Senior Programme Officer, Water

THIS IS A LOCAL POSITION OPEN ONLY TO NATIONALS / PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA OR THOSE WITH EXISTING PERMITS TO WORK AND LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA 

The geographical scope of the IUCN Southern Africa office is the SADC mainland member states, with the exception of the DRC, Tanzania and Mozambique . This includes: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The focus of the IUCN southern Africa programmatic priorities is primarily centered on shared resources (i.e. transboundary systems) and collaborative management of the natural resource base. This is both in response to regional priorities as well as based on a recognition that this is where IUCN is best placed to add value to the work of the IUCN constituency. 

Water resources plays a pivotal role in economic development in Africa. Currently, about half of the African continent faces water stress or water scarcity, with this situation predicted to become significantly worse by 2040, with water demand, resource depletion and climate change causing more countries to feel the impacts of water scarcity.

IUCN has a long history in the water sector in eastern and southern Africa, with a particular focus on the following areas:
• Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), with a particular focus on ecosystem based approaches and climate change adaptation; and 
• Good Water Governance, promoting stakeholder engagement at multiple levels, with a particular focus on transboundary waters. 

As part of IUCN’s water portfolio, IUCN is implementing a strategy for ‘Building River Dialogue and Governance in Africa’ (BRIDGE-Africa) that is building water governance capacities in African river and lake basins at multiple levels, spanning local, national and transboundary dimensions. BRIDGE-Africa is a programme that aims to improve water cooperation and increase water governance capacity from local to regional levels. The targeted areas in Southern Africa include Pungwe River Basin and Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa (LMNN). BRIDGE is also active in 8 other basins in 4 other regions across IUCN, including in the IGAD region. 

IUCN is also supporting the Shire River Basin Environmental Financing (SRBEFP) project in Malawi, managed by Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT). SRBEFP seeks to create a legally independent institution that can catalyse and utilise innovative financing mechanisms and win-win partnerships to support strategic, high impact investments that address environmental degradation and restore ecosystem services within the Shire River basin. IUCN’s role is primarily to provide support in addressing the environmental and natural resource challenges. 

In addition, IUCN is developing a number of water related initiatives particularly focused around transboundary water systems and promoting ecosystem based approaches (including environmental flows).

The Senior Programme Officer (SPO), Water will be responsible for coordinating projects within the water portfolio across IUCN’s programme in Southern Africa. More specifically, this will involve the following core functions: 

Core Functions:
I. Administration and management: Oversight of administrative and financial management project activities; 
II. Strategic direction: In collaboration with partners and IUCN staff, provide strategic guidance for all projects, coordinating and communicating recommendations and providing strategic information to partners and IUCN staff.
III. Programme implementation and coordination: Provision of technical support to project partners and IUCN staff engaging in projects, with the purpose of realizing project goals and objectives as stipulated in the donor agreements/contacts. 
IV. Knowledge Management, Monitoring and evaluation: Ensure efficient monitoring and evaluation of activities, in collaboration with partners and IUCN staff. This includes identifying and documenting lessons learnt as well as well as utilizing project outcomes and experiences to write up case studies, policy briefs etc. 
V. Representation and leadership: Represent IUCN to government officials, community leaders, private sector companies and businesses and counterpart/NGO representatives as needed. Participate in regional/international meetings as requested by supervisor(s). 
VI. Co-investment and developing new proposals: With the support of the Deputy Regional Director and the IUCN Global Water Programme, IUCN ESARO Technical Programme Group and Partners, assist with the development of funding proposals and co-investment opportunities for the Water portfolio for Southern Africa. In particular, as part of a coordinated approach to fundraising, the SPO is expected to lead the development of funding proposals for BRIDGE and other complementary water/wetlands projects as appropriate. 

1 Administration and management: 
1.1 Manage day to day follow up and collaboration with project partners, including the convening of regular project coordination meetings for all target areas.
1.2 Ensure a collaborative and an interactive approach throughout the programme and that communication between project partners is carried out in a respectful and appropriate manner. 
1.3 Ensure that all administrative procedures are followed, in line with Donor Contracts and the IUCN Internal Control Systems (ICS), such as those regarding vehicle use and procurement.

2 Strategic direction 
2.1 Work closely with IUCN staff and partners to ensure that activities are in line with regional and national priorities and policies 
2.2 Ensure that the strategic direction of projects are informed by evolving national and regional priorities.
2.3 Keep abreast of development needs and Programme opportunities, in particularly those in line with IUCN’s sectoral priorities and programmatic principles. 
2.4 Encourage innovation and excellence in programming.

3. Programme implementation
3.1 Oversee the implementation of project activities and support implementation of activities where needed.
3.2 Ensure compliance with all donor provisions, and timely fulfilment of programmatic reporting requirements.
3.3 Oversee expenditure for projects, avoiding both under spending and overspending on budget line items.
3.4 Compile outcomes of meetings and workshops with stakeholders and disseminate communication material.
3.5 Ensure gender equality is integrated and mainstreamed though all Programme field activities.

4 Monitoring and Evaluation
4.1 In coordination with IUCN staff and relevant partners, ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of results. 
4.2 Ensure completion of biannual and annual technical and financial (including co-financing) reports. Prepare and submit all required IUCN and donor reports for review and submission.
4.3 Regularly visit the project areas and follow up on progress to evaluate programmatic outputs and impact both quantitatively and in terms of quality implementation.

5 Representation and Leadership
5.1 Network and liaise with all the partners and potential partners, developing and maintaining partnerships and strong relationships across all sectors (including the private sector);
5.2 Ensure that good working relationships with governmental officials are maintained, particularly those within the ministries and other institutions (including Ara Centro, ZINWA, ZAMCOM, SADC, etc.)
5.3 Represent IUCN and maintain good working relationships among the international and local NGO community in the basins, among community leadership structures and community-based organizations, and to visiting donor teams and other key contacts. 
5.4 Encourage teamwork, openness, and honesty among project partners.

6. Co-investment and developing new proposals
6.1 Ensure that work packages are developed in a phased manner that encourages and facilitates co-investment.
6.2 Play a key role in identifying funding opportunities and the development of concept papers and proposals, including for the next phase of BRIDGE Africa and projects that can be developed to complement BRIDGE.