Senior Program Development Officer

Job Description

The fact that 1 in 10 people in the world today doesn’t have clean water is unacceptable, and we need you to help change that. WaterAid is the #1 international nonprofit exclusively focused on bringing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education (WASH) to the children and families who need it most. Our global WASH programs, led and maintained by the communities where we work, aren’t a quick fix. We strive for long-term access to WASH that truly transforms people’s lives.

To support WaterAid’s global mission, the Senior Program Development Officer (SPDO) manages a portfolio of medium- to high-risk awards, with a focus on policy and advocacy grants. They will collaborate with colleagues across the project lifecycle to deliver those awards in compliance with donor requirements and to the delight of WaterAid’s diverse set of private and corporate foundations, government, and multi-lateral donors. The SPDO also works to establish WaterAid America as an effective partner by contributing to and continually strengthening internal capacity to effectively manage complex, innovative awards.

We are looking for someone who They are expected to demonstrate human-centered leadership and behavior, with the abilities to self-manage under stressful circumstances and communicate quickly, effectively and with discretion, as needed. They are expected to maintain confidentiality in working with donor data and demonstrate a commitment to WaterAid’s Values and Global Code of Conduct.

Responsibilities:

The SPDO is also responsible for strengthening internal capacity by managing staff as needed ensuring awards under their direct and indirect management are compliant with donor requirements, providing expert insight and analysis, taking on special projects, proposing solutions and leading on their implementation. The SPDO must possess a strategic mindset, as well as the confidence and competence to operate autonomously, with minimal supervision.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Proposal development and award management & compliance

• Support and collaborate with the Proposal Development Specialist and Country/ Regional teams and other internal stakeholders to lead on the development of compelling proposal packages for WAA high-risk donors and partners, ensure a smooth handover from proposal stage to the Programs, Awards & Compliance team for implementation and oversight.
• Communicate and facilitate understanding of grant, related advocacy compliance, reporting, and audit requirements across federation teams and functions (including but not limited to partnerships, policy and advocacy, philanthropy, communications, and finance).
• Develop communications protocols for projects; advise colleagues across Country Programs, Regions, and Federation Members to ensure compliance with project agreements, including reporting, budget management and project schedule; keep relevant stakeholders informed, provide updates and, as necessary, escalate risks.
• Collaboratively develop and deliver high-quality, comprehensive project proposals and reporting packages (project workplans and budgets, project narrative and financial reports, etc.), providing Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) and oversight to ensure coherence, quality, consistency, and compliance prior to submission to donors.
• Support WaterAid colleagues, grantees, and partner organizations to manage timelines, budgets, financial reports, workplans, contract amendments, log frames, and other project management tools.
• Oversee support activities in project implementation and monitoring including procurement, recruitment, and operations logistics.
• Review donor grant agreements and amendments; draft and finalize internal Member-to-Member agreements.
• Proactively identify and address issues potentially affecting project delivery and/or donor relations (such as programmatic delays, over or under-spend) by monitoring program activities and financials to track implementation and expenditures, including cost allocations of restricted funds (indirect and direct expense budgets).
• Support on the delivery of timely, high quality and accurate donor stewardship resources including presentations, program reports, case studies and country briefings within a variety of formats in collaboration with partnerships, policy & Advocacy, philanthropy and communications teams.
• Support the day-to-day administration of grants internal systems, ensure key communications, reports, milestones, and deliverables are recorded.
• Facilitate start-up workshops; provide logistical support for program-related events including donor field visits.
• Uphold consistent implementation of policy and procedure; ensure appropriate sign-offs per the WAA Delegations of Authorities Policy.
• Assess the effectiveness of internal processes, procedures and systems and identify areas for improvement; recommend solutions to enhance and strengthen internal capacity.
• In collaboration with local and international colleagues, contribute to ongoing Federation-wide best practices database: develop and document “best practices” that ensure WaterAid consistently employs a collaborative program design and proposal development process for all restricted income opportunities; promote internal learning and knowledge management.
• Serve as WaterAid America’s resident expert for specific grants, awards and contracts; identify opportunities to co-create impact; support relationship managers to represent, advocate and influence donors on behalf of WAi implementing offices.
• Support the WAA donor relationship manager to steward and manage WAA donors if/when needed. U

People management

• Carry out the performance management cycle for staff as needed: deliver regular, prompt, and high-quality feedback; serve as coach and mentor; assess capability gaps and offer opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Ensure a safe, secure, and inclusive work environment; model and champion WaterAid’s values; exercise discretion, sound judgement and maintain confidentiality; ensure the safeguarding of organizational assets.
• Provide oversight and supervision of direct reports’ portfolio of low-to-medium risk awards.
• Provide guidance and training to direct reports to develop the skills, experience, and confidence to work independently.

Skills and experience

Essential skills and experience:

• Undergraduate degree, preferably in relevant field of study (international relations or development), or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ relevant work experience in international development and/or international grants management.
• Professional experience living and/or working internationally in a region or country in the Global South and/or in which WaterAid currently operates.
• Demonstrated success managing a portfolio of 6-7 figure high impact / strategic / multi-year/ multi-country grants, contracts, awards and subawards from private foundation and corporate including in partnerships / consortia and challenging country contexts.
• Demonstrated success supporting the management and implementation of policy and advocacy programs, including some experience in articulating an advocacy theory of change and outcomes for donor consumption and the ability to work closely with policy and advocacy practitioners.
• Strong project management skills: superb attention to detail and creative approach to problem-solving, ability to prioritize, manage and execute numerous projects simultaneously.
• Demonstrated relationship-building skills and cross-cultural sensitivity: ability to interface with external constituents from a variety of backgrounds.
• Prior people-management experience and/or experience in training and/or supporting others to learn and adopt new systems and practices.
• Demonstrated track record of influencing and implementing changes to processes, procedures, systems, guidelines, etc.
• Professional manner, positive and flexible approach to collaborating across teams and functions towards shared goals.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English and French and/or Spanish language proficiency, with experience in socializing donor compliance and reporting requirements.
• Exceptional analytical skills, high degree of proficiency in MS Office (especially Excel) with an appetite to continually learn new tools and commitment to professional development.
• Sound judgement and proven ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality in handling sensitive information.
• Model and champion WaterAid’s values of respect, collaboration, accountability, innovation, courage, and integrity; exercise discretion, sound judgement and maintain confidentiality; ensure the safeguarding of organizational assets.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally, flexibility to work across time zones (with varied work hours) and maturity to achieve and maintain work/life balance.

Desired skills and experience

• Knowledge of issues relating to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
• Experience managing large grants from US-based foundations and corporations, USAID / US Government funds (such as via cooperative agreements or contract)
• Possession of a general understanding of lobbying restrictions for major US donors
• Some familiarity with policy and advocacy programming and metrics,
• Advanced coursework in a relevant technical area (such as program monitoring & evaluation, project management, etc.)

Compensation and benefits

WaterAid offers a generous vacation and benefits package available to its employees, including:

• Health (medical) insurance (WAA offers several options, ranging from 70-100% employer-paid for you and your dependents), dental & vision insurance (100% employer-paid for you and your dependents), and pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for childcare, medical and commuter expenses
• Participation in WaterAid’s 403(b) deferred contribution plan (with personal contributions matched after 1 year of service, up to 5% of gross annual salary).
• Paid time off (PTO) including: 13 public holidays + a ‘floating’ holiday to be used at your discretion; 120 hours of PTO (with new and increased hours awarded annually), and 3 paid days for volunteering.

WaterAid celebrates, supports, and thrives on diversity and difference for the benefit of our employees, our mission, and the communities we serve. WaterAid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

We value diverse experiences and will also consider qualified applications from those who have had prior contact with the criminal legal system in accordance with the NYC Commission on Human Rights’ Guidance on the Fair Chance Act. WaterAid is committed to the safeguarding and wellbeing of all individuals, including the people in communities in which we work, staff, volunteers, contractors, and partners. Any form of abuse is not tolerated.

Apply:

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US. Please submit your CV and cover letter by no later than December 30th, 2023. Only candidates shortlisted for interviewing will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date for applications. Click on Apply Now to apply.

For all candidates, any offer of employment will be commensurate with market rate criteria of your specific years experience, skillset qualifications, and geographic location. Salaries and benefits for different countries will vary in line with the location of the successful candidate and depending on experience

For US-based candidates outside of major metropolitan areas, such as New York, NY or Washington, DC, the minimum salary for this position is $85,000 USD. For US-based candidates inside major metropolitan areas, such as New York, NY or Washington, DC, the minimum salary for this position is $95,000 USD.