Senior Strategy and Partnerships Associate

The Senior Strategy & Partnerships Associate will serve as the Strategy & Partnerships Manager’s operational 2IC, with a strong emphasis on delivery, execution, follow through, and cross-functional coordination. The role supports high-value partnerships, communications workstreams, strategic campaigns, major events and organisational projects across the Pele Energy ecosystem. The ideal candidate is a doer — someone who can take instruction, break it into actionable steps, move work forward across multiple teams, ensure deadlines are met, and maintain a high standard of quality and professionalism in all outputs. The Strategy & Partnerships function is central to Pele’s visibility, partnerships, reputation, and strategic execution. This role ensures that high-level ambitions translate into organised, timely, high-quality delivery. The Senior Associate becomes the engine room behind the S&P Manager — ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks, everything moves forward, and the business experiences steady, reliable execution across its most strategic initiatives. Requirements Project Delivery & Execution - Translate high-level direction from the Strategy & Partnerships Manager into clear workplans, tasks and timelines. - Project manage strategic initiatives end-to-end, ensuring delivery on time and to specification. - Coordinate with multiple internal teams and external suppliers simultaneously. - Track deliverables, follow up with stakeholders, resolve bottlenecks, and escalate issues where needed. - Maintain structure, order, and momentum across complex workstreams. Partnerships Support & Delivery - Support the execution of partnership commitments - Manage meeting prep, agendas, minutes, follow-ups and partner reporting. - Ensure internal teams deliver their components of partnership work on time. - Assist with drafting partnership documents: briefs, reports, presentations, and concept notes. - Maintain partner relationships with prompt communication and reliable follow-through. Communications, PR & Brand Alignment - Work closely with Marketing/PR/Design to ensure all external outputs are aligned, timely, and accurate. - Manage execution of key campaigns, project launches, site visits, crisis comms workflows, and corporate messaging rollouts. - Assist in preparing talking points, briefs, event scripts, or content needed for internal and external engagements. Event & Stakeholder Coordination - Provide operational support for major events. - Ensure the coordination of the event team and quality of logistics, stakeholder lists, invitations, briefing packs, run-of-show documents, and on-the-day execution. - Work with internal teams and suppliers to ensure seamless delivery. Research & Documentation - Conduct quick-turn research to support preparation for meetings, events, partner engagements, and public platforms. - Draft high-quality summaries, briefing notes, and supporting documents for executive use. - Maintain organised files, trackers, and shared resources for the S&P team. Internal Support & 2IC Function - Act as a point of contact for departments requiring S&P input or coordination. - Step into meetings on behalf of the S&P Manager when required. - Ensure that processes are followed, timelines respected, and communication flows smoothly across teams. - Provide structured guidance to junior staff or interns where appropriate. COMPETENCIES Delivery & Execution - Strong project management capability - High attention to detail - Excellent follow-through and ability to close the loop - Confident in chasing deadlines and managing stakeholders - Comfortable managing many moving parts at once Communication & Coordination - Clear, professional communication skills - Strong writing and documentation - Ability to work across functions and seniority levels - Maintains calm, order, and clarity under pressure Work Ethic & Behaviour - Proactive and reliable - Strong sense of ownership - Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment - Intuitive understanding of when to escalate and when to self-manage QUALIFICATIONS + EXPERIENCE - Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Policy, Business, Development, Energy, or related field. - 3–5+ years’ experience in project delivery, operations, partnerships, PR/communications coordination, or consulting. - Experience working cross-functionally with stakeholders. - Experience in renewable energy, sustainability, development, or ESG is advantageous. - Strong writing skills and ability to produce polished documents quickly. SUCCESS MEASURES - Reliable, timely delivery of all S&P workstreams - Improved coordination between departments - High-quality meeting preparation, follow-ups, and documentation - Successful execution of events, partnerships, campaigns and projects - Partners and internal teams experience smooth engagement and strong responsiveness