🇱🇷 Job Vacancy @ ATHENA INFONOMICS – Governance Lead – Countywide Sanitation Activity
Athena Infonomics is seeking a Governance Lead to provide overall leadership and technical direction for sanitation governance activities under the 5-year USAID/Liberia Countywide Sanitation Activity (CWSA). The Activity aims to achieve universal access to at least basic sanitation in five counties – Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Grand Bassa, and Montserrado (excluding Monrovia) – through a combination of market-based sanitation and an improved enabling environment. The Governance Lead will supervise a team that will engage closely with national- and county-level Government of Liberia (GoL) counterparts (National WASH Commission; Ministry of Public Works; Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Health; National Public Health Institute; Environmental Protection Authority; Legislature; County, District and City governments, etc.), community leaders, businesses, and civil society to clarify and deliver on institutional mandates to support universal sanitation access.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Institutional Development and Capacity Building
- Maintain close and collaborative relationships with key GoL institutions and other sector stakeholders, including civil society and development partners
- Lead participatory gap assessment, support GoL to revise and clarify mandates, and develop roadmaps to operationalize new mandates and prioritize interventions
- Lead Governance team to identify GoL capacity building needs at the national and county levels and work with the Activity team to design trainings, technical assistance and/or guidance to meet these needs
- Supervise and support the County Sanitation Manager and 5 County Governance Officers to deliver hands-on technical assistance to county governments for sanitation planning, budgeting, monitoring, and documentation
- Support County Governance Officers to ensure stakeholder buy-in for sanitation campaigns through workshops, advocacy, and individual engagement
- In collaboration with the project’s Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) Advisor, develop fit-for-purpose tools and practices for data collection and use in planning and management
- Facilitate quarterly sectoral performance review meetings with GoL counterparts at the national level and provide guidance to County Governance Officers to facilitate county-level review meetings
- Policies and Regulations
- Support Regulatory Expert and GoL counterparts to review and update existing policies and regulations
- Support GoL to establish guidelines for implementation of new sanitation policies and regulations
- Lead development of national standards for sanitation products and services and support GoL to roll out and disseminate them
- Support County Governance Officers to facilitate development of local standards and regulations for sanitation services delivery, including building codes, city ordinances, and community bylaws, and establish monitoring and enforcement mechanisms
- Public Finance
- Supervise budget and expenditure analysis in collaboration with Sanitation Finance Expert
- Support national GoL institutions to identify new internal and external funding sources for sanitation and oversee County Governance Officers to support the same at the county level
- Engage with civil society and GoL to conduct targeted advocacy for increased funding levels
- Support national and county governments to improve expenditure tracking and financial management
- Learning
- Support County Governance Officers to facilitate communication and knowledge exchange between county governments
- Contribute to annual learning workshops to share good practices and lessons learned
- Collaborate with Activity team to identify and adapt relevant international experience and good practices
- In collaboration with the Activity’s CLA Advisor and the Learning and Communications Manager, identify focus areas for action research and facilitate GoL participation
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, with a strong background in sanitation, public policy, and/or governance required. Postgraduate degree preferred
- At least 8 years of work experience in international development in a position related to governance, with at least 5 in governance and/or WASH implementation
- Demonstrated knowledge of proven approaches and best practices in sanitation service delivery
- Proven experience building strong collaborative relationships with local and national GoL institutions and other stakeholders, including civil society, development partners, and the private sector
- Strong project management and supervisory skills
- Excellent writing and communication skills in English; fluency in other languages spoken in Liberia is an advantage
REPORTING
Reports to the Deputy Chief of Party / Technical Director
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- The successful candidate must not be subject to employment restrictions from a current/former employer (such as a non-compete) that would prevent the candidate from performing the job responsibilities as described
- Only candidates who have Liberia work authorization will be considered.
APPLY
Interested applicants can send their CVs, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample along with the following information to career@athenainfonomics.com. Please mention “Application for Governance Lead, Countywide Sanitation Activity – Liberia” in the subject line.
Expected Salary:
Notice Period:
Current Location:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further steps.
ATHENA INFONOMICS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER
Athena Infonomics is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.
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