Chemonics seeks a Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WSSH) Advisor. The WSSH Advisor will provide expertise and technical direction and guidance on proposed, new, and ongoing WSSH projects in Chemonics’ East and Southern Africa (ESAF), West and Central Africa & Haiti (WCAFH) Business Unit (BU), and to other regional BUs as required. The WSSH Advisor will be a professional who brings program implementation and management expertise in the growing challenges facing developing countries around the world in providing safe, affordable, and equitable access to water and sanitation services, preferably with an emphasis in urban environments. Cities are growing at a rate that is outpacing their ability to provide essential services, particularly safe water and sanitation. Yet these services are essential for human health, dignity, and prosperity. The advisor will understand the leading approaches to urban water and sanitation services strengthening, particularly in addressing underserved communities, informal settlements, decentralized sanitation services, and the principles of city-wide inclusive sanitation.
The advisor will work primarily with proposal leads, project directors, chiefs of party (COP), and technical leads to develop and, as applicable, implement best practice and innovative WSSH approaches that are tailored to the country and client context, with particular emphasis on urban WASH, and ideally with experience in urban sanitation. While performing these duties, the advisor will, as needed, lead, write or contribute to technical proposal development, including inputs on interventions, expected results, outcomes, and outputs; monitoring indicators and targets; partnering; staffing; and other relevant matters. Likewise, on new and existing projects, the advisor will, as applicable, contribute to the development and implementation of annual work plans; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) plans; and other technical deliverables. The advisor will collaborate with colleagues in the Water and Sustainable Cities (WSC) Practice to ensure alignment and cohesion of technical guidance and thought leadership. The advisor will report to the SVP of WCAFH.
Responsibilities:
Project Management
- Participate in meetings between project management units (PMUs) and in-country project offices to stay abreast of technical progress and contribute to solving any challenges.
- Participate in and/or lead periodic technical meetings between PMUs and project staff.
- Serve as a WSSH technical advisor and resource to project directors and COPs.
- Conduct reviews of technical deliverables prior to USAID submission.
- As needed, mentor COPs and/or key personnel who are new to the position or new to Chemonics. Also, mentor Chemonics staff who have a desire to deepen their WSSH knowledge and skills.
Technical
- Provide technical and analytical inputs to deliver high impact results across the global WSSH portfolio of new and existing projects.
- Serve as a member of new WSSH projects start-up teams with a focus on helping to develop first year work plans, MEL plans, designs for baseline and initial surveys and data collection exercises, and other technical deliverables. As applicable, advise on staffing decisions; develop job descriptions; assist with staff recruitment; assist with developing subcontractor scopes of work; participate in start-up workshops, etc.
- As needed, assist existing projects during annual work planning or during periods when project teams are making material changes to technical approaches, etc. This may include working with project teams to analyze past interventions and outcomes against targets and desired results, examine material changes to the operating environment and forecasting how these may impact future interventions, and select appropriate course corrections.
- Periodically review project work plans and progress reports to offer constructive feedback and ideas that could enhance project performance and development impact.
- Participate in technical discussions with the client to ensure that there is a clear and mutually agreed understanding of a project’s technical approach and expected results.
- Complete billable assignments on new or existing projects in accordance with specific scopes of work, in particular as acting COP. The focus of such assignments may be technical or management. Interest and ability to serve in a future long-term project assignment as needed.
New Business Development
- Lead capture efforts for upcoming WSSH-related projects.
- Lead or participate in fact finding missions (g-trips) to countries with upcoming WSSH projects; meet key stakeholders; maintain detailed trip notes; and debrief relevant capture / proposal teams and ESAF and WCAFH management on trip findings.
- Review and provide technical input on WSSH-related solicitations.
- Contribute to the design of WSSH specific components to enhance coherence of technical approach and WSSH strategies in programming.
- As applicable, work with proposal leads and technical writers to develop best practice and innovative WSSH approaches that are tailored to the country and client context. Likewise, provide input on expected results, outcomes, and outputs; monitoring indicators and targets; technical approaches and interventions; partnering; staffing; and other matters.
- Serve as proposal lead and/or technical writer for strategic live WSSH-related solicitations.
- Participate as a member of pink and red team reviews of WSSH-related proposals.
Management and Leadership
- Review and informally assess ongoing WSSH projects to identify successes, lessons learned, best practices, and/or innovations that can be shared within Chemonics or with external audiences. As applicable, develop communications products, e.g., written success stories, blogs, videos, etc. to capture and share these findings.
- Stay abreast of WSSH trends impacting USAID’s ongoing and future programming and advise leadership on how to improve our competitive position within the market.
- Develop and lead technical discussions about WSSH best practices for interested staff.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience; master’s degree preferred.
- Minimum 8 - 10 years of relevant WSSH-related technical experience, with direct experience in urban WASH and sanitation services strengthening strongly preferred.
- Previous chief of party or senior-level project management experience strongly preferred.
- Willingness to travel and work abroad for up to 3 months per year.
- Works effectively both independently and as part of a team.
- Demonstrated leadership, versatility and integrity
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
- Language proficiency (French) for assigned geographic area preferred
Apply by January 6, 2025. No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted.
Chemonics is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Chemonics is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics. Military veterans, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.
Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
Chemonics will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by Chemonics, or (c) consistent with Chemonics legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
