Head – Policy and Technical support via DevNetJobsIndia

Job Description

1.                Introduction

2.                Context

Jal Seva Charitable Foundation (JSCF) is registered in India as a not for profit company under Chapter 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. JSCF, is an associate member of WaterAid International and uses the brand name ‘WaterAid’ in India. WaterAid India seeks to improve access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene for everyone, everywhere. We started in 1986 because no non-profit like us existed. We are determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. Only by tackling these three essentials, in ways that last, can people change their lives for good.In India, WaterAid works with communities in rural and urban areas. Thanks to our amazing supporters, we have reached millions of people with these three essentials – clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene – enabling communities to unlock their potential to break free from the cycle of poverty and to change lives for good. We will not stop. Not until clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene are a normal part of everyday life for everyone, everywhere. WaterAid India’s (WAI) country office is based in New Delhi with State Offices in Bhopal, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Patna and Lucknow. We currently work in 11+ states across the country. WAI’s Programme focus in the next five years is on ensuring that communities – especially low-income families – are WASH secure i.e. with assured access to safe drinking water at the household level; with safely managed sanitation’ institutions such as anganwadi’s, schools and health care facilities with adequate and appropriate WASH infrastructure and with good hygiene behaviours. We seek to do this through demonstration and the provision of technical and knowledge support to governments at all levels who can facilitate this adoption on scale. 

3.                Overall Responsibilities

• Lead a team of senior professional experts of various themes and ensure all outcomes are consistent with WAI quality standards.
• Contribute to organisational visioning, planning and review processes.
• Collaboration with cross functional and locational teams for effective delivery of WAI strategy.
• Be part of Country Management team.
• Government and stakeholder engagement for collaborative action.

A.               Organisational level Responsibilities

• Manage and mentor a team of experts, specialists and researchers.
• Support in building a highly motivated and high performing team.
• Facilitate matrix reporting and collaborative functioning across teams.
• Participate in and contribute to organizational progress and performance review processes
• Integrate all policy and technical support priorities and activities at all levels of organizational planning.
• Develop tangible indicators and a Programme Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) framework for Policy and Technical Support and ensure progress tracking.
• Contribute to resource mobilisation efforts in terms of strategic focus and content
• Provide content and direction to media and communication initiatives of the organisation, including campaigns
• Ensure effective coordination with program teams, integrating policy and Technical Support priorities
• Support in programme design and proposal development processes.
• Participate or lead, as necessary, and contribute to organisational management systems and processes.
• Collaborate with WA global teams on Policy, Research and Technical Support agenda,
• Facilitate representation of good practices from WAI States in other state and national level forums.

B.               Policy level Responsibilities

• Ensure comprehensive analysis of relevant sector policies from WAI’s strategic priorities and facilitate organizational wide dissemination.
• Ensure effective planning, delivery of Policy priorities and utilisation of financial resources and budgets allocated for the function.
• Facilitate identification of strategic priorities for policy change intervention through internal and external stakeholder consultation
• Develop short, medium, and long-term goals, milestones and plans to leverage desirable and appropriate changes in prioritized policy areas. 
• Facilitate in developing organisation’s research strategy, and annual research plan, and ensure adherence organisational research protocols and principles
• Facilitate Policy uptake of research recommendations
• Support development of high-quality proposals for projects focussing on policy change and influencing.
• Facilitate policy discourse and support in strategizing policy change objectives.
• Regularly update on relevant sector insights and intelligence and facilitate action.
• Strategic engagement with key Government Ministries at state and centre.
• Forge or be part of networks and alliances for maximising impact of the team’s work
• Ensure policy briefs and other tools for aiding structured engagement and driving desired change
• Facilitate establishing attribution for policy change and synthesise and learning from the collaborative efforts
• Contribute to WA advocacy, research and learning at global level.

C.               Technical level Responsibilities

• Supporting Technical experts and State Leads in government engagement and negotiation
• Ensuring that the team members identify most relevant areas for technical support and guide towards effective delivery of the same.
• Development and regular update   of organisational technical standards, training and dissemination of the standards and oversight of adherence.
• Facilitate the process of identification of relevant innovations, support testing under field conditions and robust evaluation of performance
• Facilitate development of simple manuals and guidelines and dissemination
• Support high quality proposals for projects on technical support.
• Promote technical excellence in WAI’s work
• Support documentation and collation of WAI’s technical models and their dissemination for wider adoption.
• Building WAI’s identity as a technical WASH sector lead
• Facilitate identification of and engagement with relevant technical experts and institutions as resource agencies or technical partners 
• Contribute to and leverage support from the WA Federation for technical innovations.

4.                Eligibilities and Requirements

A.               Education/ Qualification

• Doctorate or Master’s degree in any relevant discipline related to WASH such as Public Health, Public Policy, Economics, Environmental sciences, Civil Engineering, Geology/Hydrogeology, Urban Planning etc.

B.               Experience

• Proven track record of engaging with Government departments at the national level, state level, with evidence of change in policy at national or state level
• Hands on knowledge of how Government systems function at national and state level
• 10-15 years of relevant sector experience, with at least 5 years in a similar leadership role
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with diverse stakeholders to inform and drive policy change
• Understanding of operational/action research
• Experience of leading senior professionals, technical experts
• Track of publications (media articles, journal articles, reports, advocacy reports)

5.                Skills, Aptitude and Attitude

• Language: Fluency in speaking, writing, reading English and Hindi. Fluency in any another Indian language (Telugu, Odiya, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi) preferred.
• Excellent computer and analytical skills
• Facilitation and moderation skills
• Ability to manage and lead team, and collaborate with different teams across WAI and the WA Federation
• Ability to position oneself within the context
• Proactive in exploring and testing new ideas, solutions, ways of working
• Command over subject matter and leadership position with humility demonstration of WaterAid values and principles
• Capacity to inspire and lead
• Ability to contribute to and build the culture of trust and respect based/genuine collaboration within the organization

Application Process

• To apply please download the attached application form. Kindly note that ONLY applications submitted on WaterAid’s standard application form will be considered.
• Please mention position and location in the subject line “Head – Policy and Technical Support”.
• Please save the application form with your name and position, you have applied. Completed applications should be sent to [email protected] 
• Closing date: 21 January 2022.
• Only Shortlisted candidates will be intimated of the interview. 

WAI, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. 

Women and the differently abled are encouraged to apply.