Country Engagement Coordinator - Nigeria at WaterAid

Job description

Deadline: November 4, 2022

Contract type: 1 year (fixed term)

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Grade: F

The Resilient Water Accelerator (RWA) is a new multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to boost climate finance to build the climate resilience of 50 million vulnerable people living in water-stressed areas by 2030. The Accelerator will enable climate vulnerable communities to secure clean and reliable water resources and services by helping design comprehensive climate-resilient water security programmes and unlock new sources of financing.

The Accelerator helps tackle three key barriers that low- and middle-income countries face in delivering on climate actions.

• Investment complexities: The Accelerator addresses the need for bespoke solutions towards building resilience that does not fit with the 'large project' mentality of many private and public financing institutions; and aims to develop and implement projects at the community level.

• 'Enabling environment' challenges: The Accelerator recognizes that most in-need hotspots often lack the strong enabling environment (due to institutional weakness, risks, or high upfront costs) that investors require; and aims to strengthen the enabling environment for bringing in diverse sources of investment by strengthening the transparency and building up financial architecture to a level where public and private investors can feel confident their financial commitments will achieve climate resilience through multi-sectoral collaboration and enhanced sustainable water security

• Lack of collaboration: The Accelerator aims to facilitate innovative collaboration that brings together a wider range of stakeholders within countries and globally and creates multi-sectoral solutions for build climate resilience

As a country engagement coordinator, you will drive the Accelerator programmes-linking the work done at the country level with the global work of the Accelerator and reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. At a first stage, you will be directly managing and guiding in-country colleagues and consultants that the Accelerator will hire and work in co-ordination with country partners to guide stakeholder engagement and reach formal agreements with governments. You will be responsible for internal and external co-ordination and will be the main point of contact between an in-country team and the Accelerator Secretariat, to align them with the Accelerator's core mission, capture their needs and help match them with the right experts from the Accelerator's network of partners, and to provide oversight over progress on-the-ground and keep the Resilient Water Accelerator Leadership and Steering Committee informed on key milestones.

Key Deliverables include;

• Manage and guide Accelerator staff, partners and consultants in our country programmes in Lagos.

• Work with key RWA country partners, including WaterAid Country Programme Staff to ensure that goals and targets of RWA are achieved.

• Drawing on your technical knowledge you will act as the main link between in-country teams and the Accelerator's Secretariat, and co-chair the Programme Working Group (consisting of country and regional experts from across partner organizations)

• Manage the Programme Working Group and engage with members regularly to get guidance on the Accelerator's programmatic approach and government engagement efforts.

• Capture the needs of in-country teams and match them with the right set of expertise

To be successful in the Engagement Coordinator role, you must meet the following requirements:

• A University degree in Environmental/Public Health, Social Sciences,

• Development studies or related fields

• Experience managing in-country programmes related to the environment, climate, water, WASH and/or development while being stationed in-country or at the regional/ global level.

• Relevant experience and knowledge of the intersection of water and climate change issues at both the policy and programmes level.

• Experience leading government engagement efforts - preferably on climate and water.

• Key networks in country in the Water/government/finance sectors.

• Ability to manage a distributed team and effectively report upwards on progress/key risks.

• Fluent in spoken and written English.

• Passionate about climate adaptation and water security, and driven to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable communities.

• Strong team player

• Fluency in languages other than English (particularly Bengali, Portuguese, French, and Spanish).

• Experience working in or closely with one of the Accelerator's priority countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Nigeria).

• Knowledge of project management tools or design software.

• Experience working with a consortium of partners from both the public and private sectors.

• Expertise on inclusivity, particularly gender equality.

• Expertise on climate financing in developing countries.

To see the full job description, please click 'Apply'

We started because no NGO like us existed. We'll end when no organisation like us is needed. In the meantime, we're making great progress - since 1981, we have reached 25 million people with clean water and, since 2004, 24 million people with sanitation.

We're looking for people who share a commitment to our vision. We're looking for people with an appreciation and respect for different people and ideas, and the energy and expertise to help tackle the most important challenges.

In return, you can expect to get inspiration from the change you help make happen, a sense of belonging and the feeling of being part of a global community. You will also experience stimulation and fulfilment, the chance to grow, and space to be yourself at your best. This is our pledge to you.