Non-Key Experts - Call for applications

Job Description

Alinea International, in partnership with Proman, is preparing a proposal for an upcoming technical assistance project supporting the European Union's cooperation with South Africa on local government, climate resilience, and the just energy transition.

The anticipated project, the "Bridging Inequalities for Greener Municipalities" Programme, will be implemented on behalf of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa, in close coordination with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA). The technical assistance component will support four pre-selected South African municipalities - one each in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo (the Strategic North-South Corridor) - to transition toward inclusive, low-carbon, and climate-resilient service delivery systems.

The assignment is anticipated to start in October 2026 and run for up to 48 months. The team will be based at MISA's offices in Centurion, with regular missions to each of the four selected municipalities and a limited home-based allocation. The contract is part of a broader programme that also includes two grant components and a final investment facilitation component.

This open call is part of Alinea's effort to build a roster of Non-Key Experts (NKEs) who can provide flexible, demand-driven implementation support across the technical assistance. Approximately 500 working days of NKE inputs are anticipated across the four municipalities over the life of the contract, in addition to additional inputs based in Centurion and home-based. Selected candidates may be considered for a range of assignments, subject to project award and individual assignment Terms of Reference.

Experience levels will be matched to specific assignments via individual Terms of Reference. Applicants are encouraged to indicate their seniority and daily rate expectations in their cover letter.

This initiative aims to:

• Enhance the performance, effectiveness, and resilience of selected municipalities, including governance, financial planning, integrated planning, and service delivery.
• Facilitate municipal-level green investments by developing bankable, pipeline-ready project concepts in water, energy, waste management, and sanitation - one in each of the four selected municipalities.
• Increase inclusive and gender-sensitive resilience and response capacity to climate change, supported by civic engagement, civil society participation, and awareness of green social and economic opportunities.
• Support South Africa's Just Energy Transition (JET) agenda and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• Mainstream gender equality, social inclusion, disability sensitivity, and digital and nature-based approaches across all interventions.

Profile Categories

We are seeking applications from professionals across the following profile categories (the list is not exhaustive and may be adjusted based on emerging needs):

• Electrical engineering
• Water engineering
• Climate change
• Investment finance
• Project preparation and design
• Social science
• Communications / social media management
• Stakeholder management
• IT management
• Change management
• Gender expertise
• Knowledge management

Applicants should clearly indicate in their cover letter the category for which they are applying, their experience level, and their primary area(s) of expertise.

Key Areas of Expertise

We are particularly interested in professionals with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• South African local government, COGTA / MISA institutional architecture, and frameworks such as the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF), the District Development Model (DDM), and the Smart Cities Framework.
• Climate-resilient and sustainable urban planning, renewable energy, disaster risk reduction, and Just Energy Transition (JET) implementation.
• Water, energy, waste management, and sanitation - including pre-feasibility, feasibility, and transaction advisory support.
• Green project finance, blended finance structuring, and engagement with Development Finance Institutions and commercial banks.
• Digital and smart service delivery, e-governance, local revenue mobilisation, and nature-based approaches.
• Gender-responsive budgeting and planning, social inclusion (disability and youth), civil society engagement, and community participation.
• Stakeholder engagement, capacity building, training delivery, and strategic communication.
• Change management, institutional reform, and municipal performance improvement.
• Knowledge management, including the production of policy briefs, case studies, toolkits, and capacity4dev contributions.
• EU development cooperation frameworks (PRAG, NDICI - Global Gateway, Team Europe), EU-funded programme management and reporting.

Minimum Requirements

We welcome applications from individuals who meet the following criteria:

• Hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in a field relevant to the profile category. A Bachelor's degree with additional relevant professional experience is also acceptable, in line with EU PRAG conventions.
• Fluency in English (oral and written).
• Familiarity with the South African local government context - institutional landscape, regulatory environment, and reform agenda - is considered an asset.
• Experience working with EU development cooperation frameworks (e.g. NDICI - Global Gateway, Team Europe) is considered an asset.
• South African nationals and residents are particularly encouraged to apply.