Nyamagabe WASH Program Officer

Job Title: Nyamagabe WASH Program Officer

Department: WASH Program

Reports to: Senior Water and Sanitation Engineer

Duty station: Nyamagabe District

Supervisory Duties: –

Water For People is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that works with people and partners to develop innovative and long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in developing countries. The organization strives to continually improve, experiment with promising new ideas, and leverage resources to multiply its impact.

With a shared passion for our mission, our Values guides how we act and interact based on five core pillars:

• Collective Transformation:We believe in the power of collective
• Environmental Stewardship:We are committed to being responsible stewards of the environment.
• Integrity:We act honestly and transparently to inspire trust.
• Courage:We encourage brave exploration of new ideas and informed risk-taking.
• Amplify all Voices:By putting people first, celebrating diversity, and pursuing justice, we prioritize our shared humanity.

Please visit ourwebsite to learn more about who we are and what we do.

Water For People is currently operating in 9 countries including Rwanda where the organization is supporting WASH in the Districts of Rulindo, Kicukiro, Gicumbi, Karongi, Gisagara and Nyamagabe.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Nyamagabe WASH Program Officer reports to the Senior Water and Sanitation Engineer. He is responsible for managing all technical aspects of the Program, including participation to the Country’s strategic plans, annual operating, and budget plans, monitoring of the plans, fundraising, communication, and reporting. The Program Officer provides necessary support to program staff as well as local partners to ensure that program objectives are achieved in due time.

JOB SUMMARY:

He will be responsible for the daily implementation, monitoring, and regular consultation with program partners on WASH program components. The WASH Officer will work closely with all Country Program staff, facilitating them for any meetings, field trips and consultations pertaining to Nyamagabe WASH Program, to ensure that the Country Program work plan for Nyamagabe is successfully implemented.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Participation in-country Program Strategic and Operational planning

• Work with Country Program staff to develop strategic plans in line with Water For People’s overall strategy and policy objectives;
• Contribute to Water For People’s overall program and policy discussions;
• Participate in sanitation strategic planning;
• Undertake any sector review and/or thematic research in preparation of the next programming cycle;
• Participating to the elaboration of annual operating plans in line with pre-allocated budget.

Specific programmatic duties:

• Supervise the review of detailed engineering (water and sanitation) designs in collaboration with program partners ‘technical team as needed.
• In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, support the district in the elaboration and implementation of its full life cycle WASH Plan, and in its effort to strengthen capacities of the District WASH Board and its decentralized entities, water private operators, local entrepreneurs in sanitation and hygiene, etc. to ensure full and reliable WASH services.
• In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, work with water private operators to gain a better knowledge on water service reliability and water business viability.
• In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, work with Sanitation Business service providers to increase the viability of their business for both liquid and solid waste management;
• Assist the district procurement committee in developing bidding documents following Rwanda Procurement guidelines and support for Tender Evaluation as deemed necessary.
• Support the district procurement officer with contract management and recommendation for payments;
• Thoroughly document program progress, success and challenges, and contribute to Water For People’s learning agenda by disseminating results to Rwanda’s water and sanitation sector;
• Assist Water For People—Rwanda’s Program team in the preparation of reports as they pertain to the NYAMAGABE WASH Program.
• In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, advocate for the implementation of similar programs in Rwanda, i.e., programs that involve all sector stakeholders to reach full and sustainable access to water and/or sanitation in a geographic area.
• Strengthen relationships with partner organizations, the local private sector, NGOs, government agencies, donors, bilateral and multilateral agencies supporting the NYAMAGABE WASH Program;
• Ensure that the partners and projects related to the NYAMAGABE WASH Program are visited regularly by program technical team, and that partners are provided with the technical and managerial advice, training and support that enables them to implement projects;
• Assist with adequate and prompt disbursements of funds as needed for the NYAMAGABE WASH Program;
• Support District to organize and invite NYAMAGABE WASH Steering Committee meetings and WASH Board meetings.
• Ensure that materials employed by contractors, approved by project supervising companies comply with accepted quality standards before they are used for the project.
• Carry out a needs assessment in all schools and establish a baseline based on the availability of WASH infrastructure in public institutions and standards of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.
• Design and plan every year the construction of toilets, MHM rooms, urinals, rainwater storage tanks, and handwashing facilities to ensure that schools and health care facilities have a safe and healthy environment.
• Monitoring the implementation of School WASH infrastructure development in collaboration with the District School Engineer and Sanitation and Hygiene Officer.
• Ensure that the school children and staff are trained in the use, operation, and maintenance of school WASH infrastructures.

Program finance and advocacy

• Contribute to the proper financial management of the Nyamagabe WASH Program and Water For People—Rwanda by ensuring that administration and finances related to the program follow the country’s procedures;
• Participate in financial reviews and, external and internal audits as they pertain to the Nyamagabe WASH Program.
• Ensure that the Nyamagabe WASH Program is kept within its budget allocation.
• Review the donor’s financial report and provide input.
• Contribute to the representation of Water For People in Rwanda, and represent the Nyamagabe WASH Program in front of the local government authorities, donors, water and sanitation organizations.
• Attend different coordination meetings called by the government, Water Sector Working Group, and other partners as it relates to Nyamagabe WASH Program and/or Water For People-Rwanda Program when required;
• Ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations of Rwanda, the Nyamagabe WASH Program Implementation Manual, and report any irregularities to the direct supervisor.
• Ensure full participation of program partners and stakeholders throughout the program planning cycle.
• Monitor the Nyamagabe WASH Program’s progress against the plan.
• In collaboration with the relevant country program and district staff, facilitate annual service-level monitoring exercises.

Grants management-related duties:

• Manage and develop all aspects of donor account management by developing and implementing strategies to maximize the giving potential of donors, while adhering to the grant management process.
• Maximize partners’ relationships by becoming deeply familiar with the donor’s requirements and partners ‘commitments to the program.
• Connecting and facilitating relationships between donors and helping donors connect more deeply to Water For People through various opportunities.
• Leverage the activity of Business Development, Global Programs, and Finance staff as appropriate and comply with the grant management process and expectations.
• Drive and support the grant management process, working with donor relationship managers, as appropriate for your role.
• Provide all required data to the finance team on time and ensure accurate expenditure reporting in donor-required format.
• Track revenue and expenditures against the grant budget monthly basis.
• Perform any other lawful duties deemed necessary by the direct supervisor or Water For People Management.

Guidelines

The following written and unwritten guidelines will be applied to performing the duties of the post:

Written

• All Water For People handbooks on administration and others.
• Any established and agreed Country Program procedures.

Unwritten

• Common sense in applying proper business practice and sound purchasing principles.
• Know when to negotiate and how to achieve goals successfully.
• Maintain sound ethical principles, integrity, and transparency of the due process.

COMPETENCIES:

• Connects to the Mission – Embraces the mission of Water For People and is passionate about advancing the dynamic role it plays leading social impact in international development.
• Demonstrates Ethics and Integrity – Understands ethical behavior and business practices and ensures that own behavior is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization.
• Manages through Ambiguity – Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in responding to change and ambiguity.
• Demonstrates Cultural Awareness – Able to engage a wide range of stakeholders from various backgrounds and cultures.
• Action-oriented – Maintains an attitude of open, curious, and proactive learning, continually expanding own area of understanding and expertise.
• Connects with Others – Listens and fosters open communication through questioning, dialogue, and information sharing.
• Self-confident – Demonstrates humility, mature confidence and courage to innovate, risk, and lead in own role.

QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Master’s degree in Hydraulic, Water Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering or any related field with at least 3 years of experience in water and sanitation project management or bachelor’s degree in Water and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, hydraulic engineering with at least 5 years of professional experience in water and sanitation project management.
• At least 2 years of experience in the designing or construction or supervision of WASH infrastructure including the design, construction, and supervision of water supply systems, improved toilets, installation of rainwater harvesting systems, construction of girls’ menstrual hygiene rooms, and handwashing facilities.
• Experience in project management is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of the Rwandan administrative framework.
• Good experience in procurement, computer engineering software usage applied to hydraulics such as AutoCAD, WaterGEMS (WaterCAD) & Hammer, EPANET, ARCGIS or QGIS, and access to e-mails and internet services are mandatory.
• Excellent organizational/logistic, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Self-starter and ability to undertake projects and tasks without intensive supervision.
• Maintain sound ethical principles, integrity, and transparency of the due process.
• Fluent in English, knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda would be an advantage.
• A valid driving license would be an added advantage.

BENEFITS

Benefits are one of the ways we encourage healthy living for you and your family. Our generous package includes medical and life insurance, annual leave allocation equal to one month of salary, and other benefits in accordance with the Rwanda labour law.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Water For People is committed to protecting children encountered during our work and by our employees, preventing sexual abuse and exploitation of all individuals with a particular focus on women and children and other marginalized communities in the performance of our work, preventing human trafficking in the performance of our work and in our supply chain and to having a drug-free workplace. During the recruitment processes, additional documentation will be requested to comply with our policies and in accordance with the legal requirements in your country of residency, this includes a background check. If you apply for employment, we want you to be aware of our recruitment, selection and hiring processes including important policies regarding employee conduct.

Water For People is an equal opportunity employer who is committed to creating a culture of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. Water for people strives to create and maintain a level of diversity that reflects the communities we serve. Achieving this—regardless of race, ethnicity, ancestry, tribal affiliation, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, veteran status, disability, socioeconomic class, educational attainment, Parental status, genetic information, political affiliation or other social identities is critical to our ability to have a world where every person has access to reliable and safe water and sanitation services.

Our commitment ensures that we:   

• Have a different array of thinking that comes from diverse backgrounds and cultures, enabling us to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
• Strive for a culture of inclusion and belonging by treating each other with dignity, respect, and appreciation enabling us to feel welcome, supported, and valued.
• Effectively connect, communicate, and build long-lasting relationships with stakeholders within our diverse communities.
• Have a diversity of thought, perspectives, backgrounds, identities, and talents that will support our mission to develop high-quality drinking water and sanitation services are available to Everyone Forever.

Safeguarding: Water for People is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees, volunteers and partners to share the same commitment. We believe every employee, stakeholder and every member of the communities we work with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, discrimination, intimidation and exploitation – regardless of age, race, religion, and gender, status as an individual with a disability or ethnic origin. Water for People holds a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation, discrimination, exploitation, abuse and harassment. Violations to stated policies will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination of contract.

How to apply: If you are both qualified and Water For People interests you, please visit our Career Center and apply with a cover letter to the Country Director- Water For People in Rwanda, along with a curriculum vitae (resume), academic certificates (bachelor’s degree or master’s degree ), and other relevant academic/ professional work experience certificates. Please also attach your Identification Card (ID)/ passport. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis; with the deadline of 20^th July 2025, 5:00 pm, Rwanda time. Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Done at Kigali on 9 July 2025