Program Lead, Malaysia

Tara Climate Foundation is a philanthropic climate foundation dedicated to fostering a future where Asia’s unwavering commitment to climate action paves the way for just, thriving and resilient societies. Tara operates in East, Southeast and South Asia, excluding India and China.

Our mission is to support a diverse group of partners in accelerating Asia’s energy transformation and championing climate action. Tara plays three main roles in the region: 

• Grantmaker: Tara works closely with mission-aligned foundations and philanthropists to pool resources and grant funds to organisations working to accelerate Asia’s energy transition and climate action (excluding China and India).  
• Convenor: Tara cultivates networks that facilitate the exchange of ideas between business, civil society, and government throughout and beyond Asia.  
• Local and regional expert: With strong networks spanning civil society, businesses and government, Tara funds thorough research and analysis to address knowledge gaps, stay abreast of emerging trends, and craft evidence-based strategies to advance our mission.  

Since establishing its headquarters in Singapore in 2021, the foundation has provided grants to more than 300 organisations across 13 countries and jurisdictions. Our team of over 40 experts is spread across the Asia-Pacific region, working to combat climate change in this decisive decade.

Over the last 2 years, Tara has experienced significant growth, expanding our funding base to include more than a dozen philanthropic foundations. Currently, we provide grants to over 300 organisations operating across 13 countries and jurisdictions in the Asia region.

Despite heightened global focus on climate issues, philanthropic giving toward climate change initiatives remains disproportionately low, constituting just 2% of worldwide philanthropic giving, with an even smaller percentage allocated to Asia

In Malaysia, we work with civil society organizations, think tanks and networks working on energy policy and climate change. 

About the role

The Program Lead, Malaysia has overall responsibility and leadership of the country program, covering three main areas of responsibility: strategy development, ecosystem building and grant management.  S/he will be an experienced strategist who can drive the growth of Tara’s partner ecosystem in the country. S/he will have strong networks and proven experience collaborating with others to drive systemic change.

Key responsibilities

Strategy

• Lead the development and implementation of the country strategy for Malaysia in consultation with the Tara programme directors and partners.
• Develop resource requirements and budget plans for Malaysia.
• Proactively scan the country’s policy, energy and economic environment for emerging challenges and opportunities for Tara’s work. This may include developments in the public, private and people sector including but not limited to policy developments, changes in regulatory framework and legislation, corporate investments, etc.

Partnerships and Convening

• Network with various stakeholders including existing partners in Malaysia.Proactively develop a trust-based ecosystem of diverse partners who are encouraged to respect each other’s roles and work collaboratively towards common goals.
• Identify new programme delivery partners in Malaysia to achieve the goals of Tara.Support partners to access coaching and organizational development resources to help them maximize their potential, if needed.
• Convene partners within the country to ensure Tara achieves outcomes that are larger than the sum of the individual partners’ efforts.
• Coordinate with other Tara counterparts in the region to ensure coordination of efforts within the region.

Grant management

• Guidance and advice to partners and prospective partners in the field to ensure activities achieve their intended objectives and results.
• Proactively scan and provide opportunistic support to partners and prospective partners in Malaysia.Monitor deliverables and submissions from partners and provide general oversight to their timeliness and quality.
• Advise the operations team on specific legal/operational/risks requirements for grant-making in Thailand.

Miscellaneous:

• Promote a culture of excellence, service orientation, high performance, and continuous improvement
• Demonstrate Tara Values in every action
• Actively participate in Program Team activities
• Abide by Tara’s policies, procedures and practices

Person specification

Skills & Experience:  

• Minimum of 8 years professional working experience in the field of development, with at least 1-year working experience in the (renewable) energy sector or capacity building, monitoring and evaluation.
• Deep knowledge and networks within Malaysia’s energy sector including think tanks, research centres, NGOs, CSOs, private sector and others involved with environment, climate and energy transition.
• Broad credibility across different stakeholder groups and a demonstratable track record of building networks working across different stakeholders and interest groups to achieve common goals.
• Excellent written and oral English language skills and written and oral fluency in another Asian language preferable.
• Reliable computer skills with standard applications (e.g., Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Used to working flexibly at a fast pace in remote settings with multi-cultural teams across multiple time-zones
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally as and when requiredIdeally
• will have experience working in international non-profit or development organization
• Embraces Tara’s mission and identifies with and is committed to living the Tara Values 

Personal

• Deep commitment to solving the climate crisis and enabling systemic change;  
• Intrinsic motivation, excellent organisational and self-management skills; 
• Flexibility over working hours to accommodate global time zones; 
• Impeccable ethics, and experience working confidentially and operating with high security. 

Education 

• Advanced degree or relevant expertise in a relevant field such as renewable energy, environmental management, business administration, economics, or sustainable development. 
• Master’s degree qualification or relevant expertise in a relevant field such as renewable energy, environmental management, business administration, economics, or sustainable development. 

 Location requirements

• The candidate must be based in Malaysia and be a citizen of Malaysia or have long-term residency status with legal permit to reside and work in the country. 

As and when required other responsibilities and projects will be allocated by line management in consultation with the post holder.

What Tara offers:

• The unique opportunity to work as part of a highly dynamic, international team who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for career develop and challenge yourself
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• A collaborative, fun and thriving team, driven by our mission and live our values

To Apply:

Please submit an A4 covering letter outlining your skills and achievements against the roles and responsibilities, why you would like to join us, your salary expectations, date of availability along with your up to date CV via Impactpool.  Please use your existing Impactpool account or create one.

Tara is committed to building leadership capacity within Asia. This position is based in Malaysia.  Applicants must have the right to work in the country.

We appreciate everyone’s application, but only have the resources to respond to shortlisted applicants. If you have not heard from us within 3 weeks of the closing date, please assume you are unsuccessful for this role. If this is you, we appreciate your support and consideration and hope you will continue to consider roles with Tara in the future!