Project Manager at WaterAid Nigeria

WaterAid is an international non-for-profit organization dedicated to helping people break free from poverty and disease, unlock their potential and change their lives for good through improved access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid started its operation in Nigeria in 1995. Since then it has successfully executed several intervention programmes as outlined by its objectives and has made impact in the lives of the very poor. WaterAid with the country office in Abuja currently works in Bauchi, Enugu and Plateau States with funding from various donors and partners.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Manager

Location: Bauchi
Contract type: Fixed term, 2 years 
Pay Band: E
Reports to: State Programme Lead 
Travels: Potential travel to be determined as work demands

Team Description 

• WaterAid Nigeria has recently completed its 2023-2028 country programme strategy which sets a 5-year building block towards delivering a more influencing led programme and reflects a progression from previous country programme strategies, outlines key shifts in focus required to catalyse change and achieve maximum impact for our work in Nigeria. 
• The ideal candidate will need to be inclusive and embrace our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation.

Job Purpose

• The post holder will be expected to manage the effective implementation of an upcoming project which aims to increase empowerment of women and girls in gender-responsive SRH and climate-resilient WASH working with the Bauchi State Programme team.
• S/he would perform a wide range of duties using independent judgment and initiative to determine approaches or actions to take in non-routine situations.
• In broad terms, the job holder will provide technical, administrative and operational support for programme management (planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, knowledge management and fundraising activities) with reference to the project’s delivery in Bauchi state.
• S/he will be required to interpret guidelines using policies and precedents. Most importantly S/he will be able to demonstrate sufficient professional and personal maturity to be entrusted with what in many cases will be sensitive information to the programme department and the organization at large.

Accountabilities 

• A key responsibility of the Project Manager will be to support the State Programme Lead by providing technical and administrative support to the Bauchi State Programme on gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and WASH to ensure the effective delivery of the project in Bauchi State Nigeria and ensure WaterAid is networked in the right spaces to influence systemic change. These will include:

General/Cross departmental/Collaboration:

• Work closely with the State Programme Lead to ensure quality and standard delivery of the new project’s activities.
• Represent WANG at State and national meetings and provide feedback on progress and development on those platforms and suggesting necessary steps/advise to WANG.
• With the support of the State Team Lead, Head of Advocacy and Communication, GESI specialist and Head of Programmes, develop appropriate activities and events to mark Global Days such as Handwashing Days, World Water Day, Menstrual Hygiene and World Toilet Days in Nigeria.
• Deliver learning products on WASH and SRHR and engage effectively in knowledge management platforms sharing project learning on system strengthening engagements for improved sanitation and hygiene.
• Develop learning products related to sanitation and hygiene. 
• Engage in knowledge management platforms, sharing lessons learned from system-strengthening initiatives for improved sanitation and hygiene
• Support the State programme Lead in annual work planning and budget development and will be responsible for developing L3 budget for sanitation 
  and hygiene-based activities of the Project.

WASH and SRH:

• Lead the implementation of initiatives to improve attitudes of in-school and out-of-school girls and boys to adopt health promotive behaviours in WASH and SRH 
  in selected schools and communities in Bauchi.
• Improve awareness of families, communities, groups, and leaders to support gender-responsive climate-resilient WASH and SRH information for adolescents, particularly girls and young women.
• Develop capacity of healthcare workers (at HCFs) to integrate quality, climate-resilient gender-responsive WASH (including IPC) into SRH information and 
  services.
• Deliver improved climate-resilient and inclusive WASH at schools and health facilities to support integration of gender-responsive SRH services.
• Facilitate initiatives to Increase knowledge and skills of responsibility holders in planning and delivering gender-responsive WASH, MHH and SRH services for girls 
  and women across sectors. 
• Support hygiene interventions targeting behaviour change in women and girls in household, community, and institutional settings, ensuring they are exposed to hygiene messages multiple times for lasting impact.
• Lead research processes to identify the determinants of hygiene and SRH behaviours and social norms affecting women and girls, and develop context-relevant, engaging hygiene-promotion packages.
• Engage with, support and contribute to sector planning processes and discussions around national sanitation approaches and strategies, adequate monitoring mechanisms and resource analysis.
• Influence government agencies, private sector, political leaders and other champions, to make sanitation and hygiene a political and social priority.
• Drive stakeholder engagement that considers sanitation service chain to unlock opportunities and catalyse growth in the sanitation sub sector.
• Facilitate private sector participation (women’s economic empowerment, job creation, entrepreneurship, SMEs) - Engage collaborators [especially women (social and profit-oriented businesses)] at the various levels to encourage participation along the sanitation value chain at different levels.
• Engage state-level stakeholders to ensure sanitation and hygiene are integrated into the health, nutrition, and education sectors, particularly focusing on menstrual hygiene management and safe sanitation facilities for women and girls.
• Advocate for the development and implementation of sanitation and hygiene policies and strategies that are sensitive to the needs of women and girls, ensuring 
  gender equality is central to these policies.
• Facilitate women’s participation along the sanitation value chain, encouraging women-led businesses, job creation, and entrepreneurship in the sanitation sector.
• Support process to design programmes that promote non-discrimination and equality, sustainability, accountability, participation and access to information.

Advocacy, Partnership and Innovation:

• Support the formation of effective partnerships at national, state and local levels with government bodies, civil society, academic/ research institutions, international development partners, youth groups, Donors, Researchers, Think Tanks, Innovation Hubs media and private sector.
• Advocate and influence to improve integration and prioritization of sanitation and hygiene into other sectors such as Health and Education with the aim of improving national planning processes and state level implementations.
• Work in partnership to maximise impact, share knowledge and experience on sanitation and hygiene behaviour with key institutions, stakeholders and platforms.
• Work to influence donors and governments to invest more in sanitation and hygiene and encourage adequate and consistent budgetary allocations that are effectively and efficiently used at national and sub-national levels to ensure sustainable and quality implementation of sanitation and hygiene plans and policies.
• Improved coordination and support /partnerships for climate-resilient and gender-responsive and inclusive WASH, MHH and SRH services across sectors particularly at schools and health facilities.

Research, Evidence, Learning:

• With the support of the communication unit, develop case studies, position papers, policy messages, briefing notes, web articles etc. on key SRH, gender, sanitation and hygiene issues to achieve influencing outcomes of WaterAid work in Bauchi and Nigeria.
• In collaboration with the Advocacy and Communication Team, receive and analyse legislations related to WASH, SRH, gender at the State Houses of Assembly and prepare reports that convey impact of policy and legislative proposals on gender responsive WASH access within specific jurisdictions of state and LGAs.
• Support the design and delivery of activities targeted at strengthening policy analysis and capacity of WANG CSO partners in sanitation and hygiene and WASH in general.
• With the support of the State Programme Lead and Strategy, Programme Effectiveness and Learning (SPEL) department document and share learning on
  sanitation and hygiene policy issues and civil society engagement, citizenship engagement/empowerment, rights of stakeholders, gender, equity, and inclusion.
• With the support of the WaterAid SPEL team synthesize findings and recommendations from completed research(es) conducted by WaterAid Nigeria into practical actions in sanitation and hygiene.
• Manage collaborative case studies, impact surveys and other research to adequately inform stakeholders about the critical issues in WASH service delivery and design.
• Initiate and support in dissemination events to share policy research reports in sanitation and hygiene.
• With the support of SPEL team develop, administer, and periodically evaluate institutional development tools which considers access and rights, equity &
  inclusion and other key components to effectively evaluate performance of the WASH sector in sanitation and hygiene.

Person Specification
Essential Criteria:

• Must have a University Degree in Environmental/Public Health, Social Sciences, Gender or Development studies or related fields.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience of which at least 5 years must be in WASH, Gender, and/or SRH Programme/project management, sanitation and hygiene promotion, community management, WASH programmes advocacy with any reputable 
  international agency.
• Experience with high level stakeholder engagements (government/ development agencies), especially stakeholders from health sector driving and delivering strategic priorities.
• Experience with building capacity of implementing partner organizations especially CSOs and government.
• Experience of managing multiple project stakeholders including community level stakeholders; government officials; CSOs etc.
• Experience of project documentation for use in influencing; writing case studies and success stories.

Desirable Criteria:

• A master’s degree in public health, Gender, Education and Awareness and any of Project Management, international development / human rights, sociology, public policy or political science will be an added advantage.

Application Closing Date
19th February, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• We are an equal opportunity, disability-confident employer and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of diversity, equity and inclusion.
• We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions and ways of life. This includes, but is not limited to, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or social origin, health status, and economic or social situation.