Role and Responsibilities 

The objectives of this role are to effectively deliver the ‘Putting water stewardship to work for Ethiopia’ programme and the AWS Africa Strategy.  The Programme Manager will ensure efficient and high-quality delivery that is co-owned by partners and which is managed adaptively to maximise positive impact for our beneficiaries in the challenging contexts we operate within.  Specific responsibilities include:

Programme management and delivery

Primary focus will be on ensuring the successful delivery of our ‘Putting water stewardship to work for Ethiopia’ programme. This work will ensure that water use within Ethiopia’s Industrial Parks and within the growing garment, textiles and cotton sectors reflects global best practice and that water risks (such as pollution, water quality problems, resource depletion and degradation, inadequate water supply and sanitation, flooding and drought impacts, and water conflicts) are managed through alignment with the Alliance for Water Stewardship standard by stakeholders at sites and at catchment scale. 

The work will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and support job creation, poverty reduction and sustainable and climate resilient economic growth.  Learning from the initiative will also stimulate development of the AWS system, and accelerate its scaling and uptake in Africa and globally.  The work requires co-ordination and collaboration with partners to deliver:

• Participatory water risk and opportunity assessments in various sectors and at several geographical scales (site, industrial park, municipality, catchment, national, global);

• Development and delivery of water stewardship plans, innovations and training;

• Stakeholder convening, issue prioritisation, ownership and learning;

• Inclusion of the most vulnerable people in decision making and action on water stewardship;

• Documentation and analysis of evidence, lessons and insights;

• Generation of advocacy objectives and materials, and delivery of compelling communications and influencing strategies at multiple scales to secure system change (business/company, sector, Ministries, cross-governmental, regionally, global standard systems, etc.)

The post holder will undertake a wide range of programme management activities including:

•  Planning, delivery and reporting against programme budgets, activities, outputs & outcomes.

• Management, mentorship & support to staff, partners, Country & Global Advisory Groups.

• Providing direct line management to a small team, initially comprising 2 to 3 staff.

• Assignment and tracking of tasks and resources through regular communication, meetings and visits to ensure impact within budget and timescales.

• Authoring reports, assuring quality of work and outputs.

• Financial management, ensuring statutory compliance and alignment with internal policies.

Strategic leadership and regional coordination 

The Regional Programme Manager will be responsible for supporting successful delivery of the AWS Africa Strategy, which was developed by Water Witness & partners in 2018.  This includes establishing AWS Africa as an autonomous entity. AWS Africa is the regional initiative of the global Alliance for Water Stewardship. It works for a water secure Africa driven by responsible water stewards who play a leading role in economic growth, poverty reduction and sustainable management of natural resources.  AWS Africa Strategic goals:

• The AWS standard and system are relevant and widely used in Africa, delivering value for companies, communities, government and civil society and progress towards the SDGs.

• AWS Africa, its brand and members are widely recognised and respected for their contributions to improved water security.

• AWS Africa, its members and wider network have the capacity, finances and resources and knowledge required to deliver their mission. 

The strategy includes a transition plan which will establish AWS Africa as an autonomous legal entity within the region, and the post-holder will play a key role in this work over the coming years. Duties will include:

• Technical advice and strategic leadership for water stewardship and the work of AWS Africa;

• Managing, convening and overseeing the work of the AWS Africa Regional Advisory Group.

• Delivering on priority aspects of AWS Africa strategy including capacity building, fundraising, promotion & support for AWS implementation, communications & advocacy.

• Establishing & managing networks and knowledge exchange, in particular with progressive private sector companies, IFI’s, governments, NGOs, donors, & AWS service providers.

• Organisation, delivery and facilitation of national and regional meetings, events and forums.

• Continual improvement & development of the AWS standard & stewardship approach.

• Develop compelling communications to elevate stewardship within media & debate.

As strategic lead for water stewardship in Africa the postholder will also:

• Proactively input to debates on water stewardship to ensure that social justice & sustainable water management are at the forefront, & that we build positive influence;

• Identify & develop a wide range of constructive partnerships in pursuit of strategic objectives;

• Provide advice on, and organise training on the use of the AWS Standard in Africa.

• Evolve our programme portfolio on water stewardship to maximise positive impacts;

• Represent the organisation at a senior level within local, regional and global engagements;

• Identify, develop and secure fundraising opportunities;

• Ensure that our systems, assets and processes are effective and appropriate.