Global Policy Lead, Grids of the Future

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives. Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity. Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement. By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change. With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs.

Grids of the Future is GEA's programme for delivering abundant, reliable, and clean electricity across the Global South. In many emerging economies, the utilities that supply most electricity are held back by aging infrastructure, underinvestment, and a lack of reliable data. Efforts to modernize often remain stuck in isolated pilots rather than reaching the whole grid. The programme works in close partnership with utilities, governments, regulators, and innovators. It supports grid digitalization, the integration of renewables and battery storage, greater demand flexibility, and a stronger network of local innovators. Together, these help emerging economies move from aging, fossil fuel dependent grids to modern grids that are ready for renewable energy. The programme brings together the policy, regulatory, and delivery work that this transition depends on.

Why this role matters

Policy and regulatory work is among the highest-leverage elements of GEA's model. A single regulatory change — a revised grid code, a cost-reflective tariff methodology, an open-access framework — can unlock public and private investment worth many multiples of GEA's programme budget in a given market. This role owns that leverage: converting GEA's programme evidence into the market reforms that allow clean energy investment to scale, reducing the regulatory risk premium that holds back private capital, and underpinning GEA's proposition to systems-change funders. It is also central to GEA's distinctive position in a crowded field: linking grid infrastructure to demand, jobs, and opportunity — grids for people, not just grids for their own sake.

About the role

The position leads policy and regulatory work for GEA's global Grids of the Future programme, also working in close partnership with the Powering Opportunity pillar, so that policy and regulatory strategies reflect the interdependence of grid investment and demand growth. It sits within the Scalable Solutions function and supports the Grids of the Future teams across GEA's priority markets, including India, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa. The work helps low-and-middle-income countries modernize their grids and integrate large volumes of low-cost renewable energy in a reliable and financially sustainable way. The role draws on regulatory experience from advanced power markets and adapts it to the realities of state-owned utilities in the Global South.

Accountabilities

• Lead the policy and regulatory strategy for grid modernization in priority markets.
• Lead the development and execution of GEA's policy and regulatory strategy for grid modernization across its priority markets, including India, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa.
• Prioritise deep engagement in select countries where GEA has live grids and demand-side work, with lighter-touch support elsewhere.
• Develop a deep understanding of power market design in GEA's priority markets, including market regulations at the national and sub-national level, grid codes, planning frameworks, and factors affecting renewable energy integration and grid modernization.
• Bring relevant expertise from advanced power markets in the Global North, such as demand flexibility and related market and regulatory designs, and adapt this expertise to the conditions of Global South power systems.
• Advocate for the regulatory and market reforms needed to accelerate grid modernization and demand growth, through evidence-based engagement with governments, regulators, and international fora.
• Work with the Powering Opportunity team to ensure policy and regulatory strategies reflect the interdependence of grid investment and demand growth, and carry GEA's integrated narrative — grids for people, jobs, and opportunity — into global and country-level policy engagement.
• Build policy and regulatory partnerships with global and regional think tanks and multilateral institutions to strengthen analysis, capacity, and implementation.
• Provide thought leadership that engages donors, philanthropy, the private sector, and policy makers, positioning GEA as a trusted voice on grid modernization.
• Own the systemic-change evidence base that underpins GEA's funder propositions — leverage ratios, reform case studies, and the policy theory of change — and contribute to funder conversations, concept notes, and proposals.
• Develop knowledge products such as reports, case studies, and white papers that share learning on grid modernization, renewable energy integration, and grid flexibility.
• Define and track measurable policy outcomes — regulations changed, frameworks adopted, and public and private capital unlocked — as the evidence base for impact reporting to new and existing funders and the GEA board.
• Help GEA's regional teams understand how local power markets and regulations affect grid modernization and turn that understanding into workable project and policy approaches.
• Guide and quality assure country teams in the development of high-quality project documentation, such as bidding documents, project reports, and regulatory filings, in line with project requirements.
• Support new business models and the adoption of advanced grid solutions in priority markets, to speed up deployment and regulatory acceptance and flexibility.
• Track key developments in advanced power markets, regulatory innovations and channel actionable learning to GEA's priority countries.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

The ideal candidate would be a self-starter and be willing to “roll up their sleeves” to adapt to working in a fast-paced, evolving environment. Essential qualifications, skills and experience include:

• A minimum bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as public policy, economics, law, or energy regulation; an engineering or renewable energy qualification will be a strong plus.
• At least 10 years of work experience in a related capacity in the private sector or a development institution, with a focus on the power sector and renewables.
• Strong network and relationships with power sector stakeholders across one or more of GEA's priority markets; experience spanning both Global North and Global South power systems will be a strong advantage.
• Direct experience of working with state-owned utilities, energy ministries, regulators, and multilateral agencies, with an understanding of their institutional and political complexities.
• Demonstrated commitment to working to improve the lives of others and to working in the impact sector.
• Willingness to travel internationally across GEA's priority markets for project execution.

The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate the following:

• Power sector and energy transition knowledge: deep understanding of grid modernization, renewable energy integration, distribution and transmission systems, grid flexibility, and storage in the context of global south electricity sectors, including India.
• Experience of working with utilities: good understanding of utility operations, planning, and working mechanisms, including the institutional and political complexities of state-owned distribution companies.
• Policy and regulatory expertise: strong grasp of power market design, grid codes, and regulatory processes, with the ability to translate them into a workable reform agenda.
• Policy influence and advocacy: a track record of shaping policy and regulatory outcomes through evidence-based engagement and coalition-building, with the judgement to operate as a trusted partner to governments and regulators.
• Communication & Presentation: excellent interpersonal abilities and listening skills; strong writing and presentation skills; able to present ideas to a range of stakeholders in a clear and compelling way.
• Project Execution: strong project management skills; meets deadlines; sense of urgency and responsibility; ability to multi-task and work under pressure; detail oriented.

We operate from a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do. It is not only the right thing to do – we could not make an impact without our team members' diverse perspectives and experiences. We expect all Global Energy Alliance employees to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices. Global Energy Alliance is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination.