Team Leader, Sustainable Water for the Mara - Kisumu, Kenya at Winrock International

Position Summary:

The Team Leader/Senior Water Resources Management Specialist will be the in-country manager for the Sustainable Water for the Mara (SWM) Activity, an anticipated 3-year activity under the USAID-funded Sustainable Water Partnership that will help Kenyan and Tanzanian stakeholders in the Mara River Basin to safeguard adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for human well-being, ecosystem services, livelihoods and socioeconomic development. The Team Leader executes the project under the general guidance of Winrock’s policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Team Leader will be based in Kisumu, Kenya.

Essential Responsibilities:

The Team Leader is responsible for the overall implementation of the activity and his/her responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provides leadership, supervision and direction to the activity’s field implementation team, sub-awards and STTA resources;

• Represents SWP in meetings with USAID, development partners, regional and local institutional counterparts, host country government representatives, and local stakeholders;

• Coordinates and oversees the preparation of work plans that define the activities to be carried out under the activity, progress reports on project implementation and all other major activity deliverables;

• Coordinates the preparation of all scopes of work and timetables for the design and implementation of activities in conjunction with work plans and in accordance with Winrock policies and contractual obligations;

• Manages staff to assure highest standards of performance are achieved, including setting performance expectations; conducting annual performance reviews; following all local labor laws; and trains staff on and helps to administer Winrock policies regarding ethics, health, safety, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, among others;

• Responsible for sound financial management of the project, overseeing in-country expenditures and working with the SWP Home Office team on budget control and financial planning;

• Reports and documents results and progress against the work plan to the SWP Home Office team;

• Provides technical assistance to the activity in one or more specific technical areas, in accordance with the work plan; and

• Carries out any other activity as deemed appropriate by the SWP Home Office Team

Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in a water related field, such as engineering, hydrology, natural resource management/forestry science;
• Minimum of ten (10) to twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in the water sector, including with water resource management efforts;
• Minimum of five (5) years of project management experience (supervising staff and budgets);
• Experience managing and supporting donor-funded development projects and working with local stakeholders in Kenya and Tanzania;
• Experience working with USAID or other donors in Kenya and Tanzania; knowledge of USAID project management and reporting requirements preferred;
• Experience providing training and capacity building
• Experience performing water sector assessment and analysis exercises
• Experience responding to water sector threats, such as decreased water quality (e.g. increased sediment loads), land use changes (deforestation), and increased risks of flooding and drought
• Experience related to performing fieldwork in rural areas;
• Ability to demonstrate the highest level of ethical standards at all times;
• Working knowledge of basic computer programs, including MS Office Suite;
• Strong proficiency in English (verbal and written) required;
• Ability to travel up to 50% to the field as necessary