Local recruitment: LUWASH Data and Planning Specialist

Athena Infonomics

Lagos, Nigeria 🇳🇬

Home-based/Remote

Position: LUWASH Data and Planning Specialist
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Start Date: [as soon as possible]
Employment type: Long-term project role: USAID/Nigeria Lagos Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (LUWASH)

About Athena Infonomics
Celebrating over twelve years of innovative and collaborative work, Athena Infonomics has established itself as a data-driven global consultancy that leverages social science research, data science, and technology to provide user-centric, context-specific solutions and advice to decision makers. Our multidisciplinary and multi-cultural team spread across Asia, Africa, North America and Europe exemplify extensive experience in designing and applying research methods to co-design and co-produce useful research that is inclusive, and relevant and actionable.

About the Lagos Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (LUWASH) Activity
Lagos is a densely populated city, with rapidly growing urban and peri-urban areas and over 200 informal settlements, which pose unique challenges for water supply access. These challenges are exacerbated by poor performance of existing water utilities, inadequate public financing, poor water infrastructure, and lack of revenue generation. The lack of access to safe water and sanitation services limits development and quality of life across the State. LUWASH aims to increase the availability, quality and use of safe water and sanitation services and improve the governance and sustainable management of associated sector institutions in Lagos, Nigeria.

USAID/Nigeria has awarded the LUWASH Activity to a consortium led by Chemonics and including FEI, Athena Infonomics and WSUP. To address the enormous need for urban WASH services in Lagos, LUWASH will focus on improving the financial and technical capabilities as well as governance of the WASH sector in Lagos. This will include but is not limited to utilities, private sector providers and the institutions tasked with monitoring and enforcement of regulations in the WASH sector in Lagos. The Activity aims to expand and improve urban water and sanitation service delivery to the large number of unserved and underserved households residing in Lagos.
Athena Infonomics is providing technical expertise related to Component 1 of the Activity, strengthened governance and institutional arrangements, and Component 4, increased household access to safe and sustainable sanitation. Key activities to be led by Athena include:
• Improving monitoring and data systems;
• Introducing digital tools and systems to strengthen accountability and equity;
• Providing long-term support to LUWASH staff and Government counterparts on the use of data and decision support tools to improve the quality of planning and decision-making;
• Conducting a citywide sanitation mapping and analysis and identifying priorities for improvement in collaboration with Government, the private sector, civil society organizations, and other end users;
• Building Government capacity to deliver and oversee FSM services, including through the development of policies, regulations, tariff structures, and contracting models.
Athena Infonomics is hiring a long-term WASH Data and Planning Specialist to anchor its work in Lagos under the LUWASH Activity.
About the role
Playing a key role in the delivery of USAID/Nigeria’s LUWASH Activity, the LUWASH Data and Planning Specialist will be based in Lagos and provide continuous support to LUWASH staff and consortium members and key municipal stakeholders to make decisions on water and sanitation service provision in the city. The successful applicant will be responsible for generating, analysing, and translating relevant and timely evidence that informs the work of key water supply and sanitation decision-makers, and for supporting stakeholders to develop and use appropriate tools, frameworks and approaches for improving urban WASH service delivery in a sustained manner.
This is a fixed term role to deliver Athena Infonomics’ agreed activities as a sub-contractor within LUWASH, 2023-2027.
Core Responsibilities
1. Management and coordination of Athena’s agreed inputs and responsibilities under LUWASH
1.1. Act as Athena’s Lagos point of contact for LUWASH consortium members, public officials and other key stakeholders
1.2. Facilitate Athena’s inputs to agreed components of LUWASH
2. Provide ongoing technical assistance to key Activity and Lagos decision-makers
2.1. Provide ongoing technical assistance to key institutions in Lagos, including LAWARCO, LWC, LSWMO, non-governmental service providers and civil-society organisations, to ensure data collection, sector monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts are institutionalised and tied to consistently better decision-making about water supply and sanitation improvement
2.2. Embed data collection and analysis into the WASH data ecosystem in Lagos so that stakeholders manage and use data to support decision-making and drive accountability
2.3. Work with Athena experts to develop/adapt relevant sanitation tools/frameworks, including Athena’s EquiServe tool, and model different service delivery options
2.4. Support the design and rollout of monitoring systems to improve accountability, e.g., for benchmarking and monitoring of LWC performance and quality of utility governance
3. Oversee citywide household survey on WASH services, patterns of access, costs and willingness to pay for services, socio-economic characteristics of households in Lagos, etc. [Program Year 1]
3.1. Collate and review existing publicly available relevant data, liaising with relevant government bodies to ensure sufficient data capture ahead
3.2. Co-develop targeting and sampling approach and data collection tools
3.3. Recruit and oversee field team (field supervisors and enumerators)
3.4. Train field team and undertake survey pilot, and test and subsequently refine data collection tools and survey management and safety processes
3.5. Manage logistical requirements of field team i.e. transport, hiring and distribution of data collection tools, etc.
3.6. Provide management support to field team, leading daily briefings and safeguarding measures, and providing progress updates to LUWASH team
3.7. Provide data management support throughout data collection process i.e. quality assurance and on-the-spot data validation
3.8. Supply clean data set to data analysts, ready for analysis
3.9. Contribute to analysis of the current status of WASH services and implications for LUWASH interventions
4. Contribute to private sector engagement, analysis and development activities
4.1. In Program Year 1, identify, collect and analyse data on the market for [water and] sanitation activities in Lagos, primarily through key informant interviews with private sector providers and relevant public sector staff.
4.2. Based on the findings of the Y1 assessment, identify technical assistance and capacity building needs for public and private sector actors and support their delivery. These may include, but are not limited to, technical assistance to develop enabling policies, regulations, and contracting models; strengthen capacities for data collection and use; and develop plans and coordination mechanisms to facilitate public-private engagement.
5. Lead Athena’s inputs into LUWASH strategic plan and support its implementation
5.1. Collate data from household survey, private sector landscaping and analysis, political economy analysis, climate risk assessment
5.2. Use planning tools to identify potential planning and investment scenarios
5.3. Contribute to writing of strategic plan
5.4. Lead efforts to establish buy-in among key sector stakeholders, including data validation workshops, planning workshops, etc.
5.5. Provide technical assistance to government counterparts and other stakeholders to operationalize the strategic plan, including development of technical guidelines and processes, monitoring systems, and coordination mechanisms.

Qualifications and Competencies
Essential:
● Sanitation/water supply/climate specialist with atleast 6 years’ of professional experience in Nigeria.
● Academic and/or professional background in economics, public policy, health, climate resilience, water resource management, data science, engineering, or similar.
● Professional experience of working for/with a public service provider (e.g. government agency, utility, regulator, etc.), engineering/consulting firm, bilateral/multilateral agency or similar.
● Demonstrable experience in management information systems (MIS) development and use, including interpreting data from large-scale surveys, management of routine data collection, reporting, and analysis, and expertise in data collection methodologies, tools and software.
● Stakeholder engagement and coordination skills, including with funders and governments.
● Training and capacity building experience, with demonstrable moderation and facilitation skills.
● Excellent writing and communication skills, able to explain complex data/concepts/tools to different audiences.
● Demonstrable project management experience, including developing and tracking workplans and budgets.
● Familiarity with USAID reporting and compliance.
● Ability to perform under pressure and meet deadlines.
● Fluency in English.

Desirable:
• Professional experience with government institutions and the WASH sector in Lagos.
• Experience with citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) tools and frameworks.
• Experience conducting data quality assurance and control.
Additional Requirements
● This position requires successful completion of a reference check.
● The successful candidate must not be subject to employment restrictions from a former employer (such as a non-compete) that would prevent the candidate from performing the job responsibilities as described.
● Only candidates who have required work authorization(s) in Nigeria will be considered.

Apply
Interested applicants can send their CV and a cover letter to career@athenainfonomics.com. Please state in your cover letter your current location, expected salary and availability to start. Please mention “Application for LUWASH Data and Planning Specialist 2023” in the subject line.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further steps.
Athena’s Work Culture
At Athena, we function in an outcomes-based work environment with flexible hours and a high level of autonomy. Professional development and thought leadership are key elements of our business model: we support our team members’ professional growth through on-the-job training, and we encourage the cultivation of our colleagues’ personal brands through participation in panels, events, publications, and other thought-leadership opportunities. We embrace a transparent, open work environment with meaningful leadership pathways for those with inventive ideas and initiatives.
Athena Infonomics is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Athena Infonomics is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.


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DEGREE REQUIRED

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