Utility Engagement Specialist

We’re looking for a Utility Engagement Specialist to manage utility relationships, and the submission and follow-up of grid-related applications with municipalities and utility providers. This field-based role is critical to ensuring project progress and compliance and will suit someone with integrity, initiative, and experience in navigating municipal processes.

Position of the job in the organisation:

The Utility Engagement Specialist will report directly to the Grid Specialist.

Principal responsibilities:

- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including municipal officials, Eskom representatives, and other regulatory bodies.

- Build credibility and trust through consistent, transparent, and professional engagement.

- Navigate bureaucratic and political environments with tact, patience, and persistence to ensure project approvals and alignment.

- Act as the bridge between technical teams and external stakeholders, ensuring collaboration and shared understanding

- Submit and track all energy applications (including Use of System Agreements, Small-Scale Embedded Generation, Embedded Generation, and Grid Connection) in person and online with relevant municipal or utility departments.

- Liaise directly and regularly with municipalities, utility representatives, and local government officials to build trust and ensure application processes are transparent and on track.

- Track and update application statuses on Monday.com project boards to ensure internal teams have up-to-date visibility on all submissions.

- Maintain and organise all related documentation (application forms, correspondence, approvals, permits) on SharePoint for easy access and audit-readiness.

- Schedule meetings, inspections, or networking sessions with municipal and utility stakeholders to facilitate better communication and faster approvals.

- Identify delays, risks, and recurring issues in specific municipalities, documenting patterns and escalating critical items to the Grid Specialist or senior leadership.

- Support internal reporting by compiling progress updates, flagging risks, and recommending corrective actions based on field observations.

- Represent the organisation in a professional and dependable manner when interacting with public officials and external stakeholders.

- Stay informed on municipal processes, updates, or policy changes that may impact project timelines or application requirements.

- Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, project development, and compliance teams to align external application processes with internal project timelines.

- Assist in designing and maintaining a municipal engagement database for knowledge continuity and future project efficiency.

- Offer support and guidance to the Grid Engineer, particularly in areas related to internal systems, tracking, or field communication gaps.

- Contribute to internal process improvements, suggesting better ways to standardise and speed up municipal and utility engagement.

- Any other job duties associated with this role.

Experience & Skills

- 1–3 years of experience coordinating with electricity utilities, especially for solar or renewable energy projects and/or 3+ years of proven experience in a municipal-facing or energy applications role

- Proven track record engaging with South African municipalities, Eskom or other government/regulatory stakeholders.

- Demonstrated success navigating complex approval processes, compliance requirements, and bureaucratic systems.

- Hands-on experience with project registration, grid interconnection applications, and net metering processes

- Familiarity with UoSA, SSEG, EG and Grid Connection applications, Nersa Virtual Wheeling applications, Nersa Quarterly Reports and related utility or supply applications

- Valid driver's license and willing to travel

Specific attributes:

- Strong interpersonal skills: empathetic listener, persuasive communicator, patient negotiator.

- Ability to handle pushback, conflicting requirements without losing momentum.

- Excellent communication skills for continuous follow-ups with utility personnel and internal teams.

- Comfortable working independently and remotely.

Desirable attributes:

- Prior Utility Engagement Specialist or similar role or grid permit experience.

- Political and cultural awareness: able to adapt style for different municipalities and stakeholders.

- Exposure to project development in the energy sector.

- Ability to interpret technical drawings and grid connection layouts is an advantage.

By Month 3:
I will have:

- Built solid working relationships with at least 5 key municipal and utility contacts.

- Shadowed the Grid Specialist in stakeholder interactions and internal reporting.

- Familiarised myself with municipality-specific application requirements and submission processes.

By Month 6:
I will be:

- Independently managing the full lifecycle of multiple application submissions from start to resolution.

- Updating and maintaining SharePoint and Monday.com trackers with 100% accuracy.

- Routinely following up with municipalities and escalating unresolved delays to the Grid Specialist.

- Flagging trends or bottlenecks within specific municipalities and offering potential mitigation strategies.

- Supporting weekly or monthly reporting on progress, risks, and turnaround performance.

- Proactively scheduling meetings with external stakeholders to keep timelines on track.

By Month 12:
I can:

- Confidently represent the company in external stakeholder meetings and municipal workshops.

- Anticipate application risks early and implement process improvements to avoid delays.

- Deliver clear reports that summarise municipal trends, turnaround times, and systemic inefficiencies.

- Train or onboard new Utility Engagement Specialist or junior support staff in the organisation’s processes.

- Lead efforts to standardise municipal engagement strategies across the business.

- Serve as a trusted field advisor to the Grid Specialist and broader Engineering or Project Delivery teams.

Core Values:

We hire, reward, and recognise our team against these values. It is imperative that you believe in these values and demonstrate them consistently.

- We are passionate and proud of what we do.

- We communicate candidly, especially when it is difficult

- We take the initiative, share our mistakes, and grow together

- We are dependable and take accountability

- No one person is bigger than the solution - no egos.

We are currently only considering candidates based in South Africa with valid working rights. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications from outside the country at this time.