Call for Applications - Women in STEM Traineeship

Full Job Description

Duty Station: Freetown, Sierra Leone and designated project sites

Team: Gender & Youth

Line Manager: Programme Manager, Gender and Youth

Contract Type:  Full-time Short-Term Contract (Traineeship)

As soon as possible

Duration: 6 months

Closing date: 11 January 2024 at 23:59 CET

Note on the selection process: Depending on the quality of applications received, SEforALL plans to select up to 12 qualified recent women graduates for the Women in STEM Traineeship. Previous participants will not be considered.

Background about SEforALL

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization working with leaders in government, the private sector and civil society to drive further, faster action toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to sustainable energy by 2030, and the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming to well below 2° Celsius (and striving for 1.5° Celsius).   

Achieving these goals will require a radical rethink of the way we produce, distribute and consume energy. SEforALL is at the heart of this foundational shift to ensure no one is left behind. Drawing on data and evidence, we identify a critical path to success in achieving SDG7.  

The 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Now an independent organization, we maintain close links with the UN, including through a relationship agreement, partnerships with UN agencies and with SEforALL's CEO acting as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative (SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. These roles include advising the UN Secretary General and his staff on issues relating to sustainable energy and the implementation of SDG7 and supporting the coordination of sustainable energy issues in the United Nations system.   

The ambitions of SDG7 are extraordinary. Aiming to achieve them in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change involves transformation at a scale never undertaken before. Swift action must be taken by leaders in governments, private sector companies, institutions, financiers, development banks, unions, communities, entrepreneurs and civil society. As we enter the final decade to achieve SDG7, SEforALL has strategically chosen to strengthen global agenda-setting while expanding its activities to an engagement model that prioritizes data-driven decision-making, partnerships with high-impact countries and implementation on the ground. SEforALL's current three-year business plan outlines “results offers” that scope out our planned interventions and demonstrate to our funding partners the impact of their support.

Context and Objective of Assignment

The just and equitable energy transition cannot be achieved and sustained without ensuring gender equality. The global energy access gap is gendered, and women and girls disproportionately bear the burden of the every-day consequences of energy poverty. At the same time, women are under-represented in the energy sector, from entry- and mid-level positions to boardrooms. As a result, women are less likely to have a voice in the policy and decision-making that affects them. SEforALL’s Women and Youth at the Forefront (WYFF) programme centers women and youth in the just and equitable energy transition by supporting their entry into and career progression within the sector, as well as empowering the next generation of women and youth leaders.  

Main Duties and Tasks of the Role

SEforALL in collaboration with EM-One Energy Solutions is recruiting 12 recent women graduates for a traineeship programme in Sierra Leone. The traineeship will provide hands-on technical training with a focus on solar energy under the FCDO-funded health electrification project. The traineeship will focus on the following areas:  

The primary responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation.  
• PV Systems, Standalone and Off-Grid systems.  
• Integrated Systems.  
• Battery Sizing.  
• Inverter and Charge Controller sizing.  
• Conducting current and voltage measurements and performance characteristics.  
• Solar panel installations.  
• Using simulation software to design PV system dimensions.  
• Assessing site economic viability using measured radiation data.  
• Installing, integrating and commissioning solar systems.  
• Remote monitoring and system maintenance.  

Trainees will also be expected to participate in daily activities under the supervision of their focal point, scheduled site visits, workshops, and supplementary training programmes arranged by SEforALL. 

Specific Competencies for the Role

• Applicants must be 18-35 years of age. 
• Only women applicants will be considered.  
• Recent graduates with bachelor's or master's degrees (obtained within the past 2 years) in a STEM field (e.g., sciences, renewable energy, engineering, or related areas). Note that applicants who have not fully completed their degree programme will not be considered.  
• 1-3 years of professional experience in energy, engineering or similar field. 
• Should demonstrate completion of technical education or courses related to the topics covered in the programme as highlighted above. 

Desired Qualities 

• Should be highly professional and punctual.  
• Should have excellent communication and collaboration skills. 
• Must be available for the entire duration of the training programme. 
• Must be a national or have legal residence and right to work in Sierra Leone 
  

Core Competencies for the Role

• Professionalism and Personal Leadership:  Demonstrates and safeguards ethics and integrity. Demonstrates corporate knowledge, self-development and initiative-taking. Ability to work in a multi-cultural and international environment based on mutual respect and tolerance. Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion and tact in handling sensitive issues. Willingness to “get the job” done with a positive attitude to take on a wide range of tasks.
• Planning and Organization:  Identifies priority activities and assignments. Adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently and is able to work to deadlines and maintain effectiveness under pressure. Excellent organizational and task management skills, with appropriate attention to details and ability to prioritize work among multiple competing demands, and under tight deadlines. Ability to manage multiple workflows at the same time. Proactive approach to managing workflow, with keen ability to multi-task and respond quickly and flexibly to a wide range of issues, some of which come up in ad hoc and unexpected ways.
• Communication and Teamwork: Excellent communication skills and proven drafting ability; ability to develop relationships, foster collaboration within the team and with other stakeholders, develop presentations, draft speaking notes, prepare meeting briefs and advocate for viewpoints.
• Analysis and Creativity: Demonstrated excellent analytical skills that can be applied to gather data, analyze and generate knowledge relevant to decision-making functions. Ability to summarize and present key-findings. Share knowledge and show initiative to improve existing practices.
• Technological Awareness:  Keeps abreast of relevant available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology in the context of sustainanable development; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate.

Application Instructions:

Please make sure that your application includes the following information and documents:

• A detailed CV (attached to your application online)
• We recommend candidates include a cover letter on why they should be considered for the opportunity (attached to your application online)

Terms and conditions:  The SEforALL Traineeship is designed to provide a training opportunity complemented by on-the-job learning, as opposed to a typical SEforALL internship. Trainees will be provided with a fixed stipend to facilitate participation in the programme. Trainees will remain fully responsible for bearing all their costs related to travel, insurance, accommodation, and living expenses connected to their traineeship.

Our Values  - please refer to our core values as defined here: 

Additional Considerations

• SEforALL offers exciting high-impact assignments, a collegial and creative work environment, and the opportunity for committed. professionals to thrive and grow within flat hierarchies and in the pursuit of an inspiring mission.
  
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
  
• Only candidates short-listed for interviews will be notified.

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Your data will not be passed on to third parties outside SEforALL.  We will only use your data to the extent necessary for the purposes of selecting personnel in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations.

We will only disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by a court´s or administrative authority´s decision. In such a case, we will inform you as soon as possible of such an order so that you can take legal action against it if necessary.  Please email to   if you require updates to your information in accordance with Art. 5 lit. d of the GDPR