Project Lead – National Water Compact Delivery Accelerator at WaterAid
Job Description
Job Summary
The Project Lead will provide overall strategic, technical and delivery leadership for the National Water Compact Delivery Accelerator, a multi‑country initiative supporting governments to translate high‑level political WASH commitments into credible, investable project pipelines.
The role combines senior project leadership with deep expertise in WASH institutional development and financing, ensuring the Accelerator delivers against its staged milestones, meets the expectations of international financing institutions, and positions partner governments to successfully enter formal investment appraisal pathways.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
1. Strategic leadership and delivery oversight
- Provide overall leadership for the National Water Compact Delivery Accelerator across all participating countries.
- Translate the approved delegated authority, staged approach and theory of change into effective, sequenced delivery.
2. WASH institutional development and financing leadership
- Lead the Accelerator’s approach to institutional strengthening, governance reform and financing readiness.
- Ensure robust diagnostics of sector constraints (institutional, financial, regulatory, macro‑fiscal and political economy).
- Support and guide the establishment or adaptation of the appropriate multistakeholder platforms.
3. Government and senior stakeholder engagement
- Alongside country teams, act as the primary senior interface with ministries responsible for WASH, finance, planning and local government.
- Support and reinforce high‑level political ownership of National Water Compacts and project pipelines.
4. Project governance, quality assurance and risk
- Establish and chair (or participate in) appropriate project governance and decision‑making groups.
- Maintain oversight of delivery quality, ensuring consistency and credibility across countries.
5. Team leadership and coordination
- Lead and manage the core delivery team, including technical specialists and country team embedded roles.
- Provide direction and mentorship to senior technical staff, including the WASH Institutional Management Specialist and the Public-Private Financing Specialist.
6. Learning, replication and strategic positioning
- Oversee synthesis of learning, guidance and tools emerging from the Accelerator.
- Contribute to organisational positioning on WASH financing, national compacts and mission‑oriented delivery.
Minimum Qualifications Required
- Substantial senior‑level experience in WASH institutional reform, sector governance and financing.
- Demonstrated track record of leading complex, multi‑country projects involving governments and financing institutions.
- Deep understanding of investment preparation processes, MDB appraisal expectations and blended finance approaches.
- Proven ability to operate credibly with senior government officials, donors and international finance actors.
- Strong strategic judgement, political sensitivity and leadership presence.
- Experience leading or supporting national WASH compacts, sector reform programmes or investment accelerators.
- Familiarity with World Bank, African Development Bank or similar MDB processes.
- Experience shaping mission‑oriented or systems‑change programmes.
