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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)
Main purpose of the job:
The purpose of this role is to play a central role in delivering the Just Transition for Water Security (JTWS) Programme in Malawi, and to lead engagement, coordination and support technical policy advice, working with FCDO leads in Malawi.
These country-based positions would most likely be housed within the office of one of the suppliers to the 3 workstreams. Their focus will be on engaging national stakeholders to support the programme’s objectives on water governance and wider delivery. The purpose of the programme funded positions will be to ensure support is provided where required to ensure the programme delivers on the programme.
In-country facilitators will coordinate country-based delivery plans, support stakeholder dialogues and any negotiations and policy dialogue, ensure programme coherence and supervise work on the ground. The facilitator will report to the BHC in the first instance and to the UK Resilient Ecosystems team on broader policy matters and grant management. The facilitators will participate in monthly Operational Coordination Unit (OCU) and Programme Executive Steering Committee (PESC) meetings.
The purpose is to ensure local coherence and alignment and building a ‘fail fast’1 approach into the programme management mechanisms.
More detailed governance mechanisms will be developed in consultation with Malawi according to current arrangements which are likely to include a steering committee co-chaired by government representatives from the UK and host country. It may also include setting up and facilitating country partnerships and supporting international level programme outcomes.
You will help mobilise and support implementation of country action and delivery of a just transition for water security. You will work with in-country delivery partners from the consortium, FCDO Post, and other key national partners, to shape national approaches, supporting design and delivery of programme interventions and building synergies between international partners.
You will build key relationships with partner Governments, national civil society, farmer, foresters, industry groups, investors and with the BHC. You will play a central role in building strategic relationships and coordinating approaches on public policies and support with FCDO posts, World Bank and other international agencies at national level.
This position is country-based and will involve travel within Malawi as well as trips to other countries in the programme, the UK and other countries as required.
Roles and responsibilities:
We all have a responsibility to embrace the changes of the FCDO as it transforms, building the culture we want to see and delivering our cultural statement in how we lead and behave towards others; how we make decisions and how we get the job done is everyone’s responsibility.
In this role you will also be responsible for:
- Overall coordination of the three initiatives to ensure delivery of the programmatic effect of the three components plus MEL
- Monitoring of delivery, emerging evidence and key lessons
- Support country-level and international policy work ensuring lesson-learning.
- Managing relations between government, business, and civil society, ensuring good coordination between workstreams and other relevant initiatives or programmes.
- Convening and coordinating approaches with other major donors and organisations working on water security to catalyse greater join-up in approaches and reduce the risk of fragmented international support.
- Support to shape country strategy, governance and
- Co-design activities and strategies, consider political-economy analysis within approaches and be responsible for supporting engagement with relevant donors to join up approaches and look for partnership opportunities in recipient countries.
- Leading on water security for BHC Lilongwe, tracking and responding to key political activity
- Consider how the programme could help respond to emerging political priorities after the national election.
- Consider how lessons learned could further improve policy approaches being tested and support reforms in other geographies in the region and globally, through the JTWS and other FCDO programmes or international initiatives (e.g. Rio Convention COPs and other key international fora).
Candidates who secure a role that is considered specialist/technical, may be required to affiliate to the relevant specialist network, in this case most likely the Climate, Environment and Infrastructure, or Food and Agriculture Cadres.
Resources managed (staff and expenditure):
Budget for the programme is held by the JTWS PRO but the job-holder may be asked to provide local advice on specific items
Essential qualifications, skills and experience
Water and Natural Resources Management.
- Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree
- Experience in international policy and programme leadership (technical knowledge in water security or climate and environment is desirable)
- Experience of engaging with, and shaping, international initiatives and partnerships
- Ability to research, benchmark, scope, design, implement and evaluate project delivery aspects to tight deadlines
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Resilience and ability to manage a varied and complex workload, prioritising work to meet tight deadlines
- A ‘can do’ attitude and collaborative, inclusive and respectful approach
- Ability to work autonomously
- Language requirements – English and Chichewa
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
- Postgraduate (Masters) degree
- Prior experience of working with a wide range of different stakeholders
- Prior experience of working directly with partner Governments to shape and influence policy approaches
- Prior experience of developing collaborative relationships over a geographically dispersed region
- Experience of deploying development cooperation in complex political situations, including through the use of political economy analysis.
- Required behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service, Seeing the Big Picture
- Application deadline: 12 March 2026
- Grade: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
- Type of Position: Fixed Term, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
- Working hours per week: 35
- Duration of Post: 24 months
- Region: Africa
- Country/Territory: Malawi
- Location (City): Lilongwe
- Type of Post: British High Commission
- Salary Currency: USD
- Salary: 3,593.08 (Base salary is subject to tax and other statutory deductions)
- Type of Salary: monthly
- Start Date: 1 April 2025
Other benefits and conditions of employment
Learning and development opportunities:
- The JTWS programme offers great opportunities for on-the-job learning. Programme delivery partners include some of the world’s leading international water and policy organisations and experts, generating and testing innovative solutions to the global water crisis, and delivering on recommendations from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water
Additional information
Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
- Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
- Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
- The British High Commission will any payment or fees to apply for a position.
- Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Lilongwe are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Malawi.
- All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
- The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to.
- Obtain the relevant permit
- Pay fees for the permit
- Make arrangements to relocate
- Meet the costs to relocation
- The British High Commission does not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
- Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
- Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles. Please note: AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
- Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
- Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate”.
