Utility Operations Advisor (UOA) at RTI International

RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across the social and laboratory sciences, engineering, and international development. We believe in the promise of science, and we are inspired every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses around the world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Utility Operations Advisor (UOA)

Location: Abuja

Position Oeriew

• The Utility Operations Adisor will be responsible for leading E-WASH Program actiities to improe the commercialization and financial iability of six State Water Boards (SWBs) through reforms and improements in management approaches, financial management, customer relations, billing and collection, and operational efficiencies to improe cost recoery.
• The candidate will lead the support to the SWBs in the process corporatizing urban water serices in the six states.
• This candidate will work with other releant adisors on the team and also support utility operations specialists that are already based in the states.
• The position will also support the initiaties to reiew and deelop  appropriate organizational structures, staff roles, and staff retention programs.
• The oerall goal for this position is work in cooperation with the SWBs and releant goernment counterparts in the transformation of SWBs into professionally managed, commercially iable, and financially sustainable and more customer-oriented organization.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership in utility management: Proide high leel technical leadership in E-WASH strategy, approach, implementation, and specific actiities to strengthen utility management and performance at the six counterpart SWBs.
• Technical superision of the state-leel Utility Operations Specialists: Proide technical superision and oersight as a matrix manager to the six Utility Operations Specialists based in each of the six counterpart state locations.

Technical leadership in strengthening SWB financial management:

• Deelop financial models for the SWBs, in close cooperation with international consultants, to progressiely and rapidly improe cost recoery, including the pace at which Goernment subention should be eliminated or significantly reduced.
• Oersee actiities related to improed financial management of the SWBs, to include but not be limited to: adising on automated financial management of funds from different sources (i.e. Goernment, deelopment partners, water sellers, etc.), deeloping a framework on auditing, budgeting, and releant and affordable financial management tools and systems.
• Lead E-WASH staff in support actiities for commercialization of the State Water Boards (SWBs)
• Lead commercialization support to the SWBs for serice proision including deeloping and implementing strategies to increase cost recoery, with the goal of achieing O&M cost recoery oer time
• Proide technical leadership and oersight of E-WASH state teams in the strengthening of billing and collections, customer care and management, customer serice units, customer charters, and other efforts, as appropriate, to build consumer trust and increase collection rates and customer satisfaction.
• Deelop, promote and support the implementation of tariff reiews and tariff reforms.
• Oerall strategic and technical oersight of creating more professionally managed SWBs throughout reforms and institutional deelopment for human resources.
• Oersee the work by the E-WASH state teams to strengthen and deelop Human Resources practices and capacity within the SWBs. This will include, but not be limited to deeloping, supporting, or updating the following: organizational structure, position descriptions, performance management practices, Staff Deelopment and Retention Plan, skills training, corporate culture, succession planning and the process of increasing the autonomy of SWB staff from goernment employment.
• Leadership and support to improed utility serices monitoring, reporting, and benchmarking.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master's Degree (or corresponding years of experience) in Finance, Business, Economics, Management, or releant degree.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressiely responsible work experience in financial management, utility management, commercialization of public serices, utility operations, or other releant expertise.
• Ability to deelop financial models for utility serices.
• Demonstrated understanding and experience in the requisite components of a well-functioning utility: utility operations, commercialization of serices, priate sector engagement, customer serice, billing and collection, strategic planning, tariff setting, human resources, institutional deelopment, etc.
• Ability to interact with senior Goernment counterparts, such as Executie Goernors, and to be able to articulate and represent E-WASH effectiely, including the ability to discuss the challenges of urban water sector reforms and to respectfully champion the needed changes within the sector.
• Proen ability to work effectiely in a multicultural and multinational team.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly and effectiely, to deelop and edit technical reports, and to proide a wide range of written content for contractual reporting, communications materials, and eent materials.

Application Closing Date
Friday, 5th April, 2019.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should submit by e-mail only an Application Letter and a CV as ONE SINGLE WORD document to: Recruitment@ewash.rti.org  The title/subject of your email and application should be position you are applying for.

Note

• Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for an interview.
• Women are strongly encouraged to apply. We offer a highly competitive renumeration.
• Take note that any successful candidate will be subjected to a pre-employment background investigation.
• RTI is an equal opportunity employer and does not / will not request for any financial payment for recruitment.