Job Description

An exciting opportunity in a rapidly changing sector.
Kuungana Advisory is a UK-headquartered consulting firm that facilitates the transformational change required to increase access to environmentally sustainable and affordable energy supply in low and middle income countries. To date, our core team has been based in London, but to accommodate our growth and to better serve the markets that we are focused on, we are now looking to expand our team to South Africa.
We offer a unique blend of services:

• Designing the energy markets of the future - we prepare robust economic analysis to shape policy and regulation in the energy sector.
• Making net zero bankable - we help our clients to develop new and innovative business models that deliver affordable and reliable energy to end consumers, with a fair allocation of risk and reward.

Our modelling of electricity price projections sits at the heart of much of our analytical work.
Kuungana was established in 2015, and our client base is expanding fast. We are now looking to expand our team to support this growth. Recent clients include donors and development banks such as the World Bank, EBRD, FCDO, UNOPS, and the IFC as well as private sector developers, investors, and lenders. The mix of public and private sector work in our portfolio maximises our opportunities to learn and is good for our clients, who benefit from the depth of our evidence base.
We are already working extensively in South Africa and the Southern Africa region. Recent projects have included:

• Advising an energy trader on an innovative guarantee mechanism, which will unlock new private sector investment in renewable energy.
• Identifying opportunities for renewable energy and battery storage procurement for a South African municipality.
• Acting as market advisor on the buy-side of multiple portfolio M&A deals, involving portfolios of assets in South Africa as well as across Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
• Modelling regional electricity prices, including in the competitive SAPP markets, and advising on the prices that can be accessed by different asset classes under different trading strategies.

What will you be doing?
You will be working on a wide range of important projects across the areas highlighted above. In practical terms, this may involve research, market analysis, the preparation of reports and presentations, and the modelling of markets, companies, and projects. You will be preparing advice for governments and regulators on market reforms, and for our private sector clients on value creating commercial strategies.
Being amongst our first permanent team members in South Africa you will have an important role in growing our business in the country and through the wider Southern Africa region.
As the firm grows, you will have the opportunity to manage individual projects and take on responsibilities in coaching and managing other members of the team. You will have an instrumental role in influencing our future, regardless of the level at which you are hired.
Kuungana's international work means that there may be an occasional need to travel, and this need is likely to increase as you gain experience. We offer hybrid working arrangements: in London, our team typically co-locates 2-3 days per week; we intend to establish similar working patterns in Johannesburg.
What is the opportunity for you?
Our focus on emerging economies means that you will have the opportunity to make a difference in your day-to-day project work. We have advised governments on policies to improve energy access for some of the poorest countries in the world and we have advised companies developing innovative new business models to accelerate progress on the energy transition. The radical change taking place in the energy sector means that your role sits at the heart of the transition to net zero.
Your reward package will be competitive, and we will facilitate flexible working arrangements (including part-time working) wherever possible. Working for a fast-growing company means that you have the opportunity to shape your role and our company, and to share in our success. Kuungana is committed to your development - we understand that this is important to your success, and it is important for us to succeed too. Your package will include a flexible budget for personal development.
What are we looking for?

• You will have an analytical skill set and a demonstrable motivation to work on the projects that interest us.
• You will take ownership of your work, you will be able to meet deadlines, and you will be able to succinctly present the conclusions from your analysis.
• You will have the entrepreneurial drive to be part of our growth story, developing our business and our team.

You will have at least an Upper Second / UK 2:1 equivalent degree in an analytical subject. That might be in economics or finance, or it might be in any STEM subject. You must also be entitled to work in South Africa.
This being our first recruitment round in South Africa, it is also important that you have at least 3 years of relevant energy sector work experience. You might have much more. You should be familiar with the key industry players and the structure of the electricity sector in South Africa. Your previous experience might be with another consulting firm, with a developer or investor, with a utility, government agency, or donor.
Beyond these key requirements, we are open to considering a wide range of candidates. The ideal candidate will also have some, but not necessarily all, of the following attributes:

• Experience in modelling the electricity sector and preparing or reviewing electricity price projections,
• Programming skills; for example, use of Python or familiarity with Gurobi, which is used by our power market models,
• Foreign language skills.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Monday 13th October 2025.

Skills Required