Programme Director, Clean Energy

Job Description

The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST) is seeking an experienced, dynamic, and entrepreneurial professional to lead and expand its Clean Energy Programme.

This is a senior leadership position, with full responsibility for delivering the existing programme and driving its future growth. The role will involve leading and mentoring teams, developing and managing government and philanthropic partnerships, strengthening institutional profile and outreach, identifying strategic opportunities, and building a high-impact programme portfolio.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate strong analytical and research capabilities, along with proven experience in multi-stakeholder engagement. A deep understanding of India's renewable energy sector, including its policy and regulatory landscape, key stakeholders, and barriers to scale-up, is essential. The candidate should bring clear strategic perspectives on the future of the clean energy sector, along with excellent communication and leadership skills.

The role also requires substantial experience in managing deadline-driven knowledge and advisory assignments, while leading and coordinating large multidisciplinary teams.

Required Experience

15+ years

Location

Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Reporting to

CEO

The Clean Energy Programme

The iFOREST Clean Energy Programme focuses on accelerating equitable renewable energy growth in India by supporting clean energy deployment in underserved states, especially in eastern and northeaster regions.

The programme supports state governments through policy and regulatory reform, implementation strategies, techno-economic assessments, investment facilitation, and institutional capacity building, with a focus on states such as Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. The work prioritises land-neutral technologies including floating solar, agri-PV, rooftop solar, storage, and green hydrogen, while also promoting renewable energy adoption in industrial and MSME sectors through demand aggregation and decarbonisation initiatives.

At the national level, the programme contributes to policy frameworks that can enable regionally balanced renewable energy growth and support India's 500 GW non-fossil energy target by 2030 and net-zero goal by 2070.

The Role

The Programme Director - Clean Energy will lead the strategic direction, delivery, and growth of iFOREST's Clean Energy Programme.

The role will be responsible for ensuring high-quality programme implementation and achievement of committed outputs and outcomes, while driving programme expansion through new thematic areas, partnerships, and funding opportunities. The position will also play a key role in strengthening iFOREST's institutional profile and leadership in the clean energy sector.

Specific tasks to be undertaken by the Programme Director are:

• Lead delivery of the ongoing Programme, including committed outputs, outcomes, timelines, reporting requirements, and budget management
  • Lead ongoing and planned projects, ensuring effective programme management and high-quality, timely execution of all committed activities, deliverables, and programme milestones.
  • Design and lead execution plans for research, engagement, technical support and implementation assignments, including methodologies, strategies, workplans, and detailed scopes of work.
  • Build, guide, and manage multidisciplinary teams for undertaking primary and secondary research, quantitative and qualitative assessments, policy analysis and technical support. Ensure oversight of knowledge quality and analytical rigour across outputs.
  • Lead stakeholder engagements, strategic convenings, consultations, workshops, and implementation initiatives in partnership with governments, industries, and other stakeholders.
  • Oversee programme budgets, resource allocation, and expenditure management to ensure efficient and compliant utilization of funds.
  • Lead technical and financial reporting for funders, including all related communications, reviews, and coordination processes.
• Lead future development of the Programme, aligned with the institution's strategic plan
  • Conceptualize and develop new research, policy, and implementation initiatives aligned with programme priorities and emerging sectoral opportunities.
  • Identify strategic partnerships, thematic expansion areas, and funding opportunities to support long-term programme growth.
  • Lead the development of concept notes, technical proposals, budgets, and pitch materials for government, philanthropic, and institutional partners.
  • Develop and manage donor relationships to mobilize resources and secure funding for programme expansion and sustainability.
• Lead Programme outreach and strengthen institutional profile
  • Build and leverage strategic relationships across government, industry, financial institutions, CSOs, academia, media, and international partners.
  • Build and strengthen both individual and institutional thought leadership in the clean energy sector through sustained public engagement and strategic positioning.
  • Lead programme outreach and communication strategies to effectively disseminate research, policy recommendations, and implementation learnings.
  • Foster constructive partnerships with governments, industries, research institutions, and development partners to support policy influence and programme impact.
  • Lead the development and dissemination of articles, reports, opinion pieces, presentations, and other communication materials for public, policy, and donor audiences.
  • Design and guide the execution of roundtables, consultations, convenings, workshops, and report launch events with key stakeholders.
• Build and manage an effective Programme team
  • Build, lead, and manage a high-performing, multidisciplinary, and regionally distributed programme team to deliver programme objectives and long-term outcomes.
  • Mentor and support team members in delivering high-quality research, engagement, technical assistance and implementation outputs, while fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
  • Undertake performance reviews and provide strategic direction and feedback to strengthen team performance.
  • Lead staffing and team expansion processes, including identifying resource requirements and supporting recruitment across programme roles.
• Contribute to institutional leadership and growth
  • Contribute to institutional strategy, organizational development, and key leadership decisions as part of iFOREST's senior management team.
  • Support institutional strengthening by improving systems, culture, coordination, and operational effectiveness.
  • Adopt an entrepreneurial and solutions-oriented approach to identify challenges, establish priorities, and drive institutional growth.
  • Mentor and motivate staff to foster a high-performance, collaborative, and mission-driven institutional culture.
• Additional responsibilities
  • Undertake any additional responsibilities and assignments related to the advancement of the Clean Energy Programme and institutional priorities.

Qualification & Work Experience

Master's degree (minimum) from a recognised institution in a relevant field, including management, economics, public policy, energy policy, renewable energy technology etc.

Over 15 years of extensive and rich experience in research, strategy consulting or advisory-related fields, focusing specifically on the renewable energy sector.

Demonstrated track record of producing high-quality, well-written research outputs (reports, briefs, analyses, assessments) in renewable energy sector.

Required Competencies

In line with the listed responsibilities, the Programme Director is expected to have the following competencies:

• Comprehensive understanding of India's renewable energy sector, including policies, regulations, programmes, technologies, key challenges, and emerging opportunities.
• Strong commitment to advancing India's low-carbon transition and delivering on-ground impact.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative research and authoring high-quality research publications and policy outputs related to the clean energy sector.
• Experience in managing research teams, including developing methodologies, overseeing structured data collection, and ensuring analytical quality.
• Ability to represent the institution with gravitas in high-level meetings, consultations, and convenings, and effectively communicate research findings and institutional perspectives to diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage relationships across government, industry, academia, CSOs, and other stakeholder groups.
• Proven track record of leadership and strategic programme management at a middle or senior level.
• Experience in programme planning, tracking progress, and ensuring timely delivery of outputs, outcomes, and goals.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and communication skills.
• Confident, collaborative, intellectually curious, and capable of working effectively within dynamic policy and institutional environments.
• Strong ability to manage priorities and deliver high-quality work within tight timelines and policy windows.
• Willingness to travel as required.

What We Offer

At iFOREST, we provide an inclusive and supportive work environment. We are committed to professional development through education, training, and capacity-building initiatives.

• Opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge work on just transition, economic diversification, fiscal analysis, and regional economic modelling.
• Exposure to policy processes, government engagement, and technical advisory work.
• A dynamic and supportive work culture that values methodological rigour and innovation.
• Competitive compensation in line with experience and organisational norms.

Remuneration

We offer Competitive salary based on experience and proficiency. The final designation will depend on the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate.

Application Instructions & Deadline

We prefer that candidates apply from LinkedIn or submit online applications at https://iforest.global/careers/. If you face any difficulties, you may send your application to [email protected] with the position and reference code in subject line.