Chief Strategy Officer- Shell Foundation

Since its beginning, Shell Foundation has played a central role in creating an ‘energy access’ sector and during the next nine years, we will be at heart of scaling it. We will enable 60 million people (majorly smallholder farmers, urban transporters and microentrepreneurs) to earn a living income with clean energy by 2032. To achieve this, we will connect global investors from across the public and private sectors with world class businesses and innovative technology, empowering as many women as men, and catalyzing local entrepreneurship. We will also achieve a low-carbon future that helps to establish Africa and India on a path to inclusive growth.

Employment Type Full time

Experience level Experienced Professionals

The Role
Where you fit

Shell Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales, founded by Shell in 2000, that creates and scales business solutions that empower underserved populations to earn a living income through access to clean energy products and services.

What’s the role?

The Chief Strategy Officer will be responsible for leading Shell Foundation’s efforts to develop and implement policies, processes, tools, and systems that allows it to deliver strong thesis led portfolio investments aligned to strategic priorities. The CSO will help the Foundation learn, adapt and stay in strategy as well as guide its investment choices. The role is also accountable for the analysis and appraisal of the portfolio and for the delivery of research and market intelligence and its iteration into investment thesis.

This is an opportunity to be part of a committed and enthusiastic leadership team working to implement the foundation’s 5-year strategy, lead a team of experts and collaborate with other teams to plan and execute strategic projects

Further roles and responsibilities:

• Accountable for the end-to-end creation, implementation, and quality of Investment criteria aligned with SF’s strategy
• Evaluate the effectiveness of capital deployed by SF, across all financial instruments, and set and iterate
• Investment Thesis standards to align with VMO
• Lead SF’s annual business planning cycle and design and implement methods/tools to build interest and appetite among the programme team to find/share relevant sector data
• Lead the M&E team to develop social impact indicators, including DE&I, for portfolio companies and SF itself
• Provide broad business support, management, and financial advice to SF partners for managed growth and effective spin-off, as part of wider Leadership Team responsibilities
• Work with the CEO in strategic engagement of prospective funding partners worldwide and offer support and pastoral care to SF team members based in the region of domicile
• Contribute to the wider goals and operations of Shell Foundation as part of the leadership team and act as a role model for our values

What we need from you

• Significant and credible broad business experience (essential) as well as international development experience with either a business, donor, or NGO with minimum of 10 years of experience in developing, implementing, improving, and aligning strategies
• Entrepreneurial experience, either of working in or assisting start-ups or small businesses, or entrepreneurial experience in problem solving and/or process re-engineering
• Strong commercial or financial experience; significant cross-border experience, including practical experience of working in developing countries and emerging economies as well as Western markets
• Experience building strong teams, developing people, and leading through influence, impact investment, formulating impact indicators, evaluating impact for social initiatives, knowledge management and programme quality assurance
• Very creative and innovative individual who is comfortable with and able to clarify ambiguity. Also, an excellent communicator and negotiator with strong ability to build strategic partnerships
• Has right to work in relevant jurisdiction but also able & willing to travel 20% of the time with clear background check for safeguarding purposes

An inclusive place to work

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and achieve our mission. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone can contribute their perspective and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do their best work.