LOCATION: Home-based in North America, preferred to be in the Eastern or Central time zones.
SALARY: Competitive
STARTING DATE: To be Negotiated
TYPE: FULL TIME
BUSINESS UNIT: Outreach & Engagement
TRAVEL: Up to 4 weeks per year
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 17 May 2024
ABOUT ALLIANCE FOR WATER STEWARDSHIP (AWS)
The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) (www.a4ws.org) is a global membership-based network of businesses, civil society organisations and the public sector dedicated to promoting the responsible use of freshwater. AWS Members contribute to the sustainability of shared water resources through the adoption and promotion of a universal framework for the sustainable use of water – the International Water Stewardship Standard or AWS Standard – that drives, recognises and rewards good water stewardship.
The AWS Standard provides a globally applicable framework for major water users to understand their water use and impacts, and to work collaboratively and transparently for sustainable water management within a catchment context. The AWS System includes independent third-party certification.
The AWS System is overseen by a multi-stakeholder governance structure and fuelled by information from members, partners and a growing number of local water stewardship networks. Knowledge and learning are fundamental to both our ambitions for growth and the integrity of the system. By connecting organisations at the forefront of collaboration on water, AWS facilitates the exchange of knowledge to advance the uptake of water stewardship worldwide.
AWS is a growing organisation and our highly motivated team is dispersed across several countries. We are now seeking a Sector Lead to join our team and play an instrumental role in the future growth and positive impact of AWS.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Sectors Team forms one of three sub-units of AWS’s Outreach & Engagement Team, alongside Programmes and Communications. Collectively, their focus is on driving participation in AWS. Led by the Chief Strategy Officer, the Outreach & Engagement Team seek to grow, engage and activate the membership of AWS to realise our organisational mission to ‘ignite and nurture global and local leadership in credible water stewardship that recognises and secures the social, cultural, environmental and economic value of freshwater’.
The Sector Lead position occupies a pivotal space in AWS, being a significant contributor to both growth and impact. Managing a team of two, the purpose of the position is to advance participation in AWS via three interconnecting components. The first is engaging and growing the AWS Membership across AWS’s priority sectors. The second is in nurturing and igniting commitments to water stewardship in line with the AWS Global Strategy 2022-30. The third is developing, managing and delivering project-based activation of the membership and the AWS System.
As the Sectors Team’s primary role is to increase uptake of water stewardship, the majority of the team’s work is focussed on working with the corporate headquarters of international companies to engage decision-makers who can trigger adoption of water stewardship throughout the business and its supply chain. Alongside this, the Sectors Team also works closely and collaboratively with peers across the water stewardship community, who also work with businesses on water-related challenges. Peer collaborators will include international NGOs, development agencies, finance institutions and other platforms.
WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU’LL DO
You are passionate and informed about the sustainability of water
- You will have worked at an NGO, company or other relevant organisation on water issues
- You will understand the landscape of corporate-focused sustainability initiatives
- You will have practical experience of corporate sustainability strategies and activities
- You have an affinity with the AWS vision and mission
You enjoy convening and leading multi-stakeholder dialogues
- You enjoy presenting to new and diverse audiences online and in-person
- You will have experience in planning, delivering and chairing meetings and workshops
- You are skilled in reading and balancing diverse stakeholder views and experiences
- You will be accomplished in producing informative, impactful knowledge products
You enjoy managing external and internal stakeholders
- You have prior skills in key account management relationships
- You have experience in developing and managing multi-stakeholder projects
- You have experience of personnel line management
- You are skilled in managing upwards, engaging with senior leadership
You are a collaborator
- You are collaborative by nature and experience
- You are an attentive listener, keen to understand and engage with new audiences
- You operate via an ethos of building trust and mutual support
- You want to create pathways forward and are comfortable setting direction
You are diligent
- You are comfortable following and building upon direction
- You are methodical and proficient in working to deadlines and budgets
- You enjoy balancing multiple priorities
- You are a self-starter who enjoys taking initiative
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED
- Experience working on corporate-linked sustainability initiatives or partnerships
- A Masters or Bachelor degree in a discipline relevant to water stewardship
- Demonstrable experience of managing diverse external stakeholders
- Knowledge and experience of project management
- Strong communication and presenting skills
- Experience in line management
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Proficient in all office-relevant software
- Ability to work from home
- Ability to travel as required
HOW TO APPLY
If you think you might be right for this job and this job might be right for you, please send an email marked “VACANCY: Sector Lead to gail@a4ws.org. Your email should include the following attachments:
- A covering letter in English explaining why you are interested in the position and demonstrating how you meet the job description
- Your current CV in English with email addresses and telephone numbers of two referees
- An indication of when you would be available to take on the role, if selected
Closing date for applications is 17 May 2024
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Unfortunately, we cannot provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates.
AWS is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, or age.
AWS will comply with all relevant Privacy and GDPR regulations regarding candidate data retention.
