Deputy Chief of Party-Technical 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: Deputy Chief of Party-Technical

Location: Abuja

Project Descriptions

• RTI International seeks an experienced Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP)-Technical for the current USAID/Nigeria Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (E-WASH) Program.
• The overall objective of E-WASH is to assist the Government of Nigeria to expand and improve urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial and technical viability of State Water Boards (SWBs) in six states across Nigeria.
• E-WASH is a four-year, $60M program with the main office in Abuja and embedded state team offices in each of the six states. This is a new 2.5-year position for immediate mobilization and is expected to conclude in September 2021.
• The DCOP-Technical will be based in the E-WASH Abuja office with regular travel to the state offices and SWB locations.
• The DCOP-Technical will work closely with the Chief of Party (COP) in the overall technical management and implementation of the USAID E-WASH Program and must have strong expertise in the development and strengthening of effectively managed and operated water utilities, preferably in Africa.
• The candidate must have a strong understanding of a range of approaches to improving the financial viability of water utilities, including improved cost recovery through operational efficiencies, customer billing and tariff reform.
• The candidate must have proven expertise in improving utility management across a range of KPIs and working with host country governments and the private sector to enable or accelerate commercialization of water services.
• The DCOP-Technical will coordinate and manage the portfolio of reform initiatives developed under the program, determining and then overseeing technical assistance needs, and managing reform initiatives being implemented through state-level Service Improvement Plans (SIPs).
• The candidate will also be responsible for driving E-WASH activities to improve the viability of the SWBs and achieve the expected results of the contract as well as work plan targets, milestones, and deliverables.

Job Responsibilities
The specific roles and responsibilities of the DCOP-Technical include, but are not limited to the following:

• As directed by the COP, manage day-to-day technical implementation of the E-WASH program, in particular those focused on strengthening the viability of the SWBs;
• Manage, coordinate, and supervise overall implementation of SWB service improvement plans (SIPs) to ensure that targets are being achieved, and to proactively identify and resolve key constraints;
• Support the COP to identify and oversee the engagement of short- and long-term technical assistance consultants, including staff from E-WASH subcontractors, in close cooperation and coordination with E-WASH State Team Leaders and component lead Advisors, to include developing scopes of work, reviewing submitted candidates, completing budget checks, and providing ongoing performance monitoring
• Supervise technical staff, as assigned by the COP;
• Represent E-WASH leadership at meeting with USAID, Government of Nigeria counterparts, implementing partners, other donors, key stakeholders, and others as needed, including at local, national, regional and international events;
• Participate in the development and review of E-WASH annual work plans, deliverables, project reports, technical communications such as success stories, technical documents, presentations, etc., to include coordination of other team members’ contributions;
• Provide thought leadership in technical debate and discussion with discussion papers, articles and/or presentations on best-practices for water and sanitation reform policies and strategies at selected fora, at national, regional, and international level, as directed by the COP;
• Develop and/or conduct E-WASH technical training programs, as needed;
• Participate in project evaluations and assessments, as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s Degree, or comparable years of work experience in engineering, finance, management, or revenant area
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible work experience in the management or strengthening of water utilities serving urban areas
• Technical experience working to support water utility transformation from state ownership and control to commercial viability, particularly in Africa or similar development contexts, strongly preferred.
• Experience in capacity development programs of utility staff is preferred
• Work experience for USAID-funded programs preferred
• Proven ability to work effectively with multicultural and multinational teams
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with government, stakeholders, private sector counterparts, and civil society or community groups.
• Fluent in English with a demonstrated ability to write effectively
• Fluency in working with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point, and Outlook)
• Willingness to travel approximately 30% time to the E-WASH state offices and SWB facilities around the states.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interestes and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online