Head of the Mission Innovation Secretariat

Position description

The IEA is looking for a Head of the Mission Innovation Secretariat to lead the Secretariat team and support the effective delivery of Mission Innovation’s mandate. The Head will operate under the strategic guidance of the Mission Innovation Steering Committee and will be responsible for implementing MI members’ collectively agreed vision, priorities, and workplan, translating them into tangible and measurable outcomes.

The position is based at the IEA headquarters in Paris and reports administratively to IEA management, while remaining accountable to the MI Steering Committee for the delivery of MI’s agenda and results. The Head of the MI Secretariat will lead a hybrid and geographically dispersed team. The secretariat is composed of a small team of IEA-based staff operating in person at the IEA headquarters in Paris and up to 10 staff experts provided in-kind by member governments and partner organisations, working remotely on a part-time or full-time basis. This distributed model enables MI to draw directly on members’ expertise while remaining flexible, inclusive, and focused on delivery.

Leadership and strategy:

• Provide strategic support to the MI Steering Committee (MISC), including advice on strategic planning, good governance and accountability, and risk management.
• Under the strategic guidance of the MI Steering Committee, and in close cooperation with the MISC Chair, implement Mission Innovation’s agreed vision, and strategic priorities, ensuring they are clearly communicated to and taken forward by the MI membership.
• Work closely with the MISC Chair to translate high-level strategic guidance from ministers, the Steering Committee, and members into a coherent and actionable MI workplan, with clear objectives, deliverables and timelines, and oversee its effective implementation.

Management:

• Lead, manage, motivate and develop a cohesive hybrid Secretariat team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, trust, and high performance across institutional, national and organizational boundaries. Manage staff performance in line with the OECD and IEA rules and procedures.
• Establish and maintain clear governance arrangements, secretariat structures and operational processes that enable effective coordination and communication with MISC, MI members and the MI Missions, and relevant units within the IEA.
• Ensure that MI Secretariat’s resources are used effectively and efficiently, in line with corporate budget and financial management rules of the OECD and the IEA, and that activities are undertaken in terms of fundraising for the MI Secretariat function. Provide annual budget reporting and donor reporting.

Representation and Liaison:

• Enhance and strengthen MI’s public profile as a relevant international intergovernmental platform delivering on member country priorities and global clean energy innovation goals.
• Maintain and strengthen MI’s engagement with stakeholders in the energy innovation community.
• Identify and pursue strategic engagement opportunities that enhance MI’s impact, coherence, and complementarity with the work of the IEA and other international initiatives, avoiding redundancies and duplication of efforts.

Qualifications

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background:

• An advanced university degree(s) in relevant disciplines, such as economics, law, international relations, political sciences, or industry, environmental or energy policy.

Professional Background:

• At least eight years’ extensive practical knowledge and experience at a management level in relevant fields for MI’s mandate.
• At least five years of management experience, with demonstrated responsibility for strategic planning delivery, and organisational leadership.
• Recognised expertise in energy innovation policy and a strong understanding of international cooperation, collaborative initiatives, and multilateral, member-driven governance arrangements.
• Proven experience providing strategic support and advice to steering committees, governing bodies, or senior leadership, including supporting Chairs or Vice-Chairs in complex decision-making processes.
• Experience in the organisation and delivery of international meetings, including ministerial-level engagements, large-scale initiatives, and activities with a strong policy and stakeholder engagement dimension.
• Demonstrated experience in multilateral political environments, working with key stakeholders from governments, international organisations, industry, and the research community.
• Extensive experience in managing, guiding and motivating high-performing, multidisciplinary teams in complex and multilateral contexts.
• Strong understanding of administrative and budgetary processes in major publicly funded institutions. Proven capabilities and experience in fundraising from governments, foundations and/or industry would be an asset.

Skills and competencies:

• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability influence strategic outcomes by adapting complex and technical messages to different audiences and contexts.
• Strategic vision and analytical capability to anticipate emerging issues and opportunities in clean energy innovation and international cooperation.
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills, including experience engaging diverse, senior-level, and international audiences.
• Sensitivity to political issues and dynamics and ability to manage multiple priorities, anticipate opportunities, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Strong intercultural ability and demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively, foster innovation, and deliver results in complex, multilateral settings.
• Able to translate Mission Innovation's objectives and accomplishments into a clear and compelling narrative for various audiences and stakeholders, highlighting its positive influence in the energy innovation space.

Additional Information

Languages:

• Fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and a knowledge of, or a willingness to learn, the other.
• Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

Core Competencies:

• OECD staff are expected to demonstrate behaviours aligned to six core competencies which will be assessed as part of this hiring processes: Vision and Strategy (Level 3); Enable People (Level 2); Ethics and Integrity (Level 3); Collaboration and Horizontality (Level 2); Achieve Results (Level 3); Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 3).
• There are three possible levels for each competency. The level for each competency is determined according to the specific needs of each job role and its associated grade.
• To learn more about the definitions for each competency for levels 1-3, please refer to OECD Core Competencies.

Application instructions

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