WASH Programs Director

Description

WASH Programs Director

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.  

Now, and for the future. 

The Program/Department Summary

Mercy Corps is present in the DRC since August 2007 with a current workforce of more than 300 national and expatriate employees and operational presence in Goma and Beni (North Kivu Province), in Bunia (Ituri Province), and in Tshikapa, Kalonda West and Ndjoko Punda (Kasai Province). As a leading NGO in DRC working with more than 40 partners in 2024, Mercy Corps reached 2.12 million people in North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Kasai with integrated programs that ensured equitable access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in humanitarian and development settings; supported a comprehensive, rapid response to ongoing humanitarian needs; promoted economic and livelihood development to strengthen food security and resilience; as well as institutional capacity strengthening and social cohesion to foster peace and good governance. 

In October 2020, Mercy Corps started the five-year USAID’s Sustainable Water and Sanitation Systems Activity, with a budget of $51 million to be implemented in 5 locations across North and South Kivu. Building on the successes of Mercy Corps’ IMAGINE program, and those of other WASH actors in Eastern DRC, USAID’s Sustainable Water and Sanitation Systems Activity (SWASSA) has brought together a consortium of 3 international partners to focus on water and sanitation.

Early 2025, following USAID budget cuts, the SWASSA project was terminated. This abrupt stop left to the end of contract of the entire SWASSA team, the closure of field offices and unfinished infrastructures on site. In parallel, the armed group AFC/M23 took control of several cities in the east of the country, including Goma, Bukavu, and the peri-urban areas of Sake and Bweremana. The fighting led to the destruction of water infrastructure and the mass displacement of populations. Faced with this dual crisis, urgent and coordinated action is needed to restore, finalize, and sustain water supply systems, while strengthening local governance and community resilience.

In response to the end of US funding, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo brought together UNICEF and Mercy Corps in April 2025, to explore the possibility of a partnership between both actors. Following this initial meeting, it has been decided that UNICEF will establish this partnership, allowing Mercy Corps to complete SWASSA suspended work in North Kivu through World Bank funding. The overall project is piloted by the the Unité de Gestion du Projet de Développement du Système de Santé (UG-PDSS), which is attached to the Ministry of Health and responsible to coordinate World Bank funded health projects.

This project allows to complete WASH infrastructures, strengthen local capacities (including in the private sector), and reinforce the governance. The budget is 5M USD, the team is about 25 people (based in Goma) and the project will start in September 2025. It has been called the “SWAP-PED” (Sustainable Water Project – Projet d’Eau Durable) project.

The Country Office plans to fundraise for additional projects that will complement SWAP-PED and strengthen MC WASH programming in DRC.

The Position

The WASH Programs Director provides strategic vision, overall leadership, technical oversight, team and partners management of the WASH programming in DRC. The overall objectives are:

1. To ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time, on scope, and within budget.
2. Additional funding is secured for WASH development programming within MC DRC.

The WASH Programs Director will work closely with the Senior Team composed of the Deputy Program Director and the Water Systems Infrastructure and Performance Director. Together, they will be responsible for supervising program staff and ensuring accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations. 

It must be noted that WASH programming in DRC includes the upcoming SWAP-PED funding, as well as any future related WASH projects.

Key responsibilities

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

• Drive a culture of collaboration, learning and adaptation throughout the team and prosecute continuous improvement.
• Maintain focus and promote attention throughout the team of the overarching program goal, consistently ensuring alignment throughout all activities.
• Lead overall cross team coordination efforts, bringing together different stakeholders to proactively find a collective and innovative solution for challenges.
• Contribute to country wide team building efforts through collaboration with the Mercy Corps DRC team and influencing the development and strengthening of the organization.
• Represent the program across the Mercy Corps global team and internally at Mercy Corps DRC, promoting best practice, sharing lessons learned and influencing the global strategy.

TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT

• Provide technical direction, leadership and oversight of all technical elements of WASH programing. This encompasses Markets System Delivery, Stakeholder Relations and Governance, Water Infrastructure, Sanitation, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Gender, Youth, and Communication.
• Design and coordinate the feasibility studies, to ensure adapted and realistic programming.
• Ensure the highest standard of service provision strategy and implementation across the program sites. Critically analyze and provide feedback on the proposed plans, ensuring integration and synergy with the other components.
• Environment – ensure cross program strategy aligns with donor environmental regulations and best practice.
• Resilience – ensure cross cutting resilience strategies are purposefully introduced to ensure the program is implemented in a sustainable way. This includes introducing an increased focus on climate resilience.

STRATEGY AND VISION

• In collaboration with the HQ and the SMT, take an active role in programmatic design and proposal coordination for WASH programing opportunities.
• Ensure programs are running in alignment with Mercy Corps’ principles, values and the program’s strategic plan, particularly in regard to maintaining a focus on gender equality and social inclusion across the program.
• Recognize, promote and act on opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where this is regularly encouraged.
• Set the direction and support the Director of Programs in the development of annual, integrated strategic work-plans for the program.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• In coordination with the HR department, take an active role in organigram design and recruitment strategy when preparing a new WASH project.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where accountability is promoted, alternative viewpoints welcomed, the team strives to achieve excellence, and is conducive to professional growth. A key facet of the MC DRC WASH programming is to ensure accountability and to build trust; maintaining and strengthening a healthy team culture is essential to this role.
• Promote a team culture which values ongoing collaboration, learning and adaptation, integrating an increased Resilience approach to program implementation.
• Supervise the Senior Leadership Team. Establish and communicate performance expectations and regularly provide constructive feedback via performance reviews with direct supervisees.
• Strengthen the ownership of the Senior Leadership Team, empowering them to make decisions individually, contribute to strategic discussions and invest in continuous growth.
• Promote a team culture that values diversity, equity and inclusion and work closely with HR and the Senior Leadership Team to actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion within the WASH programming team composition and leadership structure. 
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Actively manage and promote professional development and ongoing training of staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful implementation of activities.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Responsible for the kick-off process at the beginning of new projects.
• Ensure oversight and implementation of the highest standard of program management tools. This includes risk management, updated and timely workplans and accurate budgeting.
• Provide oversight of all component implementation, including ensuring that each component has a detailed implementation plan aligned and coordinated with others.
• Supervise and manage all program staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget and quality.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve objectives.
• Act as program lead on relevant incident management responses, in coordination with country level leadership, as they arise.

OPERATIONS, FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure positive coordination with operations, finance and other support departments, ensuring open and transparent communication and coordination between both parties and knowledge and adherence to processes and policies. 
• Ensure effective systems and structures (including finance, logistics, procurement, security, administration and human resources) are implemented to maximize support to field activities whilst ensuring compliance with regulations and policies.
• Hold ultimate accountability for budgetary oversight and management, whilst building the team’s capacity to understand budgeting and financial management.
• Promote compliance with donor regulations, Mercy Corps policies and procedures and ensure all activities are implemented accordingly.
• Confirm that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security management priorities.

COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

• In collaboration with the CD and the DCOP, program representative for donors and high-level stakeholders, including private sector entities, humanitarian coordination platforms, NGOs, public officials, etc. Responsible for building strong relationships in the sector and ensuring proactive and continuous engagement to promote the program and maintain abreast of sector specific news and events.
• Support the Deputy WASH Programs Director, in engaging regularly with local government and civil society, community and water sector based partners building a strong reputation for the program and creating support.
• When required, act as the media spokesperson on behalf of the program, giving interviews, delivering speeches and hosting press conferences under the strict guidance of the Communication team.

Management lines

Supervisory Responsibility: Deputy WASH Programs Director and Water Systems Infrastructure and Performance Director

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: Program Delivery Managers (M&E, Market Service Delivery, Governance, Infrastructure), HR/Admin Director, Finance Director, Operations Director, Safety & Security Director, Area Manager, Head of Field Offices.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• MA/MSc in business, program management, engineering, or equivalent.
• 10 years or more of management experience in increasingly responsible positions – preferably as the lead for a comparable water and sanitation project or senior leadership/management position on a larger project.
• Experience working with water or electricity utilities, either public or private.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, private sector entities, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
• Exceptional relationship building skills, with demonstrated experience in management of large and cross cultural teams. Must be committed to promoting equality and inclusion throughout their management style.
• Strong preference will be given to applicants with private sector experience, business acumen and interest in public-private partnerships and contractual agreements (involving interlinked infrastructure and service delivery).
• Fluency in oral/written English.
• French at high intermediate level is preferred. However, candidates who demonstrate sufficient capacity in other areas would need to commit to learning French and may be required to attend an intensive learning plan.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience of working with policies, procedures and approaches with regards to design, implementation, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation for programming of a similar size.
• Previous experience leading programs in complex contexts is strongly desired.

Success Factors

The successful WASH Programs Director will embody a collaborative and values driven leadership approach, combining exceptional program management and technical skills in commercial market sectors and business model development. S/he should bring experience of building and maintaining robust donor, private sector, government and partner relationships in a challenging context. The successful candidate will have an outstanding ability to ensure technical excellence, whilst holding team members accountable to the highest standards of program management and pushing for continuous adaptation and innovative improvements. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills.

The WASH Programs Director must have demonstrated experience in the water or electricity utility (public or private) sector. S/he will have demonstrated skills in managing large scale and challenging programs in volatile and insecure environments. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem-solving and simultaneous attention to detail whilst maintaining strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Due to the nature of this program, and the operating environment, the successful candidate must have a high level of internal resilience.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Goma (unaccompanied), and it requires travels to the implementation sites, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.  Housing for this role is in group accommodation (individual apartment within a guest house) provided by Mercy Corps with the necessary amenities and security arrangements. 

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects

Team Engagement and Effectiveness 
Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.
We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.