UNPAID VOLUNTEER - Deputy Director of Research - Energy & Environment
Digital Technology Institute for Development · Remote
UNPAID VOLUNTEER – Deputy Director of Research – Energy & Environment
Role Title: Deputy Director of Research – Energy & Environment
Role Type: Unpaid Volunteer
Number of Positions: 1
Location: Home-based / Remote
Reporting To: Director of Research - Energy & Environment
THIS IS AN UNPAID VOLUNTEER ROLE.
About DTID
The Digital Technology Institute for Development (DTID) is an international non-profit institute advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence, blockchain and emerging digital technologies to support sustainable development and policy implementation.
DTID brings together professionals, researchers, technology specialists and other stakeholders to generate research, develop practical solutions, strengthen partnerships and support informed decision-making at the intersection of technology, climate change and sustainable development.
The Role
DTID is seeking a highly experienced and motivated Deputy Director of Research – Energy & Environment to provide leadership to Research Division II and strengthen DTID's applied research capability in energy, climate and environmental policy.
Reporting to the Director-General, the successful candidate will lead and coordinate research across areas including climate adaptation, renewable energy, carbon emissions, biodiversity, environmental policy, climate finance and the application of emerging digital technologies to climate and sustainability challenges.
The Deputy Director will be responsible for translating DTID's strategic research priorities into high-quality research projects, policy insights and practical recommendations for governments, international organisations and other stakeholders.
The successful candidate will also supervise Research Officers, strengthen research quality and consistency, support the development of new research initiatives and help position DTID as a credible contributor to international discussions on climate, energy, sustainability and emerging technologies.
This role requires strong research leadership, excellent analytical capability, experience managing multidisciplinary teams and the ability to communicate complex research findings to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Key Responsibilities
The Deputy Director of Research – Energy & Environment will:
- Lead and coordinate the strategic research priorities of Research Division II, with particular focus on energy, climate adaptation and environmental policy.
- Identify, investigate and report on emerging developments in climate policy, energy, sustainability and digital technologies.
- Lead and coordinate applied research projects, including research design, data collection, analysis and production of policy-relevant outputs.
- Supervise Research Officers, allocate responsibilities, monitor progress and provide guidance and feedback on research outputs.
- Review and approve concept notes, briefing papers, research reports and other divisional outputs before submission to the Director-General's Office.
- Work with other DTID Divisions to develop research proposals, projects and cross-disciplinary initiatives.
- Translate research findings into clear recommendations, briefings and evidence for governments, international organisations and other stakeholders.
- Represent DTID's research agenda through webinars, conferences, policy forums and other relevant external engagements.
- Support recruitment, onboarding and capability development within Research Division II.
- Build relationships with research institutions, policymakers, international organisations and other relevant partners.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of DTID's research methods, quality standards and knowledge-management practices.
- Undertake other reasonable research and leadership responsibilities assigned by the Director-General.
Requirements
Skills and Abilities
Candidates should demonstrate:
- Excellent written and spoken English.
- Strong research, analytical and critical-thinking skills.
- Strong leadership and people-management capability.
- Ability to lead multidisciplinary and globally distributed research teams.
- Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple research priorities and complex projects.
- Strong problem-solving and data-management skills.
- Ability to develop clear, evidence-based research proposals and project plans.
- Excellent stakeholder-engagement and relationship-management skills.
- Strong presentation and public-speaking capability.
- Ability to translate complex research into clear information for policymakers and non-specialist audiences.
- Ability to work independently and exercise sound professional judgement.
- Ability to develop consensus and work effectively across organisational boundaries.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to research quality.
- A proactive, innovative and solutions-focused approach to work.
- Strong strategic and big-picture thinking.
General and Specialist Knowledge
Candidates should have strong knowledge or experience in several of the following areas:
- Climate change policy and governance.
- Energy policy and renewable energy.
- Climate adaptation and resilience.
- Environmental policy and regulation.
- Carbon emissions and emissions-management policy.
- Carbon markets and emissions trading.
- Climate and adaptation finance.
- Biodiversity and conservation.
- Environmental governance and enforcement.
- Sustainable development.
- Applied policy research.
- Research design and methodology.
- Research data analysis and interpretation.
- Artificial intelligence, blockchain and other emerging digital technologies.
- Application of emerging technologies to climate, energy and sustainability challenges.
Candidates should also demonstrate familiarity with research and project-management tools and standard digital workplace platforms.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, is expected.
Education and Training
Candidates should possess:
- A postgraduate degree in Environmental Policy, Environmental Science, Environmental Technology, Energy Policy, Climate Change, Sustainability, Digital Transformation, Public Policy or another relevant discipline.
A Master's degree or PhD in a relevant field would be advantageous.
Relevant professional qualifications, executive education or specialist certifications relating to climate policy, sustainability, research, energy, environmental management or emerging technologies would also be beneficial.
- Professional proficiency in English.
Knowledge of an additional international language would be advantageous.
Experience
Candidates should ideally demonstrate:
- Approximately 10 or more years of relevant professional experience, including significant experience in research, policy, consulting, academia, the public sector, nonprofit organisations or a comparable environment.
- Significant experience leading or coordinating research projects.
- Experience managing research teams or multidisciplinary professional teams.
- Strong research experience within an academic, industry, public-policy, consulting or nonprofit environment.
- Experience researching energy, environmental, sustainability or climate-related policy issues.
- Experience developing and delivering specialised research projects from inception to completion.
- Experience producing research outputs ranging from policy briefings to detailed technical or academic reports.
- Experience communicating research findings to policymakers, executives and non-specialist audiences.
- Experience building long-term relationships with institutional stakeholders.
- Experience in stakeholder engagement, public speaking, webinars or external policy forums.
- Experience supervising, mentoring or developing researchers and other professional staff.
Experience applying artificial intelligence, blockchain or other emerging digital technologies to climate, environmental, energy or sustainability challenges would be advantageous.
Experience publishing research-based articles, policy papers or other substantive research outputs would also be highly desirable.
Benefits
What Difference Will You Make?
High-quality research and evidence are central to DTID's ability to support governments, international organisations and other stakeholders in understanding how emerging technologies can contribute to climate action and sustainable development.
As Deputy Director of Research – Energy & Environment, you will provide the research leadership required to strengthen DTID's work across energy, climate adaptation, environmental policy and related areas.
Your contribution will help strengthen DTID's research quality, policy relevance, institutional credibility and ability to produce actionable evidence on climate, energy, sustainability and emerging digital technologies.
Benefits
What Will You Gain from Volunteering with DTID?
Although this position is unpaid, volunteering with DTID provides opportunities to:
- Lead applied research within an international organisation.
- Shape DTID's research agenda on energy, climate and environmental policy.
- Apply and strengthen senior research and leadership expertise.
- Lead and mentor an international team of researchers.
- Contribute to policy research, publications and institutional thought leadership.
- Work at the intersection of climate action, sustainability and emerging digital technologies.
- Engage with governments, international organisations, research institutions and other stakeholders.
- Participate in relevant conferences, webinars, research forums and external engagements.
- Build international professional networks and strategic relationships.
- Contribute directly to DTID's research capability and institutional development.
Selection Process
DTID is committed to identifying talented individuals with both demonstrated expertise and strong potential.
Applications will be considered on the basis of demonstrated capability, relevant experience, research expertise, leadership experience, transferable skills and suitability for the responsibilities of the role.
The selection process will normally include:
- Application screening
- Written or technical assessment
- Interview and/or technical discussion for shortlisted candidates
- Final selection and onboarding
Candidates who successfully complete the written or technical assessment will be invited to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process.
Important Notice
This is an unpaid volunteer position.