About 1001fontaines
More than 2 billion people worldwide still drink unsafe water, with lasting consequences for health and livelihoods. At 1001fontaines, we believe that access alone is not enough: ensuring a continuous supply of safe, affordable drinking water requires efficient, innovative, and sustainable solutions—especially in the face of climate change. For over 20 years, we have worked alongside local partners in Asia and Africa to design and operate resilient drinking water services for vulnerable communities. Our mission-driven approach combines technical expertise, local capacity building, and financial sustainability, enabling long-term impact at scale. Today, more than one million people across four countries rely on our solutions, and by 2030 we aim to become the reference for safe drinking water in five countries.
The Nepal project
Following feasibility and pre-launch phases, 1001fontaines is launching a pilot in Madhesh with two production units in Ganeshman Charnath and Mirchaya municipalities, aiming to establish a replicable reference model for sustainable and scalable safe water services.
The pilot focuses on three objectives: (1) build service and demand, serving 20,000 consumers with WHO-compliant safe water, in line with Nepal National Standards; (2) optimize the model for financial sustainability, covering 90% of operating expenses through water sales; and (3) lay the foundation for replication, developing a toolkit and validated 3-year expansion plan.
Job Overview
1001fontaines is seeking a hands-on, field-oriented Technical Lead to support the launch of safe drinking water operations in Nepal.
Reporting to the Country Director and working closely with 1001fontaines’ Technical Director, the Technical Lead will finalize the design of water production units, oversee their setup to be completed by Q3 2026, operationalize production, and ensure the long-term technical reliability of operations.
The Technical Lead will receive direct training from the Technical Director on standards, tools, and methodologies to ensure all operational processes meet organizational quality and safety requirements.
Key Responsibilities
1. Finalize technical design and oversee set-up
- Finalize production unit designs, sourcing equipment and materials in coordination with the Technical Director.
- Oversee construction, installation, and commissioning, ensuring quality control.
- Conduct technical testing and validation of treatment processes and equipment before operations.
2. Operationalize production and develop SOPs
- Develop and document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for production, maintenance, hygiene, safety, and quality control.
- Establish preventive maintenance plans and troubleshooting protocols.
- Support the design and implementation of water quality monitoring systems, including sampling, testing, and reporting.
- Train technicians and operators on production, maintenance, and quality management.
3. Provide long-term technical oversight and capacity building
- Offer ongoing technical support to operations, including troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
- Support continuous improvement of production performance, reliability, and efficiency.
- Contribute to technical reporting, documentation, and knowledge management.
- Provide inputs for pilot evaluation and scale-up decisions.
For these 3 sets of responsibilities, the Technical Lead will have remote support from the Technical Director and his team, as well as regular on-site support from them.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in engineering or similar qualifications (water, environmental, chemical, electrical, or related field).
- Minimum 3–5 years of relevant technical experience, preferably in water treatment, WASH infrastructure, or industrial production.
- Strong hands-on experience with water treatment systems, production operations, and maintenance.
- Experience developing SOPs, training technical teams, and operating in resource-constrained environments.
- Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with a pragmatic, field-oriented mindset.
- Ability to work autonomously while collaborating with project management and central technical teams.
- Fluent in English and Nepali.
Application Process
Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume, cover letter, and references to anisha.karn@1001fontaines.com and olivier.tognetti@1001fontaines.com. Please include “Technical Lead Nepal Application – [Your Name]” in the subject line of your email.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of January 31, 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted within two weeks following the closing date. The selected candidate is expected to start in the second half of February 2026.
