Climate and Environment Lead

Climate and Environment Lead

Contract type: Permanent, Full time.

Location: WaterAid is a global and equal opportunities employer. For practical and legal reasons, the successful candidate must be based in and legally able to work in any of the following country programmes:
Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Zambia

For the UK Location: we offer hybrid working: A minimum of 40% of working time is spent face-to-face, in a WaterAid office. For UK-based staff, WaterAid is located at Canary Wharf, London and this will be your location and contract base.

Salary & Benefits: Salaries and benefits for different countries will vary in line with the successful candidate's location and depending on experience. If UK-based: £56,249 - £59,602 (depending on experience) or equivalent established grade G salary and benefits in the country of employment.

About WaterAid:
Want to use your skills in Climate and Environment to play a vital role in making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere?

We need passionate, creative and dedicated people. In return, you will be encouraged and empowered to be yourself at your very best. Together, we will make a bigger difference.

Join WaterAid as Climate and Environment Lead to change normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good.

About the Team:
The Climate and Environment Lead is based in the WASH Technical Effectiveness team of the Programme Support & Knowledge team (PSK), a key unit of the WaterAid UK International Programmes Department (IPD) operating in 17 African and Asian countries. PSK is a diverse and motivated group of 20+ technical specialists and advisors, passionate about bringing sustainable WASH to the world's poorest and most marginalised people. PSK leads and supports organisation-wide programme learning and knowledge management, collating and disseminating programme knowledge and facilitating knowledge exchange.

The team provides technical advisory expertise and fosters and supports internal and external programme and technical partnerships and networks. The team also leads on developing normative programme documents and standards and advise and support the delivery of a programme capacity enhancement strategy. PSK collaborates with many functions across the organisation including policy, advocacy, campaigns, fundraising, communications, as well as with WaterAid partners and collaborators.

About the Role:
The Climate and Environment Lead is a leadership position in the WASH Technical Effectiveness team, reporting to the head of the team.  The Climate and Environment Lead is accountable for the strategic development and effective delivery of the core team responsibilities on climate resilience and environmental sustainability for high-quality WASH programming in both urban and rural, low-income settings, incorporating WaterAid’s and the sector’s leading practices, innovations and methods.

Applying a people-centred, systems strengthening approach to WASH, they lead the provision of high-quality specialist technical analysis, advisory, and support services to the design, inception, implementation, troubleshooting, monitoring, and/or assessments of WaterAid’s programming worldwide, at both strategic and operational levels.  

In collaboration with country, regional, and global colleagues, they lead the facilitation of effective learning and management of technical and programme knowledge across the organisation, and lead the development of relevant standards and guidance. They also provide high-quality strategic and technical input to fundraising, communications, and external engagements.

The Climate and Environment Lead has substantial autonomy in determining what the technical objectives are and how they are delivered and achieved. They are held account for the integrity and effective delivery of the technical advice and services.  They are seen as a thematic authority and is expected to effectively handle the most challenging technical assignments.  With a strong understanding of organisational dynamics and ways of working, the Lead advisor is expected to bridge gaps and siloes, proactively establishing and maintaining relationships with colleagues across WaterAid and beyond, and facilitating joined-up and comprehensive efforts to advance WaterAid’s programming globally.  

About You:

• Substantial technical experience in climate science, climate adaptation, resilience, environmental sustainability, environmental impact assessment and/or other inter-related topics across different settings, demonstrated through a progressive career record.
• Strong technical experience in systems strengthening, sustainable development, water, sanitation, health, hygiene, behaviour change, gender, inclusion, and/or other WASH-related topics.
• A relevant post-Graduate degree or equivalent work experience.
• Proven ability in leadership and strategic thinking.
• Substantial experience and success in offering technical assistance, consulting, and/or advisory services to empower and to develop capacities.
• Strong ability to handle highly specialized, unusual, and challenging technical assignments, resolve complex issues in practical and imaginative ways.
• Strong writing ability in English. Experienced in producing practical knowledge products targeting needs of diverse audiences.
• Organised and efficient. Demonstrated ability to drive tasks forward to completion in a timely manner while maintaining high quality.
• A team player, able to work responsibly, under pressure, and collaboratively across diverse groups and culture
• Working style that reflects WaterAid's values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation.
• Solid IT skills, particularly with core Microsoft Office software.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 30%.

Although not essential, we also prefer you to have:

• Working knowledge in French, Portuguese, Spanish, and/or any language widely spoken in the countries where WaterAid is programming.

Closing date: Applications will close at 23:59 UK time on 9th June 2024. Availability for interan view is required during the week starting 24 June 2024. Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Team.

How to Apply: To see the full job pack, please click 'Apply'. Please apply by submitting the following 3 items into one document in either Word Document or PDF format:

1. Item 1: Your Cover Letter
2. Item 2: Your CV
3. Item 3: Short answers to the following three questions on a separate page. Please limit each answer to no more than 200 words.

• Q1. What are your top 3 skills/experience you feel meet the requirements of the role?
• Q2. What is your approach to providing technical advice and support?
• Q3. How is WASH related to the climate resilience of communities?

Please indicate your location and the right-to-work eligibility in your Cover letter.

Pre-employment screening: To apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to the applicable laws in the respective countries. All our UK-based vacancies require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to comply with our Safer Recruitment policy.

Our Commitment

Our People Promise:
We will work with passion and focus to ensure safe and sustainable water, toilets and hygiene are available to everyone, everywhere. WaterAid is a place of purpose - where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to put the wellbeing of our people first, to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal opportunities:
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.

Safeguarding:
We are also committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.