REnew Pacific – Senior Portfolio Manager – Energy & Development

About the Opportunity

Senior Portfolio Manager - Energy & Development - REnew Pacific

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM AEST on 24th May 2026. We encourage you to apply early as the position may close sooner if a suitable candidate is found. Candidates must have valid right to work in the country where they are based. Palladium cannot consider applicants who require work authorisation sponsorship for this role.

Position: Long Term (Full Time)

Classification: Level 16

Reports To: Partnerships & Portfolio Lead

Location: Australia or Pacific Region

About REnew Pacific

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 4,000 employees operating in 90-plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies, and, most importantly, people's lives.

REnew Pacific is a AU$75M program over 4.5 years. It aims to scale and expand on the critical lessons learned in the DFAT-funded Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) pilot to support DFAT and the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) to address climate infrastructure mitigation, adaptation and resilience among Pacific states and help Australia be the climate infrastructure partner of choice in the Pacific.

Purpose of Position

The Senior Portfolio Manager - Energy & Development is an integral part of the REnew Pacific program who provides support to REnew Pacific Partnerships & Portfolio Lead in developing and delivering a portfolio of off-grid renewable energy projects in the Pacific Island Countries and Timor Leste. The Portfolio will include a broad range of off-grid renewable energy projects, working with a diversity of implementation partners including government, NGO, and private sector entities. The Senior Portfolio Manager - Energy & Development will support review of off-grid renewable grant proposals to ensure it aligns with the technical, commercial and partnerships aspects. The Senior Portfolio Manager – Energy & Development will ensure grant partners are meeting client’s deliverable requirements such as providing quality assurance on grant proposals, grant projects development and implementation oversight. Moreover, the Senior Manager will be managing a portfolio of projects in close liaison with In-Country Portfolio Managers and project partners.

REnew Pacific staff work remotely from Australia's east coast and various Pacific nations. REnew Pacific does not have an operating office per se, so this position operates remotely. Depending on the circumstances of the candidate, REnew Pacific will work out a solution for a remote work location, or support communications infrastructure necessary to work from home.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the overall management of a portfolio of REnew Pacific projects and partnerships across the Pacific, in accordance with grant agreements and the REnew Pacific Grant Management Framework
• Lead the identification and pursuit of a pipeline of new partnership and project opportunities, including through networks, scoping missions, conferences, and other avenues
• Support program processes, monitoring progress and key risks, maintaining excellent relationships and keeping the Team Leader, Partnerships & Portfolio Lead, AIFFP and DFAT Posts informed as appropriate
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with partner governments, donors including multilateral development institutions, philanthropic organisations, and the private sector in Australia and internationally
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with providers and suppliers of technical solutions for renewable energy in Australia and the Pacific, including to ensure Pacific and/or Timor-Leste based firms and personnel participate in project development, design and delivery where possible

Grant Evaluation And Assessment

• Thoroughly support the review of concept notes and proposals submitted to REnew Pacific team, assessing their technical soundness, feasibility, risks and alignment with REnew Pacific’s strategic goals
• Evaluate the budget proposals, ensuring it is realistic, cost-effective, and aligns with DFAT donor requirements
• Apply established selection criteria to assign scores to each proposal or concept note and contribute to the development of the final evaluation report, including scoring lists, methodologies, and recommendations
• Provide detailed recommendations on selected proposals, suggesting further development or changes by offering constructive feedback to applicants on how to strengthen their proposals or concept notes

Leadership And Management

• Provide guidance and advice to in-country Portfolio Managers, Portfolio Coordinator and Grant Coordinator to support overall portfolio management
• Support the Partnership and Portfolio Management team and their stakeholders with managing project kick-off meetings / ‘Ways of Working’ workshops and follow-up engagements
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting through REnew Pacific systems, including health and safety incidents, fraud and child protection reporting as well as project activity reporting
• Champion REnew Pacific commitments such as promotion of gender equality, disability and social inclusion

Minimum Education And Experience Required

• A degree in engineering, science, energy systems, international development, environmental or natural resource management with a demonstrated professional experience in international development, especially working with Pacific Island Countries
• Demonstrated knowledge of off-grid renewable energy projects and systems, with a focus on the Pacific Islands or similar context is highly desirable
• Experience with Australian Government/DFAT-funded programs or other donor-funded programs is highly desirable
• Demonstrated leadership in project portfolio management and partnerships
• Technical and Financial acumen and experience assessing feasibility of project proposals

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success, and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Safeguarding

We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.