Chief Technical Advisor/Expert in Institutional Reforms and Devolution

Position Title:  Chief Technical Advisor/Expert in Institutional Reforms and Devolution
Requisition Number:  14-0140
Location:  Nairobi, Kenya 

Position Purpose:

 

Devolution and developing capacities of county governments and local level service providers will be cornerstones of development of most public services in Kenya, including water and sanitation services. As a part of a wider team, the CTA is expected to promote, guide and support the necessary reforms of WSTF strategies as well as support local level strategy development and capacity building. Most importantly the expert will support WSTF in negotiating with a variety of counties and other stakeholders and act as a negotiation advisor.

 

This post is critical to the Programme since Kenya is in a transition process of implementing a decentralized governance system that demands innovative strategies for strengthening local-level institutions, policies and capacities. The counties only came into being on 1st July 2013. CTA’s prior experience on decentralization process is therefore indispensable for the implementation of the Programme.

 

Key Responsibilities:

 

The Chief of Technical Advisor will:

General tasks

• Advise the Chief Executive Officer of WSTF, WSTF management, relevant ministry and senior county level officers in decision making on new strategies or methodologies to be developed
• Support overall reform of WSTF's strategies toward the model based on county-level planning and implementation of water and sanitation services as well as water resources management
• Support the ministry and WSTF in facilitating the overall political / strategic process of devolving water services to the counties 

Overall responsibility for

• Monitoring the effective and efficient use of resources provided by the Governments of Finland and Sweden
• Planning and managing the international and national short-term consultancy (ISTC) inputs including; i) development of TORs, ii) recruitment, iii) supervision and quality control of implementation and reporting
• Quality assurance in preparation of the Annual Work Plans, the Annual Progress Reports, ISTC reports and other routine reports 

Co-management responsibilities together with CEO of WSTF

• Efficient communication with the Embassy of Finland/Sweden, TA of other donors supporting WSTF, and other partners involved in implementation of the Programme
• Ensuring, through participatory and collaborative working methods, the transfer of skills and knowledge among the WSTF and partner organisations
• Assuring the quality of work when revising and finalizing the Programme document
• Coordinating with TA-teams of other donors of WSTF and other partners 

Technical advisory responsibilities for

• Facilitating efficient exchange of international and national experiences in institutional, commercial and technical solutions of water related services
• Support the preparation of capacity building strategies and programmes for the whole chain of operations, especially at management and county government levels
• Developing capacity in WSTF for the efficient outsourcing of Programme activities to private sector/civil society entities
• Advising WSTF senior management in matters of corporate governance
• In cooperation with other donor s/TA, support in developing an overall M&E system for the operations of WSTF (in coordination with BMA)
• Quality control in selection, planning and monitoring of the investment projects

Basic Requirements:

 

Education and Experience Requirements:

• At least Master’s degree in a relevant field from a recognized institution.
• Eight years of relevant experience in workforce development, livelihoods, and/or private sector development.
• Four years of relevant experience in Africa (or similar developing countries), experience in Ethiopia highly preferred.
• Experience and knowledge in facilitating or leading institutional development and policy / strategy processes relevant to devolution in public services such as water supply;
• Experience and knowledge in developing and building capacities and competences at sector and county / local government levels as well as facilitating cooperation between institutions, private sector, community organizations and donors;
• Experience and knowledge in development of approaches for rural water supply and sanitation services together with water resources management including alternatives, which may comprise of but not limited to municipality/county managed water companies, public-private sector partnerships, and community-managed services e.g. water cooperatives;
• Experience as a Chief Technical Adviser / Team Leader in planning and implementing development cooperation projects/programmes and processes, leading multi-cultural teams and facilitating multi-donor cooperation;
• Experience in Project Cycle Management (PCM) and Results Based Management Approaches; 

Preferred Qualifications:

 

Other Qualifications:

• Well-developed policy and institutional analysis skills
• Good communication and facilitation skills
• Ability to develop innovative institutional solutions in different operating environments
• Ability to work in multi-sector and multi-disciplinary teams
• Advanced skills in capacity building and skills transfer
• Good report writing skills 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. We are also an equal opportunity employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

 

To apply for this position, please visit our website at www.pactworld.org.