New job opportunities with Water Witness

January 2020

Water Witness works at the frontline of the global water crisis to shine a light on its impacts, to understand its root causes and to activate an effective and lasting response.  Our ambitious 2030 Strategy sets out five imperatives for a water secure future: accountable governance, progressive financing, redefining corporate responsibility, confronting climate change and activating people power.  To lead the delivery of our strategy we are recruiting three mid-career/senior professionals to the following positions:

Practice Lead - Research, Edinburgh, UK. £41,890 - £46,400 plus benefits including 8% pension contribution.  Doctoral degree plus seven years’ relevant experience.  Closing date 6th February 2020.  Further details and candidate pack: https://waterwitness.org/s/Practice-Lead-Research.pdf

We are seeking an exceptional individual with the experience, skills and vision needed to co-ordinate the ground-breaking, multi-country Accountability for Water Research Programme which aims to strengthen citizen responsive water governance, climate resilience and WASH service delivery across Africa. The post-holder will lead evidence generation and knowledge management across our growing operations.  The successful candidate will require exceptional competence in the design, delivery, and documentation of interdisciplinary research, as well as in the provision of technical support to a dispersed group of diverse partners.  They will drive the uptake and application of knowledge generated and stimulate positive change for vulnerable people across our countries of operation.  This is an excellent opportunity for a gifted individual to shape global research, policy and practice on accountability, advocacy and governance for sustainable and inclusive development.

Practice Lead - Water Stewardship, Edinburgh, UK. £37,492 - £40,107, plus benefits including 8% pension contribution.  Postgraduate degree plus seven years’ relevant experience.  Closing date 6th February 2020.  Further details and candidate pack: https://waterwitness.org/s/Practice-Lead-Water-Stewardship.pdf

This influential position will place the successful applicant at the heart of global efforts to unlock sustainable, climate resilient and inclusive economic development through the uptake of credible water stewardship by the private sector, investors and key government agencies.  The Practice Lead will provide sound technical advice and leadership support to our water stewardship programmes in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, and Malawi and will guide the strategic development and strengthening of the Alliance for Water Stewardship - Africa.  The successful candidate will possess the skills, experience and creative energy needed to shape our wider water stewardship portfolio and play a key role in redefining corporate responsibility on water through cutting-edge programmes, investigations and advocacy.

Exciting opportunities to work with our partners in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya

January 2020

Water Witness’s partners are leading efforts in Africa to improve service delivery and governance across the water sector (WASH, water resource management and climate resilience) through strengthening of accountability. They work at the frontline of the water crisis to shine a light on its impacts, to understand its root causes and to activate an effective and lasting response.  Over the past 10 years they have led ground-breaking work to strengthen the voices of vulnerable people, to help them demand their rights to improved water security, and have supported the capabilities of government to hear and respond to these demands.  Through the Accountability for Water partnership, this work is entering an exciting new phase of action, collaborative research and learning.  We are pleased to announce and promote four new job opportunities for nationals from Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya to join these efforts in influential positions. 

Director, Shahidi wa Maji, Morogoro, Tanzania. Regionally competitive salary and benefits. Postgraduate degree plus seven years’ relevant experience. Closing date 21st February 2020.  Further details and candidate pack: http://www.shahidiwamaji.org/recruitment.

Shahidi wa Maji leads civil society engagement across the water sector in Tanzania and has a strong track record of driving system change and improving water security for vulnerable people. Their ground-breaking Uhakika wa Maji programme uses social accountability monitoring with citizens, water stewardship with private sector, capacity building with government and evidence-based advocacy with decision makers to drive universal access to WASH, sustainable water resource management and climate resilience.

They are now looking for a high-calibre Director with the skills and experience to lead their next phase of organisational development, and to nurture external relationships so that they can build on their achievements to date.  As well as managing the team to ensure high impact delivery of existing programmes, the Director will spearhead the design and implementation of an ambitious new strategy, including through attracting new long-term funding.  This is a new, senior and influential position within a people focused NGO, which will place the successful applicant at the heart of efforts to improve service delivery and resource governance for sustainable and inclusive development in Africa. The Director must have technical credibility and experience, and be an exceptional leader, strategic thinker, communicator, and fundraiser. 

National Research Coordinator, Shahidi wa Maji/Accountability for Water Partnership, Morogoro, Tanzania. Tsh 40,238,000 – 51,380,000 per annum.  Masters’ degree plus three years’ relevant experience.  Closing date 21st February 2020.  Further details and candidate pack: http://www.shahidiwamaji.org/recruitment.

Shahidi wa Maji is the Tanzanian lead within the global Accountability for Water Action and Research Programme which is investigating the levers of change for stronger accountability throughout the water sector. The work focuses on the ‘community dynamics’ of accountability (what stimulates and sustains citizen voice?), ‘duty bearer dynamics’ (when and why is there an effective response?), and the ‘enabling environment’ (how can impact, legacy and countering of closing civic space be supported?). The goal is to generate and share knowledge which will enable all stakeholders to harness accountability practice to accelerate delivery of the water related SDG’s. We are seeking a Tanzanian national with the experience and skills to co-ordinate this innovative, multi-stakeholder programme. The post-holder will be responsible for its successful co-ordination in Tanzania and will provide administrative and technical support to partners and Professional Research Fellows to ensure high-quality research design, delivery, documentation, and communication and uptake of results. This is an excellent opportunity for a gifted individual with exceptional organisational and communication skills to help shape research, policy and practice on accountability and advocacy in Tanzania, and to build a legacy of wider impact through the next step in their career as a leader for sustainable development and social justice.

National Research Coordinator, KEWASNET/Accountability for Water Partnership, Nairobi, Kenya. KSH 1,760,540 – 2,248,650 per year.  Masters’ degree plus three years’ relevant experience.  Closing date 21st February 2020.  Further details & candidate pack: http://www.kewasnet.co.ke/index.php/opportunities1

KEWASNET is the Kenyan lead within the global Accountability for Water Action and Research Programme which is investigating the levers of change for stronger accountability throughout the water sector. The work focuses on the ‘community dynamics’ of accountability (what stimulates and sustains citizen voice?), ‘duty bearer dynamics’ (when and why is there an effective response?), and the ‘enabling environment’ (how can impact, legacy and countering of closing civic space be supported?). The goal is to generate and share knowledge which will enable all stakeholders to harness accountability practice to accelerate delivery of the water related SDG’s. We are seeking a Kenyan national with the experience and skills to co-ordinate this innovative, multi-stakeholder programme. The post-holder will be responsible for its successful co-ordination in Kenya and will provide administrative and technical support to partners and Professional Research Fellows to ensure high-quality research design, delivery, documentation, and communication and uptake of results. This is an excellent opportunity for a gifted individual with exceptional organisational and communication skills to help shape research, policy and practice on accountability and advocacy in Kenya, and to build a legacy of wider impact through the next step in their career as a leader for sustainable development and social justice.

Regional Programme Manager, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Regionally competitive salary. Postgraduate degree plus seven years’ relevant experience.  Closing date 6th February 2020.  Further details and candidate pack: https://waterwitness.org/s/Regional-Programme-Manager.pdf

We are seeking an experienced Ethiopian professional with the competences and vision needed to successfully deliver complex water stewardship programmes, and to provide the strategic leadership required to transition the Alliance for Water Stewardship Africa into a fully autonomous, inclusive and high impact regional entity. The postholder will lead our ‘Putting water stewardship to work for Ethiopia’ programme which will support and learn from AWS standard implementation across Ethiopia’s Industrial Parks, and garment, textile and cotton sectors.  The role will require mentoring, training and co-ordination of staff and partners; programme planning, problem solving and reporting; external liaison, partnership development and fundraising; as well as strategic understanding and technical experience in water. This is an opportunity for an accomplished professional to shape sustainable and equitable development in Ethiopia, Africa and globally and to further establish their credentials as a dynamic leader for positive change.

National Research Coordinator, Accountability for Water Partnership, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ETB 505,000 – 653,920 per year.  Masters’ degree plus three years’ relevant experience.  Closing date 21st February 2020.  Further details & candidate pack here.

The Accountability for Water Programme is investigating the levers of change for stronger accountability throughout the water sector and has agreed an innovative programme of action and research with civil society and government partners in several countries, including Ethiopia. The work focuses on the ‘community dynamics’ of accountability (what stimulates and sustains citizen voice?), ‘duty bearer dynamics’ (when and why is there an effective response?), and the ‘enabling environment’ (how can impact, legacy and countering of closing civic space be supported?). The goal is to generate and share knowledge which will enable all stakeholders to harness accountability practice to accelerate delivery of the water related SDG’s. We are seeking an Ethiopian national with the experience and skills to co-ordinate this innovative, multi-stakeholder programme. The post-holder will be responsible for its successful co-ordination in Ethiopia and will provide administrative and technical support to partners and Professional Research Fellows to ensure high-quality research design, delivery, documentation, and communication and uptake of results. This is an excellent opportunity for a gifted individual with exceptional organisational and communication skills to help shape research, policy and practice on accountability and advocacy in Ethiopia, and to build a legacy of wider impact through the next step in their career as a leader for sustainable development and social justice.


We’d appreciate it if you can circulate these opportunities widely to those who may be interested.  Additional opportunities to join the Water Witness team will be advertised soon. Watch this space!   For queries and further details email jobs@waterwitness.org.