The Department of Energy (DoE) is continuing to work to build its human resource capacity and has advertised a number of vacancies that it is seeking to fill to ensure proper oversight of the developing oil and gas sector.
In an advertisement in the Stabroek News, the Department invites suitably qualified individuals to apply to fill the vacancies as it “res-ponds to the rapid rate of developments within the sector.”
Areas identified are economics, econometrics, law, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, administration and environmental safeguards.
To be considered for the positions, the ad says applicants must meet requirements such as possessing a Bachelor’s Degree or higher certification relevant to the field of study, have excellent academic performance as demonstrated by university or institution records, and be proficient in the English Language.
The ad says additional consideration would be given to the past professional experience in the relevant field.
Salary scales were not listed but the DoE said that it “offers a competitive remuneration package.”
In November of last year, Head of the DoE Dr Mark Bynoe had said that it had completed its first draft framework plans for the agency and hoped that it would have been finalised by the end of end of the year so that it could begin implementation from January 1st, 2019.
“We have received a draft which we are reviewing at the moment and we are moving towards finalisation…we are looking for finalization before the end of the year,” Bynoe told Stabroek News when contacted yesterday.
He said that the DoE had started designing what it called a roadmap to guide agency deals with all oil and gas matters.
Bynoe has said that the agency will be working towards needed legislation and equipping itself to meet local oil and gas needs by first oil in 2020, even as it continues with skillset knowledge transfer programmes for its personnel.
While experts will be brought in in different areas to assist, a core role will be the transfer of knowledge to locals, as is evidenced in the case of Advisor to Bynoe: Matthew Wilks.
The DoE’s staff currently is made up of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Petroleum Directorate’s four staff members, three others from the GGMC, two accountants, a procurement specialist, an office manager, a confidential secretary and Bynoe and Wilks.
Bynoe has also said they are working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Guyana Revenue Authority towards becoming a ministry with semi-autonomous regulators, such as the Petroleum Commission. He reminded of President David Granger’s vision for the DoE—that it one day be changed into a full-fledged ministry. “His Excellency President David Granger has also indicated his desire for this Department to ultimately morph into a Ministry, being responsible for all forms of energy within the Republic,” he said.
He assured that while Guyana lacks needed personnel for the oil and gas sector, the DoE is working earnestly to close that gap. “As we seek to build the capacity of the Department of Energy, we continue to promote mentoring and capacity building going forward. We are not going to get there tomorrow or next week, but with the right people, right emphasis and support, we will get there,” Bynoe said.
