Technical Lead - Water Security

4 June 2024
in
Australia, Jobs and volunteering, Melbourne

Introduction

WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the world’s poorest communities. WaterAid works with partners to maximise its impacts on policy change/influence.                          

WaterAid works through supporting local organisations and government authorities to design and demonstrate appropriate and sustainable WASH programs. WaterAid also seeks to influence policy change through government and other key sector actors to secure and protect the right of poor people to safe, affordable water and sanitation services.

Everything we do is shaped by our six values:

  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Collaboration
  • Courage
  • Accountability
  • Innovation

 

WaterAid Australia works within a federated international NGO structure, and is the WaterAid international member responsible for managing country programs in South East Asia and the Pacific. WaterAid Australia has country programs in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Cambodia.
 

The organisation is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Technical Lead – Water Security within the Policy and Programs team to provide technical leadership of integrated water security and WASH quality programming in Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Asia Pacific region. WaterAid is a child safe organisation and committed to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse in everything we do. All positions within WaterAid are required to comply with our Global Safeguarding Policy, Child Safeguarding Policy and Codes of Conduct.

Position Summary

The Technical Lead – Water Security is responsible for supporting high quality implementation of integrated WASH and Water Security programs in Timor-Leste, PNG, and Cambodia. The position is responsible for leading and growing WaterAid’s climate resilient WASH strategic portfolio of work across programming; policy and influencing and business development. This is an excellent opportunity for a professional with strategic relationships with others in the WASH, water security and climate change sectors.


The position will be part of an experienced team of Technical Leads, collaborating to integrate water security and climate resilience with our core gender, health, and system strengthening programming approaches. Working with the Head of Strategy the position will lead the
implementation and monitoring of WaterAid’s regional climate resilience strategy. The position will also have responsibility for identifying policy and programming opportunities to collaborate with WaterAid global staff that are working on climate change.

 Key Performance Areas/Accountabilities

  1. Lead the area of water security within WaterAid Australia, including integrated WASH and WRM efforts; nature-based solutions and strengthening links to agriculture and energy;
  2. Work collaboratively with country programs to support them to design, deliver and improve quality of their water security and climate resilient WASH programming
  3. Lead the delivery of WaterAid’s Climate Resilient WASH strategy for the Southeast Asia and Pacific region that builds on and supports the capacities and priorities of country programs;
  4. Lead or support research initiatives related to integrated water security and WASH and document and share WaterAid’s experiences, lessons and findings;
  5. Build networks, relationship and partnership with Australian and regional water security; climate and agriculture actors to position WASH as a critical issue for climate change outcomes;
  6. Maintain strategic relationships with WaterAid water security and climate colleagues across the global federation;
  7. Represent WaterAid in Australian, regional and global water security, WASH and climate forums;
  8. Drive business development opportunities at a regional level and in collaboration with country programs relating to water security, WASH and Climate Change, and secure new funding contracts;
  9. Support project and contract management, program operations, and learning and development processes as required.

Qualification, Skills & Attributes (Key Capabilities/Selection Criteria)

Essential

Knowledge skills and experience

  • Experience in water resource management and water security programming
    or research in a development context

  • Understanding of water, sanitation and hygiene in Southeast Asia and Pacific
    contexts

  • Experience in providing capacity strengthening support to improve program
    quality of in-country teams, including distance relationships management and the development of staff networks

  • Experience integrating water security, WRM and climate data into program
    design and implementation approaches

  • Excellent facilitation skills and ability to make clear public presentations in
    English

  • Good networker adept at establishing and maintaining relationships with
    colleagues and collaborators. Familiarity with the main WRM and/or climate
    change actors (donors, implementing agencies) and global and national
    strategies.

  • Understanding of the impact of climate change on gender and experience
    with addressing gender inequality within development programming

  • Strong research, writing and analytical skills to produce technical reports or
    scientific papers

Education

  • Graduate qualification related to water resource management or water
    security

Personal qualities

  • Commitment to WaterAid’ values and standards of safety of children and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse in all our activities

  • Demonstrate an understanding of gender equality and women’s empowerment including ethnic diversity and cultural sensitivity

  • Self-motivation and independent worker, adaptable to work with remote communication between teams

  • Excellent interpersonal skills, collaborative style and ability to forge new relationships and partnerships

  • Being open to learn, experiment and take risks

  • A strong commitment to gender transformative, inclusive, and pro-poor development agenda

  • Commitment to Child Safeguarding and to the WaterAid values of integrity,
    respect, collaboration, courage, accountability and innovation

 

Physical Environment and Demands

Remote, flexible working arrangement with relevant equipment supplied as required, approximately 10 weeks overseas travel required per year when safety and security conditions permit.
WaterAid is a child safe organisation and committed to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse in everything we do. All positions within WaterAid are required to comply with our Global Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, Child Safeguarding Policy and Procedures and Codes of Conduct.

Level of contact with children

During project site visits, office family days

To Apply:

Please send your CV and a cover letter addressing the selection criteria to [email protected] by 23 June 2024.

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