Local recruitment: WASH Programme Manager East Africa

Aqua for All strives to create a sustainable and inclusive water and sanitation economy worldwide. We believe innovations, scalable solutions and access to capital are instrumental to overcome the current service delivery and finance gaps. Aqua for All combines two approaches. On the one hand, we focus on supporting market-based solutions to scale their business and to become investment ready. We support enterprises in scaling their water and sanitation services with the objective to develop locally-embedded initiatives with a viable business model.

Simultaneously, we provide catalytic capital by working with financial institutions, investors and other financiers in order to increase access to WASH finance. Since 2020, Aqua for All has been developing different finance for WASH partnerships to catalyse investments for water and sanitation, necessary to achieve SDG6 and accelerate impact.

Since mid-2019, Aqua for All is leading the “Making Water Count’’ programme in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The programme aims to achieve higher impact and mobilise public and private investments for effective water and sanitation solutions for low-income households in Africa and Asia. Under this programme, we deploy grant funding – amongst others – in selected innovative, blended finance structures targeting local SMEs and financial institutions.

To expand our growing team in Kenya, we are looking for a:

WASH Programme Manager East Africa (full time)

Your opportunity

We are looking for an experienced WASH programme manager with a passion for driving impact, (social) entrepreneurship and making finance work for water and sanitation. You complement our capacity and knowledge in scalability, applicability, functionality and investment readiness of our market-based water and sanitation portfolio. You are responsible to the sourcing, co-creation, contracting and monitoring of meaningful water and sanitation pipeline and you will manage your own portfolio. You coach and advise local contract partners in the progress of their business and support them in scaling it further. Your portfolio focuses on innovation and/or scaling business cases in water and sanitation, with a crosscutting focus on climate change adaptation.

This exciting role includes the following responsibilities:

• Manage contracts and providing lead in sourcing, selecting, contracting, monitoring, reporting and closing of water and sanitation enterprises.
• Evaluate contracts and co-create proposals for improvement of respective initiatives and Aqua for All’s strategy and programming.
• Play a connecting role in the conversations between WASH and finance stakeholders from a market and business perspective.
• Provide technical support and advice to other programme managers.
• Manage partnerships and relations in the East Africa region related to WASH market development.
• Represent Aqua for All on selected occasions at regional and country-level at stakeholder events and partner activities.

What you bring

• A passion for scaling water and sanitation services for low-income communities.
• Minimum of a master’s degree in water engineering or water-sanitation related study ranging from hydrology, geohydrology, civil engineering, mechanical engineering to water management.
• At least 7 years of professional, in-depth (technical) working experience in WASH business and implementation in the East African region.
• Strong financial and entrepreneurial insight with an in-depth understanding of the WASH market in Kenya and beyond, being able to analyse initiatives from a business, impact and scale perspective.
• Good knowledge of emerging business models in provision of safe drinking water and sanitation economy, including financing needs in their growth path.
• Proven track record in water and sanitation programme management and climate change and proven field work experience in East Africa including planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and financial management.
• Interest in and able to drive conversations in ESG, impact investment, impact management and measurement.
• Opportunity thinker, with ability to turn problems into opportunities and deliver results
• Active and extensive network in East African water and sanitation sector
• Multi-disciplinary team player with strong social and communication skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Currently based in Kenya (East African citizen or valid work permit?) and willing to travel to rural Kenya, other African countries and The Netherlands

Our offering

• A position in a dynamic organisation with an enthusiastic and multi-cultural team based in Nairobi, the Hague, Addis Ababa, Dhaka and Bamako;
• Training and learning opportunities and possibility for career progression;
• An initial 1-year consultancy contract with the possibility of extension;
• Flexibility to work partly remote and partly from our great working space at Workify in Kilimani, Nairobi. 

Interested to apply?

When you are interested and qualified, you can send your application by email to: info@aquaforall.org before 27^th April. Please include “WASH programme manager Kenya’ in the subject line and share your motivation letter and CV. More information about the position can be obtained from Marlies Batterink (m.batterink@aquaforall.org)