SA - ED Project Officer Intern - Perdekraal

Company Overview:

The 110MW Perdekraal Wind Farm comprises forty-eight, 115m-high wind turbines, and is situated within the Witzenberg Local Municipality, in the Western Cape, less than two hours from Cape Town. The wind farm spans an area of 3055 hectares and was chosen because of its excellent wind resource and its proximity to national roads for wind turbine transportation.

When operating at full capacity, Perdekraal East Wind Farm generates around 368.8 GWh/year of clean renewable energy per year and is expected to supply electricity to power up to 111 118 South African homes.

Perdekraal East Wind Farm eliminates approximately 410,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year compared to traditional fossil fuel power plants. In addition to zero carbon emissions and reduced use of fossil fuels, the country will benefit from minimal water consumption during the generation process and significant social and enterprise development programmes.

Summary of Role:

The Economic Development Intern will provide administrative support to the Project Officer, who is the point of contact for the local community; support the Internal Audit and Procurement Officer, who is responsible for the financial processes, as well as assisting the Economic Development Manager (ED Manager) when distributing key project information. This role will provide a learning environment for the Intern to develop skills in community engagement and financial processes by learning from the Project Officer and Internal Audit and Procurement Officer.

What you will do:

·       Support the Project Officer as front-line point of contact for the Project Company in the project office.

·       Provide information to Public Relations team for all articles, newsletter information and organise radio interviews.

·       Assist in document control and distribution of reports, project information and newsletters.

·       Support the ED team with planning, preparation, implementation and reporting of approved projects.

·       Provide support to the Project Officer to administer the grievance mechanism on the ground.

·       Build strong relationships with all relevant local partners/stakeholders/authorities/ communities/ businesses/ local government and local media.

·       Maintain strong working relationships with and has open and transparent communication between all members of the team to ensure a healthy working environment is maintained.

·       Assist in organising community meetings, focus group sessions and key informant interviews with various stakeholders.

·       Assist the Project Officer with preparing Annexure B reports on relevant SED and EnD projects.

·       Assist the Internal Audit and Procurement Officer with annual audits.

·       Engage regularly with beneficiaries / service providers to gain relevant information regarding the initiatives and to monitor their impact.

·       Take minutes at meetings and maintain socio-economic and enterprise development projects files and reports, as instructed by the ED Manager.

·       Receive and document community project proposals on behalf of the Project Office, if required.

·       Assist Economic Development Manager, Project Officer and Internal Audit and Procurement Officer as needed.

What we require:

·       Qualification in the following: Business Management, Finance, Social Science, and/or other relevant fields.

·       Candidate should have good written and verbal communications skills.

·       Must be able to travel when required.

·       Adaptable.

·       A passion to work with and in communities.

·       No political affiliations.

·       Driver’s licence will be beneficial.

·       Good interpersonal skills and be comfortable in dealing with people at different levels.

·       Theoretical knowledge or some exposure to coordinating small projects.

·       Knowledge about the area of Witzenberg Municipal area will be beneficial.

·       Ability to use Microsoft software e.g., Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook

·       Fluency in English and Afrikaans is essential. isiXhosa would be an advantage.

What we offer:

We offer you the opportunity to work in a dynamic and entrepreneurial organisation, in a growing market in a fast-paced industry.