Southeast Asia Lead

Lead Ember's Southeast Asia team into its next chapter, shaping the vision, strategy and delivery of our policy work across one of the quickly emerging regions in the clean energy transition.

The Role

Ember is recruiting a Southeast Asia Regional Lead to build on our established, successful team - deepening our influence with regional policymakers and ensuring our analysis lands where decisions are made.  You will set the vision, strategy and delivery of our policy programme across the region, leading a team of analysts and researchers, working within Ember’s organisational strategy and the quality standards set by the team director.

You will shape Ember’s strategy for the region, ensure high-quality delivery of the team's outputs and champion Ember's work directly with Southeast Asian policymakers, funders and media. You will also collaborate with our Comms and Data teams to collectively ensure our work lands with real reach and impact.In your first months, you'll work with the Deputy CEO through a defined process to shape how work and roles are organised within the team

This role reports to the Deputy CEO on an interim basis and will report to the team director once that role is in place.  You will lead a team with direct line management of up to 4 staff. The team's internal structure is expected to evolve, and you'll play a central role in shaping it during your first months, with support from the Deputy CEO.

About Ember

Ember is an independent, not-for-profit energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. We gather, curate and analyse data on the power sector and coal mine methane emissions, and use our findings to improve energy and climate policy.

See our work at https://ember-energy.org/ and https://x.com/ember_energy

Key responsibilities

• Develop and drive Southeast Asia's programme strategy, translating Ember's overall direction into a compelling plan for the region, agreed with the team director.
• Own delivery of the team's outputs, ensuring high-quality, timely work in line with regional priorities and funder KPIs, acting as the point of quality sign-off for regional outputs within standards agreed across regions
• Champion and represent the team's work externally with Southeast Asian policymakers, media and partners
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with Ember's network partners across Southeast Asia, positioning Ember as a reliable, collaborative partner in the region
• Support funder relationships and grant reporting for the team, working with senior leadership on new fundraising opportunities with fundraising strategy and budget planning led by the team director, with the CEO and Deputy CEO.
• Mentor and develop the Southeast Asia team, giving clear direction, setting objectives and supporting their growth
• Co-create a close, day-to-day working relationship with Comms and Data team colleagues, so the three function as one delivery team
• Coordinate with other Regional Leads to share learnings and align on cross-cutting issues

Location - Remote, based in Southeast Asia. Must have the right to work in your country of residence and be able to attend periodic in-person team meet-ups.

Requirements

Must have

• Significant experience in a policy, research, or programme leadership role in Southeast Asia, with a track record of setting direction and delivering outputs that lead to real policy impact
• Solid technical understanding of clean energy transition issues relevant to Southeast Asian countries and experience of influencing the clean energy narrative
• Line management experience, including managing experienced staff and a track record of developing others with evidence of readiness to grow into managing managers, for example through leading senior colleagues, deputising, or coordinating work across multiple workstreams
• Confidence representing an organisation's work internally, and externally with policymakers, media and funders
• A track record of making sound decisions within their remit without needing constant consensus
• Strong relationships with, or a credible path to building relationships with, Asian funders, policymakers, and media
• Experience managing distributed or remote teams

Nice to have

• Existing network of Southeast Asian policymakers, funders, and media contacts
• Fundraising or grant management experience
• Experience helping shape or restructure a growing team

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background. 

Benefits

Salary: £54,880 per year, based on our standard local cost-of-living adjustment. The salary may be adjusted upwards for candidates based in higher cost-of-living locations in Asia; the applicable salary will be confirmed based on the candidate's location.

Contract: Full time (but only working 9 days every fortnight with no reduction in pay).

Location: Remote, based in Southeast Asia. Must have the right to work in your country of residence and be able to attend periodic in-person team meet-ups.

Further benefits: We offer a competitive benefits package, including:

• We operate a nine-day fortnight meaning our full-time staff are given every other Friday off work with no reduction in pay
• A minimum of 25 days holiday, plus public holidays
• For each year that you're part of the team at Ember you'll receive an additional day of holiday, up to a maximum of 5 additional days.  
• Flexible working conditions, including the opportunity for part-time work and home working.
• Access to a local working space can be arranged
• Free annual eye tests
• Access to a counselling service
• Funding and allocated time for your training and development
• Paid volunteer day
• Four paid days off per year to enable low carbon travel
• Time off to donate blood