Job
description
CAWST
(Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology)
Organizational
Background
CAWST is a Canadian
non-profit organ
ization focused on the principle that clean water changes
lives. Safe water and basic sanitation are fundamentals necessary to empower
the world’s poorest people and break the cycle of poverty. CAWST believes that
the place to start is to teach people the skills they need to have safe water
in their homes. CAWST transfers knowledge and skills to organizations and
individuals in developing countries through education, training and consulting
services. This ever-expanding network can motivate individual households to
take action to meet their own water and sanitation needs. Since 2001, CAWST’s
client network has helped 9.3 million people get better water and sanitation.
Our vision is a world where people have
the opportunity to succeed because their basic water and sanitation needs have
been met.
Our mission is to provide technical
training and consulting, and to act as a centre of expertise in water and
sanitation for the poor in developing countries.
CAWST values
equitable opportunities, sustainable solutions and collaborative and inclusive
processes. We recognize and accept differences in cultural, religious and
political processes.
The
Position:
International Technical Advisor (French Speaking)
Reports to: Director, Training and
Consulting
Type: Full-time permanent.
Start Date: Pending funding approval.
Possibly starting autumn 2015.
Position
Summary:
You are an
enterprising and motivated individual with strong technical water, sanitation
and hygiene (WASH) skills and experience. You are driven to transfer knowledge
and skills to WASH practitioners, resulting in actions to implement effective
WASH programs in the developing world. You constantly assess, experiment and
learn from those with whom you work. You believe that everybody can learn.
The ITA position is
at the forefront of CAWST’s programs and global service delivery. You will be
assigned to countries and/or a region of the developing world and will be
responsible for formulating strategies, conducting business development to
identify clients, and delivering professional training and consulting services.
You will build clients’ capacity, motivate, and inspire client organizations to
implement independent water and sanitation programs in their communities.
This is a demanding
cross-functional role that requires a considerable amount of travel to developing
countries. International travel will be typically 4 trips per year, with up to
50% of time spent overseas.
The position is
permanent, full time, and based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Training
- Prepare
and deliver training workshops, seminars and planning sessions - Manage
and supervise others who assist in the preparation or delivery of training
workshops - Ensure
technical competency and knowledge is up-to-date as new information is
learned by CAWST - Apprentice
and train others, in various capacities, including clients, staff of Water
Expertise and Training Centres, new CAWST staff, and volunteer assistant
trainers
- Consulting
Support
- Provide
ongoing consulting support to clients via phone, email or field visits
Provide
support and troubleshooting to clients’ projects and initiatives Help identify barriers to
implementation and ways to overcome them
- Contribute
to the maintenance and updating of training and support materials, and
other CAWST documents. - Contribute
to clients’ web-based discussion forums
- Water
Expertise and Training (WET) Centres
- Identify
potential WET Centres within the region or countries of responsibility.
Develop relationships and explore potential opportunity to partner in the
development of a WET Centre - Work
together with local partner to develop strategy, plans and seek funding
for the development of the WET Centre - Assume
role of project manager, where appropriate, taking responsibility for the
capacity building process through the phases of exploration, start-up,
growth, strengthening to independence
- Business
& Client Development
- Research
and prepare country and regional strategies - Develop
strong understanding of country contexts, client organizations, key water
& sanitation issues - Identify
potential training, networking and client support opportunities - Build
and sustain credibility with clients and potential clients
- Develop
and maintain strong client relationships
- Education
Program Development, Research Learning, Communications
- Gather
information and share insights with other CAWST departments to guide the
development of appropriate training, consulting services and tools for
CAWST’s clients. - Collect
images, case studies, stories and testimonies from CAWST’s work overseas
for the purposes of Education Program Development and Communications. - Support
research projects in which CAWST may become involved.
- Fund
Development
- Collaborate
in the preparation of funding proposals and presentations - Seek
opportunities, and develop relationships with potential funders in
countries for which the ITA is responsible.
- Governance
- Participate
in the development of CAWST’s strategic plans including development of
short and long-range performance objectives. - Assist
in the distribution and collection of CAWST’s annual client survey; and
contribute as needed to the analysis of results - At all
times maintain a conscious awareness of CAWST’s dual objectives of
technology transfer for the benefit of the poor and the functioning of a
professional, not-for-profit organization
- Operations
Planning and Reporting
- Develop
and execute country and regional strategies and plans, including
activities, targets and budgets - Understand
and contribute as appropriate to CAWST’s operations and business services
cycle (e.g. monthly operations reports, budget reconciliations,
timesheets, trip reports)
- Other
- Participate
actively in personal and organizational Professional Development; in
particular in CAWST’s semi-annual Learning Exchanges (January and June) - Any
other duties and responsibilities as directed by the Director, Training
and Consulting or designate.
EDUCATION
AND EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s
degree in relevant discipline (engineering, sciences) - Minimum
3 years experience (5 years preferred) working in WASH programs, WASH
training, and WASH related capacity building in the international
development context. - Ideal
candidate has experience in Haiti and/or French speaking West Africa - Demonstrated
track-record of commitment to poverty alleviation through water and
sanitation
SKILLS AND
ATTRIBUTES
- Communication:
Excellent written and verbal communications, with the ability to target
different and cross-cultural audiences to build rapport, engage and
motivate individuals. - Training
and facilitation: Creates
a participatory learning environment and uses a range of cross-cultural
facilitation methods. - Entrepreneurial:
Enjoys working in a dynamic, constantly changing environment. Strategic
and proactive in coordination and project management. - Service-oriented:
Consistently seeks to provide a high level of professional service to
clients and other CAWST departments. - Analytical
and problem solving: Able to troubleshoot technical problems quickly and
effectively, often with limited resources. - Organizational:
Able to handle multiple tasks and balance priorities with various projects
and stakeholders. - Credible:
Able to establish credibility quickly with clients and other stakeholders.
- Team
Player: An accomplished professional who works well both independently and
within a team. - International
travel: enjoys travel, able to work in challenging situations in different
cultures, and easily adapts to different contexts. - Language:
Fluent English and French required, other languages an asset in particular
Spanish. - Proficient
with Windows-based computer programs (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint) - Vision
and values aligned with CAWST
COMPENSATION
Will be discussed in
personal interview.
TO APPLY
Please send your
cover letter, resume, and attached questionnaire to cawstHR@cawst.org.
Only completed
applications will be considered. No calls please – only qualified candidates
will be contacted for a personal interview.
Preference will be
given to candidates eligible to work in Canada.
How
to apply
Please visit http:www.cawst.org/en/get-involved/employment
to learn how to submit your resume, cover letter and questionnaire. The
position will be open until filled. No phone calls please. Only those
candidates able to work in Canada will be reviewed; and only those granted an
interview will be contacted.