Open call: JET Research, Strategy & Engagement Consultants

Open call — rolling expression of interest

ROLE SUMMARY

Title: Just Energy Transition (JET) Research, Strategy & Engagement Consultants

Type: Rolling expression of interest, matched to consultancy engagements as they arise

Reporting to: IHRB's Head of Climate & Just Transitions Programme

Location: South Africa, Indonesia or Senegal; open to other locations for candidates with strong relevant experience, network and language fundamentals

Duration: Varies by engagement; opportunities in this cycle run to on or before 30 April 2027

Pay: Day rate consultancy; specific budget confirmed per engagement

(IHRB) is building a pool of experienced consultants to support the closing phase of its Just Transitions Programme's work on Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) countries. We are looking to hear from thoughtful researchers, strategists and engagement practitioners with genuine depth in one or more JETP contexts - South Africa, Indonesia, and Senegal.

This is not a single fixed role. It is an open call: IHRB will draw on this pool to fill specific, time-bound consultancy engagements as they are scoped over the remainder of the current grant period, and to build relationships for future phases of this work. Not every expression of interest will lead to paid work in this cycle, but strong candidates will be kept on file and approached directly as needs arise.

We are looking for people who can bring one or more of the following:

rigorous policy and systems research in a fast-moving field, particularly where justice/human rights issues and private sector/economic activity intersect;

strategic judgement on how to sequence and frame engagement with senior stakeholders across business, finance, government and civil society;

hands-on experience designing or facilitating convenings, dialogues, or other engagement formats;

strong, accessible writing for funder, policy and public audiences;

deep, credible relationships within one or more of the three JETP contexts

ABOUT IHRB'S JUST TRANSITIONS PROGRAMME

IHRB’s Just Transitions Programme focuses on a central challenge: current climate action models are structurally misaligned – and this is undermining delivery. Decision-making remains top-down across sectors, financial systems misprice social risk, and practitioners lack awareness of usable, investable models. The result is an implementation gap, where ambition is rising but delivery is contested, delayed, or fragile – raising material risks for workers and communities, company operations, and the transition itself.

Our core contention is that climate action succeeds when governed as a social process, not just a technical or financial one. Embedding the rights and agency of workers, communities, and affected stakeholders into how decisions are designed, sequenced, and financed is not a moral add-on – it is a precondition for effective, investable climate action. This approach is grounded in international standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which establish participation, accountability, and due diligence as baseline conditions.

IHRB works to shift practice through three interconnected approaches:

making risk visible – by demonstrating how social exclusion translates into financial and operational costs

making the possible tangible – by identifying real-world models and mechanisms, and translating them into operational insights for diverse practitioners

making change actionable – by convening and engaging business, finance, policy, and civil society in dialogue on shared challenges and emerging issues

IHRB'S WORK ON THE 'J' IN JETPs

As part of this broader Just Transitions Programme, IHRB has undertaken a focused stream of work on the just energy transition landscape and progress in JETP countries. JETPs were launched in 2021 at COP26 as a new model for mobilising climate finance in support of national-level energy transitions. IHRB’s “J in JETP” project c...