Job Title: Executive Director, Strategy and Synthesis
Location: Beijing, CN
Supervised by: CEO

SUMMARY

Serving as a member of Energy Foundation China’s (EF China’s) extended management team (MT), the Executive Director (ED), Strategy and Synergy is expected to:

• Hold a bird’s-eye view of the whole organization’s position and play a key functional role to foster synergy across the organization. This includes driving the development, revision, and regular updating of EF China’s strategy to position the organization for success, and to provide valuable guidance for individual Taskforces/Priorities and programs to shape their specific strategies, aligned with the organization-wide strategy.
• Identify key issues/topics and lead synthesis studies based on available sources of knowledge and ideas, with a view to set appropriate goals/targets, focus areas, and priorities for the organization, and inform internal and external decisionmaking by relevant stakeholders.
• Support the CEO in the budgeting and spending process at the organizational level, ensuring allocation of grant resources reflects the organization’s strategic goals, targets, focus areas, and priorities.
• Lead efforts together with the CEO to build the intellectual and institutional basis on which organic linkages for collaboration between different programs and taskforces will be established and enhanced. This will support execution of EF China’s organizational priorities, with a strong focus on incubating innovative frontiers, linking short-, medium-, and long-term goals/targets and paths for setting up the organization’s agenda items and priorities in different timeframes at the global, national, subnational, sectoral, and thematic levels. The aim is to work toward systematic on-the-ground solutions for complicated issues in the real-world.
• Lead organization-wide analytical efforts by organizing the development of synthesis reports on behalf of the organization and other knowledge products commissioned by the CEO to enhance the organization’s impact and effectiveness.
• Demonstrate strong team spirit within and across departments of programs by being well-prepared and engaging in adequate communication and coordination; jointly build a united and supportive office. Lead and support seamless and productive collaborations across Taskforces and Programs to achieve strong synergies and significant impacts, and promote an organizational culture of communication, cooperation, coordination, and collaboration.
• Oversee overall performance of projects through the entire cycle of strategy, planning, budgeting, spending, and implementation, and use the Monitoring, Review, and Evaluation (MRE) approach to ensure full implementation of strategies, plans for budgeting and spending, and successful delivery of the desired results at the department and program levels.

The ideal candidate is a person who is a visionary and strong leader with extensive experience in the relevant field. Similar working experience in NGOs is a plus.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy Development

• Drive the development and revision of the organization’s strategy, and provide input and support to individual Taskforce/Priority and Program to shape their strategies.
• Lead strategy development and execution of the Taskforces/Priorities led by ED, ensuring alignment with EF China’s organizational strategic priorities and the desired high-quality outcomes.
• Lead or support the development of strategies for new initiatives and collaborations based on concrete studies, as needed.

Fundraising

• In collaboration with the Strategic Partnerships team, manage fundraising-related activities for the department and taskforces/priorities led by the ED, in line with the organization’s strategies.
• Lead the preparation of concept papers and proposals for Taskforces/Priorities under Strategy and Synthesis Department.
• Provide input and feedback to all organization-level concept papers during regular updates with the extended MT.
• Review and approve proposals of programs in collaboration with the Strategic Partnerships team.
• Support the CEO and work collaboratively with the Strategic Partnerships team in the fundraising process to foster effective communications and secure sustainable funding.

Research and Incubation

• Lead in-house research, with a strong focus on knowledge and insight synthesis, and comprehensive modeling analysis.
• Compose policy notes and provide strategic advice to adequately inform internal and external decision making by relevant stakeholders.
• Lead the design, construction, and maintenance of a database and information hub, providing knowledge support to all Taskforces/Priorities and Programs.
• Proactively identify and explore opportunities for new initiatives and collaborations that help provide systematic solutions to real-world issues, while advancing EF China’s strategic goals.

Partnership Building

• Serve as a strong culture ambassador, representing EF China externally and striving to build and maintain valuable partnerships with partners and key stakeholders to maximize synergy.
• Share knowledge, expertise, critical information, and networks with partners to increase support and demonstrate shared purpose, leveraging all kinds of channels, including newsletters, meetings and conferences, and informal communications.
• Provide thought leadership and/or support to partners in the field with the shared purpose of growing the field.

Budgeting and Spending

• Lead preparation and discussion about the organization’s annual budgeting, supporting the CEO in the budgeting process, based on organizational taskforce and program strategies, with clear priorities and expected outcomes.
• Support the CEO to develop the annual budgeting and spending plan for the entire organization.
• Provide input and support to other EDs and Program Directors in their preparation of taskforce budgeting and program spending plans.
• Develop budget allocation for the taskforce led by the ED, review the budget allocation of the programs led by the ED.
• Guide the team led by the ED to develop an attainable spending plan that supports the implementation of organizational strategies, program strategies, and taskforce strategies.
• Review and approve all spending plan revisions, as needed.

Synthesizing and Strategic Advising

• Lead the team to synthesize key findings from EF China’s program work and analysis generated by the modeling platform.
• Compose policy notes and provide strategic advice to target audiences.
• Lead the team to generate high quality reports, including research direction, storyline, and outline.
• Coordinate with programs and taskforcesto generate reports and concept notes.

Taskforce, Project and Grant Management

• Lead Taskforce execution directly, with support from all Programs and functions.
• Review and approve grant applications.
• Ensure efficient and effective collaborations in the grant management process, delivering desired high-quality outcomes, including:
• Execute in collaboration with other EDs and other departments to ensure the implementation of Taskforce projects.
• Oversee overall projects to ensure successful delivery of the desired results at the department level.

Collaborations

• Mobilize resources across the organization to support the Taskforce/Priority as well as other collaborations as needed.
• Advance organization-wide Taskforces and collaborative program strategies under the leadership of the MT.
• Proactively identify opportunities for cross-sector program collaboration, and work closely with all related programs to deliver the impact.
• Work closely with Communications team to effectively communicate department-related messages to various stakeholders.

Team Management

• Provide managerial supervision and demonstrate leadership in talent selection, on-the-job coaching, training, professional development, and performance management to team members.
• Share expertise and resource networks through various communication channels to foster team spirit and a learning atmosphere within the team.
• Lead the evalution of all Program Directors under the ED; provide input on evaluation of all other Program Directors.
• Budget and manage General & Administrative expenses for the department.
• Review reporting materials for the department, e.g. work plan to the board and regulators.
• Undertake additional tasks and responsibilities as assigned by the CEO.
• Back up and support other colleagues as needed.

This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions, it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Education:Master’s degree above, Ph.D preferred, preferably in a related field: environment, energy, climate change, economics.
• Working Experience:over 15 years of related work experience, including over 5 years of managerial experience; Energy, environment, climate change, or economic development related experience is preferred. Experience in strategic planning and policy research are a plus.
• Language Level: native-level Chinese skills required; excellent command of spoken and written English, communicates in English effectively in public, with a deep understanding of Western cultures.
• Team Leadership: able to define direction and develop shared purpose, build a team with strong coaching skills, provide timely constructive feedback to team members, and support them for long-term career development.
• Strategic Thinking: an independent thinker with integrated view, able to understand different areas of climate/energy, development-related issues, and the field landscape. Able to anticipate future scenarios with big-picture thinking, and able to maintain balance and an awareness of the status of all programs.
• Communication and Coordination Skills: communicate logically and articulate key messages/points with a clear structure, listen actively, intuitively sense and support other participants’ unspoken views, seek interactions for all parties to achieve win-wins where possible and present benefits clearly, and synthesize different views to develop integrated messages.
• Problem Solving: able to define and prioritize key issues, make analyses with logical reasoning, utilize and synergize various resources to summarize and find solutions, and use a holistic approach to determine the best solution.
• Networking: the ability to develop new alliances and formal networks, mobilize external resources, and foster relationships with key stakeholders to achieve long-term mutual interests.

SUCCESS FACTORS

• Ethical Behavior/Integrity – Demonstrates principled performance and sound ethics, showing consistency among principles, values, and behaviors to build trust and credibility internally and externally.
• Broader Views for Systematic Solution – Proactively link program strategy and goals with the ones of the whole organization and other related programs, as appropriate, for cooperation and organization-wide capacity enhancement.
• Mission-driven/Initiative – Inspired by the organization's vision and mission, and takes actions with ownership, a can-do attitude, and a proactive mindset.
• Team Spirit – Collaboratively works toward solutions that benefit all involved parties; willingly cooperates with others to accomplish team/organization objectives.

Please email a cover letter and resume, with subject line “Application for Executive Director of Strategy & Synthesis” to jobs@efchina.org.