philanthropic initiative focusing on South, Southeast, and East Asia. With a vision of a just and thriving Asia powered by renewable energy, Tara Climate supports think tanks, civil society, research organisations and other non-state actors to accelerate Asia’s energy transformation.

Tara Climate plays three main roles in the region: providing grants to a diverse group of partners in the region, constantly developing and assessing strategy, and convening partners within and across borders. Tara was incubated by the European Climate Foundation and is now an independent regional climate foundation headquartered in Singapore, with the full backing of the ECF and other funders.

About the Role

The Senior Program Officer – Corporate Engagement is an exciting new role to build a program to drive a rapid increase in corporate renewable energy demand in South Korea. Leveraging sophisticated investor strategies and technical analysis coupled with corporate engagement, media, public campaigning and a range of other strategies, we aim to rapidly escalate pressure on corporations to drive the transition to clean energy.

We are looking for a forward-looking, experienced program lead with a collaborative approach to work and a passion for driving systemic change. The ideal candidate will have a good understanding of the opportunities and challenges related to the corporate’s climate actions and renewable energy procurement in South Korea, with experience working with a diverse set of stakeholders, including corporates, industry association, public and private financial institutions, NGOs, think tanks, and government agencies to drive systemic change.

The role requires deep understanding of corporates’ decarbonization policies and their decision making processes, Korea government’s renewable energy and industry policies. Strong networks with corporates, financial institutions and industry associations are desirable. The role requires fluency in Korean and English.

The Senior Program Officer – Corporate Engagement, South Korea will be responsible for:

Strategy

• Lead the development of South Korea’s corporate engagement program, and ensure that the program is multi-faceted, complex and multi-layered and developed in consultation with partners.
• Identify grantees and strategies that can help drive corporates’ climate ambition and increase renewable energy demand in South Korea.
• Develop resource requirements and budget plans and develop and track key performance indicators for the program.
• Proactively review developments on corporate actions, international and domestic market issues that may impact the program and continuously adapt and revise strategies and tactics
• Develop funding proposals and report to funders on progress

Partnerships and Coordination

• Network with various stakeholders, including industry sector, industry associations, existing grantees, potential partners, and national, regional and international organizations working in the space relevant to the program’s implementation.
• Facilitate coordination among partners inside and outside of South Korea to ensure Tara achieves outcomes that are larger than the sum of the individual partners’ efforts.

Grantmaking

• Manage a program budget and partner grants, including developing and incubating new partners
• Guide and advise grantees, partners, and prospective partners in the field to ensure activities achieve their intended objectives and results.
• Monitor grantee and partner deliverables and submissions and provide general oversight on their timeliness and quality.

Operational responsibilities, including:

• Promote a culture of excellence, service orientation, high performance, and continuous improvement
• Demonstrate Tara Values in every action
• Actively participates in Program Team activities
• Abide by Tara’s policies, procedures and practices

Excited by the prospect of working for a dynamic and fast-growing international organisation with a mission to solve the climate crisis, the ideal candidate will have:

Education, Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor’s in Business & Management, Environmental Policy, Renewable Energy or Finance & Accounting + 10 years experience, or Master’s in Business & Management, Environmental Policy, Renewable Energy or Finance & Accounting + 7 years experience
• Enthusiasm and commitment to work on corporate engagement with a demonstrated understanding on how to create systematic change in corporations
• An innate grasp of strategy, systems thinking, and the ability to articulate strategies in a clear and compelling way and the ability to translate strategy into implementation
• A good understanding of dynamics of the corporates, investors/financiers, and, and CSO ecosystem
• A good grasp of energy, industry and climate policy, as well as a good understanding of international climate politics and policy
• Understanding of grant making processes is desirable
• Excellent understanding on energy sector, corporate engagement, and financial sector
• Strong political savvy and excellent strategic capabilities
• Intrinsic motivation, excellent organisational and self-management skills
• Sharp written and verbal communication skills and fluency in English and Korean are a must; other languages are a bonus
• Excellence in networking and maintaining trusting professional relationships
• A collaborative mindset and a track record of working effectively in alliance with diverse stakeholders
• A global mindset and flexibility in working hours to accommodate a fast pace remote setting, working with different cultures and time zones
• Willingness to travel both regionally and internationally when circumstances allow.
• Impeccable ethics and experience working confidentially and operating with high security.
• Reliable computer skills with standard applications (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Embraces Tara’s mission and identifies with and is committed to living the Tara Values

What Tara can offer you:

• The unique opportunity to work as part of a highly dynamic, international team who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for career develop and challenge yourself
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• A collaborative, fun and thriving team, driven by our mission and live our values