Job DESCRIPTION: Rural Water PROGRAMme MANAGER (rwpm)
Title of the position: Rural Water Programme Manager
Supervision : Senior Water Program Coordinator in Charge of AfriCap
Venue: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Period: One year contract, with 03 months probation; start : September 01, 2023
1- HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN WATER AND SANITATION ASSOCIATION
The African Water Association was created in 1980 as a professional membership Institution and was first called the Union of African Water Suppliers (UAWS).
In 2004, in order to take into account sanitation utilities, as well as regulatory and asset holding companies emerging from institutional reforms during the 90’s in many African countries and the strong will for these new entities to join the Institution, the Union of African Water Suppliers changed name and became the African Water Association (AfWA).
In 2021, the name was changed from African Water Association (AfWA) to African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWSA), to take into consideration the « sanitation » component of the Association’s mission.
The African Water and Sanitation Association covers the whole African Continent and is the unique African Water and Sanitation Organization bringing together water and sanitation operators as well as various sector’s stakeholders.
2- VISION, MISSION AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
Vision Statement
Being acknowledged leader in strengthening water and sanitation utility management practices to support the goals of African Water Vision 2025.
Mission Statement
- Undertake programs and support knowledge sharing in sustainable water and sanitation management – its science, practice and policy – through professional development, networking and advocacy.
- Support the members in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and other near-term targets that have been established for Africa (SDG’s).
- Advocate a balanced approach to utility management, based on corporate governance that is commercially sound, financially self-sustaining and environmentally compliant.
Main Strategic Objectives
- Strengthening the governance and management bodies of the Association
- Capacity Building for Water and Sanitation Operators in Africa
- Diversification of partnerships and strengthening of synergies
- Strengthening the visibility of the Association
African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) operates as a continental platform that brings together corporates of drinking water production and distribution, corporates managing sanitation services, as well as those those regulating water and sanitation sectorial policies in African countries. In 2018, about 38 years after its creation, AfWASA was composed of 115 Corporate Members from 45 African countries and they are categorized as (i) active members.
While the AfWASA’s Active Members mission vis-à-vis of their customers is to provide quality products and services, they need the expertise and inputs from the industrials providing hydraulic equipment and materials as well as highly skilled consultant, who also, are in need of the Active Members to buy their goods and services so to expend their businesses. With these links, there are sort of “win-win” exchanges within the platform between the water and sanitation operators and the equipment manufacturers and consultants. Both parties had so far understood that one cannot prosper without the other. With the development of the sector creating interest of other parties, AfWASA decided to integrate new class of members, mainly constituted of industrials, equipment vendors or consultancy firms operating in the continent, but they may be from any other continent in the world. They are recognised as (ii) the “Affiliated members” and in 2018, they were 78 in this category with the most part from Europe. As for now, academic institutions providing curricula in water, sanitation and environmental sciences falls also into this category while the last two other categories are comprised of (iii) individuals showing interest in the sector and (iv) honourary members of AfWASA.
AfWASA main activities are related to building the capacity of water utilities through seminars, master classes, workshops, technical sessions during its congresses as well as continent-wide, grant-supported programs and projects. Since 2009, AfWASA has been entrusted by the UN to develop the Water Operators Partnership Concept in the African Continent. This has been done by supporting more than 25 partnerships between utilities under the grants awarded by UNHABITAT, USAID Washington, AfDB/AWF. In parallel to the development of these partnerships, through another USAID Washington grant within FABRI – the “Further Advancing the Blue Revolution Initiative” – AfWASA has organized a major capacity building project called Reducing Non-Revenue Water in sub-Saharan Africa involving 21 utilities in 19 African countries. Currently, AfWASA is implementing four programs respectively funded by USAID-west Africa office, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the German government in a collaborative agreement with the German Water Partnership (GWP) and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (CNHF). The total budget for these programs is above eight (8) millions USD.
For more information, please visit https://www.afwa-hq.org/index.php/en/ .
AfWASA with the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (CNHF) is seeking to address this trend at district level in sub-Saharan Africa, together with its members and other operating organizations including NGOs and academia with the aim at system-strengthening and service delivery to ensure reliable, affordable, and safely managed water to low-income households, health facilities, and schools.
AfWASA with the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (CNHF) as mentioned above are implementing a program entitled “Empowered WASH Systems at District-level in Africa (EMPOWERWASH-Africa)’’. This program aims at (i)supporting better understanding by AfWASA of WASH systems at district level so to identify the gaps and challenges to improve the performance of service delivery, ii) improving WASH systems at district level throughout knowledge and best practice sharing by the means of peer-to-peer learning approach and iii) supporting the creation of new knowledge and dissemination of best practices through the small grant and CoPs.
Thus, AfWASA is seeking for the position of Rural Water Program Manager for one year term renewable. The position proposed is key to prepare achievements on a sustainable manner the mentioned objectives.
3- DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION
Under the direct supervision of the Senior Water Program Coordinator in Charge of AfriCap , the Rural Water Programme Manager based at AfWASA headquarter will support the development and the implementation of the rural water programme initiative at AfWASA. Among other duties:
- s/he will elaborate the workplan of the program.
- s/he will coordinate the activities implementation and reporting.
- s/he will work closely with the Finance Team for the financial monitoring and reporting.
- S/he will work closely with the AfWASA young water professional chater coordinator in the promotion and coordination of the young water professional and WASH alumni in order to leverage rural water and sanitation project ideas from the youth, either from schools or already working in the water and sanitation companies.
- s/he will work closely with the Monitoring-evaluation and learning (MEL) Team to oversee infield data collection, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
- s/he will ensure high quality control of products prepared by the partners involved in the program and technical guidance, as required by the partners.
- s/he will ensure in conjunction with the Senior Water Program Coordinator in Charge of AfriCap, regular flow of communication between field and AfWASA headquarter and the CNH Foundation and facilitate any strategic or technical oversight of the program.
- s/he will ensure in conjunction with the Senior Water Program Coordinator in Charge of AfriCap, and the CNH Foundation WASH team, the development of learning initiatives that support the generation of new evidence.
4. Minimum requirements for the PROGRAM TECHNICAL MANAGER
- A Master degree in any of the following or related fields: Water and engineering, social science, management, international development or monitoring and evaluation.
- At least 3-5 years of professional experience, with at least 03 years in the water, sanitation and environment sector; African experience preferred.
- Demonstrated capabilities in institutional capacity development, and experience in working effectively with WS operators, governments and municipality department in charge of WS, local civil society organizations and other development partners.
- Demonstrated capabilities in methodologies appropriate to complex change processes and capacity development.
- Prior experience in grants management, including the use of grants to support capacity development objectives.
- Proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
How to apply
5. Required documentation
- Letter of Motivation
- Detailed Curriculum vitae in English and/or French.
- Names and contact information of three reference persons. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Applications must be sent to the email address below by August 10 th, 2023:
recrutement@afwa.org
Specify in the subject line of the email: “Application for the position of Rural Water Programme Manager “.
Note : Any application which is incomplete and/or does not contain the subject of the email will not be processed.
African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA)/Association Africaine de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement (AAEA)
Riviera Palmeraie – Rond-point, Place de la renaissance-Immeuble SODECI-2ème étage.
25 BP 1174 Abidjan 25 Ivory Coast /Tel: + 27 225 22 49 96 11/+ 225 27 22 49 96 13
Fax + 225 27 22 49 23 30
