Energy Africa Recruitment is a specialist recruitment and talent advisory firm focused on the renewable energy sector. We provide specialist recruitment across the renewable energy value chain, supporting IPPs, EPCs, Owner’s Engineers, developers, capital providers, specialist law firms, and insurers with senior and leadership hires across development, construction, and operations.
The EAR Experience .
How we think about Recruitment
We approach renewable energy recruitment differently.
Focused on specialist, senior and leadership roles in South Africa’s renewable energy sector.
WHAT WE DO AND WHO WE WORK WITH
Our work is grounded in market intelligence, structured assessment, and practical insight, and is delivered primarily in South Africa.
We’re not a high-volume recruiter and we don’t send CVs for the sake of it. Most of the work we do happens upfront — understanding the role properly, the pressures around it, and what success actually looks like once someone is in the seat..
That approach is why clients come to us when the hire matters, timelines are tight, or the cost of getting it wrong is high.
Our work is focused on specialist, senior and leadership-level roles in renewable energy.
We don’t recruit for junior or entry-level positions.
HOW WE WORK
WITH OUR CLIENTS.
Recruitment, for us, is a partnership built on trust, clarity, and shared accountability.
We’re deliberate about the work we take on, because how a role is recruited affects a client’s brand just as much as who gets hired.
Flooding the market with CVs, misrepresenting a role, or running a loose process damages trust quickly.
We prefer not to be part of that.
Flooding the market with CVs, misrepresenting a role, or running a loose process damages trust quickly.
We prefer not to be part of that.
We partner with clients where there is clear intent, shared accountability, and commitment to the hiring outcome. Our work is delivered through one of the following engagement models:
Retained search
Our primary model for critical, high-impact roles. Retained search is a fully exclusive, research-led hiring partnership, governed by agreed timelines and a formal Service Level Agreement.
Clients receive detailed, written deliverables throughout the process, including a market mapping report, transparent search reporting, a structured Gap Analysis, and a Due Diligence Report as standard.
Clients receive detailed, written deliverables throughout the process, including a market mapping report, transparent search reporting, a structured Gap Analysis, and a Due Diligence Report as standard.
Our retained search methodology is explained separately due to the level of governance, assessment, and reporting involved.
In some cases, we work exclusively with a client on a role without a formal retained
structure. These searches receive focused attention and controlled market positioning.
structure. These searches receive focused attention and controlled market positioning.
Exclusive Search (non-retained)
In some cases, we work exclusively with a client on a role without a formal retained
structure. These searches receive focused attention and controlled market positioning.
structure. These searches receive focused attention and controlled market positioning.
An engagement fee applies and is offset against the final placement fee. Gap Analysis and Due Diligence Report are included as part of the process.
Limited contingency
Where exclusivity is not in place, we may act as one of a maximum of three recruiters on a role.
In these instances, Gap Analysis and Due Diligence Report are available as separate paid advisory services.
We’re thorough from the outset. Candidates are engaged properly, briefed honestly, and assessed in context. Every CV sent is done with the candidate’s permission — no shortcuts, no “spray and pray”, no mass submissions.
That discipline is why roles at this level are typically completed successfully, without unnecessary churn or brand damage.
WITH OUR CANDIDATES.
We work with professionals operating at specialist, senior and leadership level, and our process is thorough by design.
There is work involved on the candidate side. We spend time upfront getting to know people properly — through in-depth interviews, detailed discussions around experience, and structured questions that go beyond what’s written on a CV.
We ask both competency-based and behavioural questions. The aim isn’t to interrogate — it’s to build an accurate picture of fit, decision-making style, and personal drivers.
There is work involved on the candidate side. We spend time upfront getting to know people properly — through in-depth interviews, detailed discussions around experience, and structured questions that go beyond what’s written on a CV.
We ask both competency-based and behavioural questions. The aim isn’t to interrogate — it’s to build an accurate picture of fit, decision-making style, and personal drivers.
As part of this process, candidates are asked to complete the Gap Analysis questions in detail. These aren’t box-ticking exercises. They help us — and our clients — understand how someone has operated in real situations, how they think, and where their strengths and gaps genuinely sit.
We also cover salary expectations carefully and transparently, early in the process, so there are no surprises later on.
The better we understand someone, the better we can represent them. When we put a candidate forward, it’s because we can speak confidently about their capability,
approach, and alignment — not just their CV.
approach, and alignment — not just their CV.
DEPTH OF NETWORK
Over the years, we’ve built and maintained a renewable energy–specific network of more than 10,000 professionals, spanning development, construction, operations,
engineering, commercial and executive leadership roles.
engineering, commercial and executive leadership roles.
This isn’t a generic CV database. It’s a live, actively engaged network built through long-term relationships, repeat placements, referrals, and ongoing market involvement.
That depth allows us to move quickly when needed — without compromising quality or brand integrity.
The better we understand someone, the better we can represent them. When we put a candidate forward, it’s because we can speak confidently about their capability,
approach, and alignment — not just their CV.
approach, and alignment — not just their CV.
HOW ENERGY AFRICA RECRUITMENT IS LED
Energy Africa Recruitment is founder-led and closely guided by Elaine Alberts.
The firm is shaped by over two decades in recruitment and more than a decade of hands-on experience in South Africa’s renewable energy market.
From the outset, the business was built to address a recurring problem in recruitment: roles being rushed, poorly scoped, or misrepresented, with real consequences for projects, teams, and reputations..
The firm is shaped by over two decades in recruitment and more than a decade of hands-on experience in South Africa’s renewable energy market.
From the outset, the business was built to address a recurring problem in recruitment: roles being rushed, poorly scoped, or misrepresented, with real consequences for projects, teams, and reputations..
The focus remains on getting the fundamentals right and protecting both client and candidate credibility throughout the process.
That depth allows us to move quickly when needed — without compromising quality or brand integrity.
The team works within that framework, maintaining the same discipline, quality bar, and non-negotiables around brand protection, candidate consent, and how roles and people are represented in the market.
The standards and direction set by Elaine continue to guide the business.
That thinking still underpins how the firm operates today.
Clients engage with a senior-led framework and decision discipline across every assignment, with experienced judgement applied where context, complexity, and risk require it.