Background

The project “Accelerating Clean Energy Transition Through Utilization of Solar Energy Potential in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (SolarCET) has the objective to stimulate the citizens, private and public buildings owners to use solar panels and collectors for production of renewable energy, as a measure to support clean energy transition, combat the air pollution and energy poverty, reduce GHG emission and the number of citizens suffering from respiratory diseases in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Project has been financed by Slovak Aid funded Resource Mobilization Facility (RMF) and is directly implemented by UNDP BiH CO.

To its end, the project will facilitate development of friendly-environment for investment in technically and economically feasible solar solutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then promote their wider uptake by citizens, private and public buildings owners via dedicated financial mechanism and funding windows established within the local level in BiH, as well as providing reliable quantification of solar potential to support implementation of a favourable policy and regulatory framework at the local, entity and national levels. The project will facilitate the transformation of the solar market by creating and expanding opportunities for businesses to get involved and increase their activities in the provision of solar systems in BIH.

As part of these endeavours, one of the key activities (Component 1) in terms of facilitating investments in solar energy is development of Interactive Solar Atlas (ISA). ISA addresses the lack of reliable information on solar potential and lack of capacities of citizens, private and public buildings owners to prepare and implement solar projects. Based on the aerial photos of areas, taking into the account steepness, shadowing effects, solar irradiance and other factors, the ISA module will offer the users reliable information about the energy and financial gains of solar systems on their properties.

The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical support to the Project Manager to ensure smooth implementation of the ISA, and provision of advisory support to ISA users, after its development.

The objective  and purpose of the assignment is thus:

  1. to provide support in implementation of activities related to development of ISA to be implemented in cooperation with selected Service Provider for development of ISA, partners and stakeholders in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
  2. to provide advisory support to Interactive Solar Atlas end-users (citizens, public institutions, and private companies) via e-mail and online communication.

Duties and Responsibilities

As part of this assignment, the incumbent will support the implementation of ISA-related activities with the Service Providers, relevant institutions, along with ISA end-users (private companies, public institutions and companies, citizens and NGOs). ISA is planned to be a web-based easy to use system, that will include the following:

  • Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Solar model which will map-out the geographical boundaries and solar potential, by capturing 2D building footprints on basis of existing maps, satellite images and collected arial photos during data collection (via drones) and combining it with basic databases such as terrain topography, traffic network, hydro flows, administrative boundaries and facilities, and solar irradiation and meteorological data (available from satellite or other technologies) resulting in formation of a DTM and Solar model.
  • Solar energy calculator that will give an overview of technical, financial, and environmental indicators that have the goal to make the decision on making an investment easier for citizens. The tool will provide a visually clear overview of these key indicators and provide the end-user information on which type of system is optimal for the selected location.
  • Knowledge centre that will provide various information mainly to potential investors on a) methodology behind the rooftop solar potential calculation, b) policies, regulations, and process of securing approval for installation of rooftop solar power plants (grid-connected and grid-independent), c) standard process of installing the solar power plant, and d) potential sources for funding (credit, loan, grant and etc.).
  • Registry of certified designers, consultants and suppliers of equipment, project design, installation and maintenance services.       
  • Support centre that will enable users to ask questions/get answers on specific questions regarding solar energy.

Through his/her continuous presence and/or communication with the relevant actors, the incumbent will perform the following tasks:

  1. Technical assistance in development of ISA;
  2. Advisory support to ISA end-users;
  3. Monitoring of ISA system functionality.

Task 1: Technical assistance in development of ISA:

  • Monitor, assess and recommend improvements to DTM and Solar model development;
  • Monitor, assess and recommend improvements to solar energy calculator development;
  • Collect and provide input documents and relevant tools for integration into knowledge centre;
  • Collect information and form lists of certified designers, consultants and suppliers of equipment, project design, installation and maintenance services;
  • Test the ISA from user side and opportunities for improvement.

Task 2: Advisory support to ISA end-users:

  • Provide advisory support via e-mail and possible ISA internal support system to all end-users;
  • Provide end-users with information on how to use ISA;
  • Provide end-users with information and support in making a decision to invest into solar energy;
  • Conduct match-making of end-users with certified designers, consultants and suppliers of equipment, project design, installation and maintenance services;
  • Produce final report outlining all major interventions undertaken in the course of the consultancy.

Task 3:  Monitoring of ISA system functionality:

  • Monitor daily ISA usage and functionality;
  • Report to Project Manager any problems in operation;
  • Provide advices on solving the identified problems in operation.

The incumbent will be paid bi-monthly.

Institutional Arrangement

The incumbent will report directly to SolarCET Project Manager.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Business direction and strategy

Strategic thinking

Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions

Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business direction and strategy

System Thinking 

 

Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business direction and strategy

Effective Decision Making 

 

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources

Business development

Knowledge Generation 

 

Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need

Business development

Human-centred Design 

 

Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process

Business management

Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience

 Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Digital and Innovation Management

Data analysis

Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making

 

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

  • Master degree in engineering or IT,
  • First level university degree with two years of experience or secondary education with six years of experience may be accepted in lieu of MA

Min. years of relevant work experience

  • Minimum 2 years of relevant experience with BA
  • Experience in working with different types of stakeholders and working in renewable energy industry and/or IT industry
  • Experience in projects implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina related to solar energy and/or development of IT software solutions

Required skills

  • Knowledge of solar potential assessment tools and softwares (PV*SOL, RETScreen, Solcast, PVGIS and etc.);
  • Knowledge of overall process for development and implementation of solar energy systems;

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

  • Proven ability to conduct desk research and needs assessments;
  • Proven knowledge of overall process for development of user-friendly web-based solutions;
  • Excellent writing, editing and communication skills.

Required Language(s)

Knowledge of local languages (Bosnian or Croatian or Serbian);

Knowledge of English language would be considered as an asset

Professional Certificates

 N/A

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

  1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
  2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.