The position is to be filled as of January 1, 2024, with an initial contract duration of two years. There are good prospects for an extension. Employment location will be Freetown, Sierra Leone, with frequent travel to project locations within Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has developed a WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) programme that aims to support governments in 6 countries to strengthen the systems needed to establish reliable, resilient, and inclusive WASH services over an implementation period of 4 years (January 2024 – March 2028). As Head of Project Consortium Coordination WASH – FCDO, you will be responsible for coordinating a consortium led by Welthungerhilfe (WHH), which aims at increasing the use of inclusive, reliable, and resilient WASH services in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. You will strengthen systems to deliver these services in close partnership with stakeholders and partners at global, national and sub-national levels. Policy work and an understanding of the enablers and blockers of change will help guide implementation teams towards activities that are relevant and lead to the desired change. The successful implementation of the FCDO-funded programme requires the oversight of an effective core team of WASH, MEAL, advocacy and compliance experts from 3 INGOs and several local partner organisations, as well as internal and external actors providing specific services to the programme.

Your responsibilities

• Establish and coordinate implementation teams, including programme design, intervention planning and implementation
• Manage the partnerships within the consortium, and build collaborative partner relations, ensuring that all partners are aware of the project’s expectations and are actively involved in achieving the overall objectives
• Take on responsibility for the line management of the WHH country project team, including leading recruitment processes, conducting appraisals and identifying training opportunities
• Oversee and coordinate the activities at country level, including partner and consultant contracts, in cooperation with respective country offices and Head of projects
• Provide advisory services and review programme workplans for the entire project duration
• Ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely reporting in line with donor regulations and all applicable policies and procedures
• Ensure quality control through an effective monitoring system in cooperation with the MEAL team at country level and under the guidance of the FCDO WASH Systems Facility
• Act as focal person for external networks, manage and maintain collaboration with international partners and ensure visibility of the programme at sector level
• Represent the programme to external stakeholders and donors, including technical conferences and advocacy/policy briefings, and share information about programme achievements and lessons learned with the wider development community
• Lead regular meetings with the donor in collaboration with members of the steering committee
• Manage and maintain access to a network of subject matter experts within and outside the programme that can be utilized by project teams and other stakeholders involved
• Inform the WHH management and HQ partners about challenges, risks and opportunities for continuous improvement of the WS4H programme

Your profile

• A university or college degree in a relevant field or comparable qualification suitable to the position
• At least 5 to 8 years of professional experience in a relevant field as a project/programme or portfolio manager with responsibility for coordinating and guiding implementation teams in a multi-country, multicultural and diverse environment
• Excellent professional networking skills with proven experience in synthesizing and organizing diverse stakeholder interests up to the highest governmental and multilateral levels
• Proven experience in the financial management of a large programme
• Knowledge and experience in applying systemic approaches to improve the sustainability of WASH services in fragile and developing contexts
• Demonstrated experience in engaging with private sector and government actors
• Experience in the promotion of advocacy work in the Global South
• Experience in designing and implementing training processes and mutual learning activities
• Experience of working with FCDO-funded programmes is desirable
• Understanding of complex networks of people and resources required to build strong WASH systems
• Strategic mindset with an eye for details
• Readiness to receive necessary vaccinations for working in Welthungerhilfe’s project countries
• Excellent spoken and written English language skills

Our offer

We offer you the opportunity to work in a responsible and interesting field as part of an extremely dedicated team. Welthungerhilfe attaches great importance to the personal and professional development of its employees and the balance of their work and private life. Remuneration is based on our gender-independent salary scale. In addition, Welthungerhilfe offers numerous other benefits, which are listed under “Our benefits”.