Senior Water Engineer - USAID Climate Resilient WASH Activity - Ethiopia

Job Description

Overview

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 6,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI’s Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI’s experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world. 

SG&R’s Water portfolio has delivered innovative, breakthrough solutions in key development sectors globally, including water sector governance, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, water resources management, community engagement, urban resilience, and institutional capacity building. 

Project Description 

The purpose of the five-year USAID Climate Resilient (CR) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Activity is to support accelerated access to inclusive and resilient WASH services targeting lowlands areas. 

The Activity will be based in Ethiopia and target the lowland areas of Afar, Oromia, Somali, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). 

The Activity will work to fulfill this purpose through four complementary intermediate results: 

1. Professional and expand climate-resilient water services; 
2. Increase sustainable access to and use of sanitation and hygiene products and services, including for menstrual health and hygiene; 
3. Improve gender power dynamics; 
4. Strengthen the enabling environment for climate-resilient water and sanitation services.  

Position Description 

RTI is seeking a Senior Water Engineer for the recently awarded USAID CR WASH Activity in Ethiopia. The Senior Water Engineer will be responsible for overseeing activities to professionalize and expand climate-resilient water services (IR 1) in selected woredas of the Somali, Oromia, SNNPR, and Afar Regions. This includes but is not limited to activities that (1) support expanded access, service reliability, and management, with a focus on rural clusters (IR 1.1); (2) improve contingency planning, budgeting, and disaster risk reduction measures, including climate information services (IR 1.2); and (3) strengthen sustainable water resources management (IR 1.3).  

The Senior Water Engineer will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and report to the WASH Technical Director/DCOP. 

Responsibilities

• Oversees and manages climate resilient water service delivery activities in the lowland regions through regional water technicians and construction staff.   
• Provides technical leadership to all climate resilient water service activities, including capacity building to project stakeholders to increase the quality and availability of services, improve efficiencies, and generate greater cost recovery of water services. 
• Supervises the Construction Manager and STTA, including the WRM Specialist, Construction Quality Control Advisor, and Capacity Building Trainer; provides technical direction for IR 1 to regional offices. 
• Provides management and oversight of project infrastructure activities, such as new or rehabilitated water schemes or extensions to piped networks, prioritizing connections to health facilities and schools.  
• Supports pilot efforts to cluster communities into rural utilities to develop economies of scale for operation and maintenance of water infrastructure.  
• Assists water service providers to develop business continuity plans and build rapid disaster response capacity, including budgets, water safety plans, contingency plans, and personnel to manage proactively and respond to acute shocks and restore water services when crises strike.  
• Supports local actors and stakeholders to protect water resources, promoting nature-based solutions. 
• Ensures timely achievement of activities in adherence to the approved project work plan and budget.   
• Contributes to project learning, working with Regional Teams to ensure that gaps in the evidence base are identified and that project learning and results are captured and shared with the broader project team and other stakeholders.   
• Collaborates with the Gender Advisor to ensure that gender is meaningfully mainstreamed throughout water services activities. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 12 years of experience, master’s degree and 10 years of experience, PhD and 6 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Engineering degree and prior professional experience in engineering. 
• Experience in supervision or management of the design, construction, or rehabilitation of water supply, drinking water systems, and/or sanitation infrastructure.  
• Demonstrated familiarity with the lowland regions or similar contexts, such as drought prone areas.  
• Familiarity with climate resilient concepts in the water sector.  
• Demonstrated ability to establish and sustain professional relationships with host country government counterparts as well as NGOs, community groups, and other water sector stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated management experience. 
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English; proficiency in one or more local languages strongly preferred. 

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