Senior Advisor, WASH Technical Director PRO-WASH & SCALE (P4)

Save the Children

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world's hardest-to-reach places - over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you're creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.

The Role

As the WASH Technical Director of the US Department of State (DoS)-managed PRO-WASH & SCALE activity, you will be integral to our work in helping vulnerable children achieve a brighter future. In this role, you will provide expertise in a variety of sub-sector topics including (but not limited to): adult learning, emergency response programming, behavior change, marketing approaches, and research methods in support of DoS. In this capacity you will lead strategic and sustainable capacity strengthening, learning, and knowledge-sharing activities focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). You will serve as the primary WASH liaison and representative of the project to DoS's WASH technical experts, colleagues at the Global WASH cluster and with other partners to ensure project responsiveness to the donors and key stakeholders. You will exercise independent judgment and discretion on significant matters and will implement objectives independently to achieve key milestones and overall success.

NOTE - this role is contingent on award funding that is anticipated to end late February 2027.

Location

Hybrid - Washington DC, Fairfield, CT or Lexington, KY office locations

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Technical Leadership and Support (60%)

• Provide leadership for the implementation and monitoring of program workplan activities related to WASH and water resource management (WRM);
• Ensure annual workplan activities focusing on WASH/WRM are successfully carried out on time and with quality;
• Oversee the implementation of the project capacity strengthening, partner & stakeholder engagement and learning activities, curricula to achieve longer-term, sustainable learning capacities within implementing organizations;
• Work with DoS, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to identify WASH and WRM gaps, needs, and knowledge sharing opportunities to ensure cost-effective and quality implementation of lifesaving support
• Provide quality assurance and oversight for PRO-WASH & SCALE capacity strengthening tools, trainings, and practice materials focused on integrated water resources management ( WRM )and WASH through multiple channels, including in-person trainings, distance learning, low-resource and low bandwidth A/V, and mentoring methodologies;
• Provide follow-up remote mentoring support to DoS implementing partners, as needed, to deliver quality capacity-strengthening and learning activities and other technical assistance needs as indicated by the donor or implementers;
• Provide technical oversight for learning events and webinars focused on sharing successes and lessons learned around implementation of activities inclusive of WASH and IWRM;
• Lead the development of documentation, learning documents, toolkits, and data collection and management methods for sharing with the larger food security and humanitarian community, including via FSN Network;

Management, Representation and Coordination (40%)

• Serve as the primary WASH liaison with DoS implementing partners, the Global WASH Cluster and other relevant stakeholders
• Coordinate with consortium partners to ensure multi-sectoral collaboration and workplan achievement
• In coordination with the Project Director and other SCUS staff, ensure overall WASH program targets are met and help manage the WASH program budget in accordance with Save the Children standards and protocols;
• Manage WASH technical staff in the PRO-WASH & SCALE activity and consultants and oversee their professional development
• Contribute to the capacity strengthening and professional development of PRO-WASH & SCALE technical Save the Children staff
• Build and nurture partnerships and/or networks with external agencies and organizations including multilaterals, NGOs, communities of practice, technical working groups, Global WASH Cluster, and contractors to share and promote WASH and IWRM learning and innovation and pursue opportunities to disseminate relevant tools;
• Identify and support the solicitation of relevant qualified short-term technical assistance based on specific program needs;
• Contribute to Save the Children's quarterly and annual reporting, strategic and operational planning and other management and documentation mechanisms.

Required qualifications for the role

• Bachelors' degree in a related field, including, but not limited to, civil and/or environmental engineering, environmental science/health, public health, behavioral science, hydrogeology, natural resources management, plus at least 7 years' experience implementing WASH or IWRM programming in the context of programs in international and resource-limited and emergency settings with at least 5 years in a leadership role;
• Experience serving as a Technical Director or WASH Team Lead on a multi-sectoral project or at a multi-sectoral organization
• Demonstrated experience supporting former USAID/BHA-funded food security and/or emergency activities, or similarly funded rural WASH or IWRM targeting highly vulnerable populations in both humanitarian and development settings;
• Experience designing and implementing WASH or IWRM capacity building, research and/or knowledge-sharing activities;
• Proven ability to communicate effectively and maintain productive relationships with donors, implementing partners, research institutions, and national governments;
• Demonstrated strong management, planning, supervisory, and leadership skills as they apply to team, budget, workplan and donor management;
• Ability to think critically, strategically, and operationally;
• Willing and able to travel up to 20% of the time. Travel includes both international and domestic trips.
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English

Preferred qualifications for the role

• Master's degree in a WASH and/or water security-related field, including, but not limited to, civil and/or environmental engineering, environmental science/health, public health, behavioral science, hydrogeology or natural resources management
• Professional proficiency in French strongly preferred
• Experience working on DoS-funded international development projects
• Familiarity with former USAID-funded activities, particularly within the former Bureau for Resilience and Food Security
• Experience deploying adult learning techniques
• Knowledge and experience applying human centered design principles, behavior change, and/or marketing approaches
• Experience designing, implementing and documenting quantitative and qualitative research using various methods
• Emergency response programming

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $108,800-$121,600 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $98,600 - $110,200 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $88,400 -$98,800 base salary

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record. Actual base salary may vary based on, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here).

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Flexible schedules and time off: Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays and hybrid working opportunities
• Health: Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family: A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to applicantsupport@savechildren.org.