Water Resilience Manager

At Live & Learn Environmental Education, we work directly with communities in countries across Asia and the Pacific to help build community resilience to the impacts of climate change, protect ecosystems, and strengthen the connection between people and the places they live. Our vision is for a sustainable and equitable world, building local ownership of environmental and development programs, open participation and equality as the foundations of Live & Learn. We always work with communities to design, implement and learn from community-based development projects specific to each location.

We are seeking an experienced Water Resilience Manager to manage WASH activities in countries where the Climate Resilient Islands Programme is implemented, focusing on strengthening community and institutional engagement in WASH and supporting local teams to implement water resilient infrastructure and inclusive training.

ABOUT LIVE & LEARN

Live & Learn Environmental Education operates in a Network of 11 countries across the Pacific and Asia, working passionately towards an equitable and sustainable world. Each Live & Learn office is autonomous yet interdependent, bound by a Network-wide commitment to developing community resilience around nature-based solutions to food security, climate change, and water resources and environmental protection. Working across scales, we support government strategies while meeting community needs. We are a localised, collaborative and courageous organisation working with diverse stakeholders, balancing sectoral compliance with flexibility for quick, innovative responses. For more details about Live & Learn, please visit our website.

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic project manager to join our WASH Systems team. As the Water Resilience Manager (Climate Resilient Islands), you will report to the Program Director – WASH Systems and work closely with the WASH Systems team to deliver water and sanitation programs across key countries in the Pacific. The Water Resilience Manager will engage with and develop meaningful relationships with country teams and respective government stakeholders to facilitate effective technical support, program delivery and reporting. It is therefore essential that you demonstrate flexibility, exercise cultural and political sensitivity, have outstanding relationship-building skills, and possess the ability to develop and implement creative solutions in collaboration with the country teams in a complex operational environment.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Community WASH Implementation

• Work closely with the WASH Systems and Climate Resilient Islands teams and the Network Support Office (NSO) to provide advice, identify gaps, and guide technical implementation of participating communities under various projects in developing approaches to improve community living standards and health outcomes in regions and countries where the CRI WASH Systems program is implemented.
• Document findings and learnings to be shared across the Network and donors to improve the implementation of WASH Systems projects.

2. Institutional Strengthening

• Support country teams in promoting LLEE’s work across government and key stakeholders in the countries where the WASH Systems program is implemented.
• Support country teams in working with various existing in-country stakeholders and programs in implementing WASH activities.
• Support country teams in establishing or supporting existing platforms to update and strengthen WASH at various levels of government in implementation countries, where appropriate.
• Support country teams in drafting and/or reviewing LLEE’s WASH policies and strategies that align with national policies and frameworks in implementation countries, where appropriate.

3. Communications & Resourcing

• Work closely with the Climate Resilient Islands and Knowledge & Learning teams to develop educational and engagement resources, tools, guides and other materials for the WASH Systems and Climate Resilient Islands programs.
• Work closely with the Knowledge & Learning team in developing and sharing WASH impact stories, with the Network and external stakeholders.
• Provide technical expertise as needed and be able to communicate technical WASH information to non-technical audiences.

4. Program & Project Management

• Manage workflow across multiple programs and countries through office-wide platforms such as Asana, Google Suite, and others.
• Actively track and document activities and ensure adherence to work plans and progress reporting requirements.
• Support and build capacity of country teams in developing and monitoring work plans and budgets.
• Manage the co-ordination of in-country and regional activities.
• Manage reporting and communication between country teams and Project Management Units (PMUs).
• Prepare reports in line with contractual agreements and donor requests.
• Identify, manage and appropriately escalate issues to the Program Management Unit and other Directors towards effective resolution so their impact on the project and all stakeholders is minimised.
• Ensure that Live & Learn approaches and systems are embedded into implementation.

5. Compliance

• Develop familiarity with and implement the Live & Learn and sectoral Code of Conduct, Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS), Anti-Fraud and Money Laundering, Counter Terrorism, Safeguarding and Child Protection policies across the WASH Systems program.
• Ensure that WASH Systems program activities and expenditures are in line with contractual obligations and the Live & Learn Good Practice Manual.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

Qualifications

Tertiary qualifications in Community Development, Integrated Water Management, Anthropology, Geography, or other fields closely related to the International Development sector.

Knowledge and experience

• Excellent understanding and/or experience of WASH service delivery in the Pacific and/or international WASH principles and standards.
• Excellent understanding of the principles of sound development practice, including sustainable and community development.
• Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of policy development and government engagement processes.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and adapt to the cultural contexts of the Pacific, including in understanding issues of gender, human rights, development policies, stakeholder engagement, and climate resilience and their application in the Pacific.

Required skills

• Ability to listen, understand, write, and present effectively at a high level on complex WASH issues.
• Excellent program management skills, including an ability to plan ahead, manage competing priorities and meet deadlines, across all areas of the program lifecycle.
• Ability to work flexibly and autonomously while coordinating a range of complex tasks and workloads simultaneously and effectively.
• Excellent skills in developing cross-cultural relationships and stakeholder management. Collaborative working style, demonstrating inclusivity, openness, and respect for plurality of perspectives.

Desirable skills & experience

• Demonstrated experience of finance and budgets and the ability to integrate financial considerations into program planning.
• Experience working in the Pacific or within a relevant development context.

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

• This is a Full-Time position with flexible work practices available, where appropriate.
• Compliance with Live & Learn Code of Conduct, Child Protection and Safeguarding, Counter-Terrorism, Anti-Fraud and Money Laundering, and all other project and organisational policies.
• Frequent travel to Pacific Island countries based on project needs.
• Mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Satisfactory Police, Working with Children, and Terrorism checks are required for all staff working within Live & Learn.
• Detailed Terms and Conditions of the employment will be outlined in the Employment Agreement.

WHAT WE OFFER

At Live & Learn Environmental Education (LLEE), we are a team of passionate, diverse and experienced individuals around the Pacific and Asia. We are rapidly growing to provide a wide range of relevant expertise in the international development sector, from project management, water sanitation and hygiene, climate change, food security, gender and communications.

We enjoy a collegial and supportive work culture, with flexible work hours and work-from-home arrangements. We are conscious of our environmental footprint, especially through our carbon emissions. We offer attractive remuneration, including a Salary Packaging scheme, and opportunities for personal and professional growth in partnership with experienced colleagues across the industry.