Project Officer - Water Governance

About Rural Focus Ltd

Rural Focus Ltd (RFL) is a private engineering and consultancy company working in the Water Sector in East Africa for over the last 19 years. RFL has implemented diverse projects with scope ranging from water research, water services to water resources management. Its clientele base includes Governments, NGOs, Private enterprises and Research institutions. Further details are available at www.ruralfocus.com.

Position Summary

The Project Officer (Water Governance) will coordinate implementation of a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Systems Learning programme aimed at improving sustainability of rural water service in Kitui County. The Officer will support implementation of County system analysis and strengthening-focused activities, disseminate learnings and provide technical support to the County Water Directorate and local WASH actors for adoption of best practices.

Responsibilities

The Project Officer will be responsible for:

1. Implementing systems analysis activities, including leading surveys and interviews, management of data collection and quality control, analysis, reporting.
2. Promoting an understanding of local WASH system issues among actors/stakeholders by disseminating findings from system analysis through various local channels/forums.
3. Facilitating sustainability dialogue at the County, through WASH forums and other learning activities/events, aimed at sharing programme findings, emerging lessons and entrenching sustainability thinking.
4. Monitoring and evaluating changes in the local WASH system with regard to sustainability of rural water services. This will involve applying various methodologies such as the organizational network analysis, progress markers, stakeholder interviews, surveys, observation among others, to track shifts in the WASH networks and actor behavior.
5. Supporting completion of the Kitui County Water Services Act development process and thereafter its implementation for impact on service quality.
6. Supporting the adoption of a County WASH database for long-term monitoring and reporting on drinking water service quality.
7. Providing technical advice in the conceptualization and implementation of WASH activities by local actors, where required.
8. Project liaison with local WASH actors, including the Kitui County Water Directorate, NGOs, Private Sector and other partners.
9. Supporting project administration and reporting to the funding agency.

Education and Key Competencies

• Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Social studies, Environmental Studies or a Water related field. A Masters degree qualification in any of the above fields is preferred.
• At least 3 years of work experience in water research, service provision, management or governance, preferably in a rural water context.
• Understanding of application of systems thinking and approaches for water service sustainability.
• Experience in research methodologies and data collection using mobile tools.
• Ability to build and manage relationships with partners, including the county government.
• Good networking skills and ability to confidently communicate with local stakeholders i.e. Governments, NGOs, Private sector, water practitioners, rural Communities, among others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and proficiency in the Kamba dialect.

Apply for this position

Send your CV and a cover letter (including details of 3 references) to employment@ruralfocus.com. Kindly indicate "APPLICATION FOR KITUI PROJECT OFFICER – WATER GOVERNANCE" in subject header of the email.

Please note

• Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
• Only those candidates who meet the above qualifications and are available to start as of mid-February 2020 are encouraged to apply.
• Female candidates are encouraged to apply.