The WASH and Engagement Lead plays a pivotal role in transforming Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) behaviors within user communities while advancing Water Access Rwanda’s broader mission through strategic collaboration and stakeholder mobilization. This individual connects grassroots needs with institutional support, ensuring safe water is not only accessible but sustainably integrated into daily life
Key Result Areas
- Community Engagement & Capacity Building:
- Build and maintain deep relationships with communities to understand their needs and uplift their WASH practices.
- Drive behaviour change through organized inclusive workshops and trainings to drive sanitation, hygiene, and safe water behavior change.
- Support communities in reaching daily safe water consumption of 50-100LPPD.
- Establish and empower WASH Committees, ensuring regular feedback and proactive resolution of service issues.
- Issue Resolution : Monitor water points functionality through proactive customer functionality checks, and escalate any service-related concerns through clear coordination with sales and technical teams. Coordinates with local authorities to address external issues leading to functionality such as vandalism.
- Strategic Stakeholder Collaboration: Cultivate strong working relationships with government agencies, local authorities, and cross-sector organizations to enhance operational alignment and position Water Access Rwanda as a trusted WASH delivery leader.
- Communication: Mobilize sector stakeholders around the company’s vision by deploying powerful impact stories and facilitating joint action. Deploys communication and impact evidence assets to mobilize water sector stakeholders around Water Access Rwanda’s vision of safe water at the turn of a tap
- WASH Program leadership: Lead interdepartmental alignment to maximize the impact and efficiency of the company’s WASH programs. Conduct research on evolving WASH strategies and technologies to continuously strengthen the delivery model.
Responsibilities
- Design and manage WASH program plans, including timelines, resources, and community engagement activities.
- Monitor water points functionality through proactive customer functionality checks (no less than weekly).
- Coordinate closely with Technical, and sales teams to respond to user issues swiftly and consistently.
- Lead the development and refinement of training materials for both communities and internal staff.
- Conduct field visits, assessments, and check-ins with local WASH Committees to track community satisfaction and identify emerging needs.
- Gather feedback from community leaders to enhance service quality and co-create meaningful solutions.
- Coordinates with local authorities to address external issues leading to functionality issues such as vandalism.
- Maintain centralized records of stakeholder engagement, community reports, and implementation feedback.
- Produce the annual WASH report for the company’s carbon project monitoring reports.
- Represent Water Access Rwanda in public events, policy dialogues, and technical meetings to amplify the company’s voice and deepen sector collaboration.
- Curate and share compelling impact evidence—reports, case studies, success stories—that rally stakeholders around the mission. This includes a monthly newsletter and short topic videos.
- Ensure the company’s impact evidence is leveraged across touchpoints—community meetings, donor outreach, social media, and policy dialogues.
- Support internal workshops and training sessions that foster a deeper understanding of WASH priorities across teams.
- Assist colleagues across departments and contribute proactively to organizational culture and continuous improvement.
- Stay current on national WASH policies, global trends, and best practices to inform strategic adjustments and organizational positioning.
- Undertake any other responsibilities aligned with strengthening Water Access Rwanda’s community and sector leadership.
- Respond to emergent challenges and stakeholder issues with agility, professionalism, and community sensitivity.
Requirements
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Community Development, Environmental Studies, Social Work, or a related field.
- 3–5 years of experience in WASH programming, community engagement, or government collaboration.
- Proven success in organizing community-led initiatives and managing multi-stakeholder coordination.
- Experience working with local government, district authorities, and community leadership structures.
- Field experience in rural or underserved settings is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with water infrastructure or utility service models is a strong advantage.
Hard Skills
- WASH program design and implementation
- Community mobilization and training
- Government liaison and local advocacy
- Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
- Strategic planning and field execution
- Impact documentation and knowledge sharing
- Data interpretation and field assessments
Soft Skills
- Relationship building and cultural empathy
- Effective communication and storytelling
- Leadership and team collaboration
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Adaptability in dynamic environments
- Accountability and ownership
- Active listening and diplomacy
Remuneration
- A Salary: RWF 716,365 monthly gross Salary before deductions of PAYE, RSSB contributions, health Insurance (opted in on Annex 1), CBHI and any other statutory deductions that may arise in the future.
- Transport Allowance: RWF 385,000 gross transportation allowance before deduction of PAYE and other statutory deductions, to facilitate movement for meetings and timely show-ups at the office.
- Contributions: RSSB Contributions and Private Health Insurance Contributions
Retention Pay: A monthly retention payment of RWF 100,000 applicable after the probation period (subject to other taxes as applicable by the law).