Employment opportunity in Mozambique - resident legal adviser

In the context of the ongoing institutional cooperation between the Mozambican Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), we hereby advertise a position as Resident Adviser for the component Legal Framework.

In the context of the component Legal Framework, MIREME and NVE will contract a Resident Adviser with duty station in Maputo. The position is for one year, with the possibility of extending for 1 + 1 years. Some travel in the country and region should be expected.

The Resident Adviser will be formally employed by NVE but will be working in the offices of MIREME in Maputo, reporting to the National Energy Directorate (DNE).

Duties and responsibilities

The purpose of contracting a Resident Adviser is to support the drafting of the new and revised regulations and their introduction in the administrative practice. The Resident Adviser will have an important role in:

• developing new legal documents for the energy sector
• supporting the implementation of the new legal framework
• liaising with NVE and the Norwegian Regulatory Authority for Energy (RME) to identify how expertise from these institutions can best add value to the work and mobilise key resources to deliver support.
  

The work will at times be expected to be demanding and require patience, a solution-oriented approach and good social skills. The Resident Adviser will work according to the following Terms of Reference:

• develop, together with DNE, an annual plan for activities, including the inputs needed from NVE/RME
• participate in and organise the drafting of new legal documents
• participate in contract negotiations with developers
• provide advice on prioritization of the work
• build awareness of the new legal framework in the administration
• participate in and organise the work with developing case handling skills and tools in the administration
  
  

The Resident Adviser will deliver the following routine reports:

• quarterly reports on activities carried out to NVE and DNE
• diagnostic reports to DNE and NVE regarding the creation and development of new legal texts

Qualifications

Mandatory qualifications:

• higher education in law
  
• experience from public administration, preferably in the energy sector

Desirable qualifications:

• experience from the development of laws and regulations will be considered an advantage
• experience from strategy development, including the definition and prioritization of actions with an impact in the short and medium term will be considered an advantage
• ability to work effectively in English and Portuguese. Language training can be provided to the right candidate.
  

Personal qualities

Working conditions and remuneration:

• time bound employment at NVE
• duration 1 year, with possibility for extension 1 + 1 year
• duty station will be MIREME’s offices in Maputo
• salary according to agreement
• benefits according to the agreement of the Norwegian Government for overseas postings

NVE and MIREME will jointly select the best candidate according to the needs at the time of hiring.

About MIREME
The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (Ministério dos Recursos Minerais e Energia, MIREME) is the Government agency in charge of energy policy and sector planning in Mozambique. It has its offices in Maputo and provincial representations.

NVE is a governmental entity with responsibility for public management of the water resources and energy sectors in Norway. NVE incorporates the Norwegian Regulatory Authority for Energy (RME).

Through an institutional cooperation encompassing MIREME and ARENE, the Mozambican regulator, NVE will offer support for capacity building in the period 2023 – 2026. The assistance to MIREME covers two components: “Legal Framework” and “Governance of the Power Sector”.

The desired outcome of the institutional cooperation is to achieve a comprehensive management of the energy sector as a tool for long term economic development. This is to be achieved through targeted efforts in the areas of development and implementation of the legal framework and capacity building in the administration, the latter in particular in the regulator.

The Programme’s specific near-term outcomes are:

• a complete revised legal framework being successfully applied in Mozambique
• the new energy sector strategy successfully applied with clear priorities
• on- and off-grid electrification efforts coordinated in an efficient way
• ARENE developing well as an organisation, optimising the use of its resources
• efficient, consistent operation and case handling in ARENE
  

The highlighted outcome is directly connected to the work of the Resident Adviser. Further information on the cooperation can be found in the Programme Document for the cooperation.

Mozambique recently adopted a completely revised Electricity Law (Lei no. 12/2022). The entering into force of this law, requires the development and passing of a number of regulations, and also a process for developing the organisation for implementation of the revised legal framework. NVE is supporting this process by providing in-house expertise and consultants for drafting texts and providing back-ground information.