About WaterAid

WaterAid is a global non-government, not-for-profit organisation, working for over 30 years now in changing lives for the betterment in 34 countries around the world. We work to offer clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to underprivileged people globally, through convincing the governments to change laws, linking policy makers with people on the ground, pooling knowledge and resources, and rallying support from people and organisations from different corners of the world – altogether making lasting change happen on a massive scale.

Job Purpose

As the RWA Bangladesh Country Strategy Manager, S/he will lead the development and delivery of RWA strategy and engagement in Bangladesh. Working with colleagues and key partners to: • Engage water policy makers and experts on the needs and priorities that must be addressed to increase water security in Bangladesh; • Working with donors, investors and corporations to identify and barriers to investment; • Identify where in these respective areas RWA can have the most impact and planning the necessary engagement to make the most of those opportunities. This will be achieved by his/her proactively convening of government, investors and civil society to make the case for urgent action, building consensus around priorities, and working towards breaking down barriers to action. This will likely be mediated through an established approach to water security assessment, which will provide the basis for our mandate and action in Bangladesh or specific region in Bangladesh. S/he will draw on his/her experience and insight of the climate, water or development sectors and influencing government to ensure the RWA is part of crucial conversations on how Bangladesh delivers its national plans for adaptation. The position will be hosted by WaterAid, which has been acting as the Accelerator’s interim host until an agreement with a long-term host has been finalized. A vital part of his/her role will be working with WaterAid Bangladesh. While the RWA differs from WaterAid’s core mandate, S/he will still aspire to the values and working practices of WaterAid and be built on their existing advocacy towards universal access to WASH services. This will have to be balanced by finding a unique voice for the RWA in the Bangladesh water sector, with a view to future independence of the initiative. S/he will be required to develop and own RWA’s story on Bangladesh, and be our first point of contact on RWA issues. S/he will also need to have a strong eye for detail to ensure that events, contracts and other collaborative efforts are managed appropriately. As this work is in its early stages, a flexible approach to the team’s work will be helpful, adjusting to changing priorities and progress on the ground.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a spokesperson for RWA on Bangladesh issues with a range of public and private stakeholders and at international events such as COP, speaking with authority for RWA in Bangladesh and on Bangladesh issues. • Work with Global Secretariat, particularly the CEO, and the Directors of Policy, and Programme Delivery • Co-ordinate with colleagues on engagement with Government officials at national and municipal level, and with a range of other public sector agencies • Support Deal Manager on engagement with the private sector, including finance sector and corporates • Prepare/coordinate high-quality Bangladesh related briefs and slides for RWA management. • Project reporting and donor compliance procedures • Identify reputational risks to RWA and WaterAid • Management - Directly Line Manage RWA Bangladesh Engagement Officer - Matrix management of Country Deal Manager, when appointed - Oversight of consultants and deliver partners as necessary • Logistics - Oversight of RWA Bangladesh budget and project deadlines - Manage in-country visits and travel for the RWA team

Requisite qualifications, experience, and attributes

Educational Qualifications: • Master's degree, preferably in policy, economics, business administration, engineering, environment, finance, international relations or a similar field. Experience: • 10 years of relevant experience, preferably in areas such as international development, public private partnerships, management consulting, operational roles in the climate-water- financing space. • Experience with proactively engaging with external stakeholders and maintaining and establishing strong relationships – especially with the government at local and national levels. • Experience of organising events and administration – contracts, payments and project management procedures. • Experience in engaging with a consortium of partners to develop and deliver initiatives would be acknowledged. • Experience and/or a strong interest in Bangladesh is required, while experience of working in the South Asia region would be an advantage. • Can demonstrate good understanding of social, economic and political context relevant for RWA. Skills: • Ability to produce high quality written work in English with a strong eye for detail. • Strong team player and willingness to be flexible to respond to changing priorities. • Ability to act on his/her own initiative to ensure momentum of our work is maintained, spotting opportunities and seeing the bigger picture. • Ability to assess evidence and analysis and refining messaging and approaches accordingly. • Passionate about climate adaptation and water security, and driven to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable communities. Desirable skills: • Experience working with finance sectors. • Knowledge of project management software. • Expertise on inclusivity, particularly gender equality and climate financing in developing countries.

Reportable To

Resilient Water Accelerator Policy Director

Workstation

WaterAid Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka

Working Hours

37.5

Contract Tenure

Long Term

Salary & Benefits

Monthly gross salary BDT 297,094 /-. In addition provident fund, gratuity, festival bonus, life insurance for self, combined health insurance for self, spouse and children, cell phone allowances etc as per policy provision.

Travel

Willingness to travel mainly in Bangladesh is required; 10% time should be dedicated to travels.

Ways of Working

• In a hybrid model with international colleagues and with matrix management across the different priorities of the Resilient Water Accelerator. • In collaboration with WaterAid as host organisation, in line with their HR, finance and reporting compliances and values, as well as culture and etiquette. • Be an active and engaging spokesperson for the water sector, willing to engage with stakeholders across a range of sectors.

Apply Instruction

If you are passionate to improve lives of the people in the transforming climate context, courageous to bring positive impact through your proficiencies, confident to meet organisation’s expectations and fulfil the above-mentioned requirements please visit the following link and apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Candidates will have to be ready to go through an extensive selection process. Any lobbying will be considered as disqualification. Any difficulties faced while submitting application needs to be addressed to afsanaislam@wateraid.org. Apply Now

Application Deadline: 23 May 2024

ONLY SHORT-LISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED
Candidates will have to go through an extensive selection process.
Any lobbying will be considered as disqualification

WaterAid is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

WaterAid is committed to ensuring that wherever we work in the world there is no tolerance for the abuse of power, privilege or trust. WaterAid reinforces a culture of zero tolerance towards any form of inappropriate behaviour, abuse, harassment, or exploitation of any kind. The safeguarding of our beneficiaries, staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf, is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All staff and volunteers are required to share in this commitment through our Global Code of Conduct.
Please visit https://www.wateraid.org/uk/safeguarding-at-wateraid

To know more about our organisation, please visit: www.wateraid.org