Job Title: Water and Sanitation Business Development Officer
Reports to: Sanitation Business Development Manager
Location: Kigali, with frequent travel to all Everyone Forever (EF) districts
No. of working hours: 40 hours in a week
Commencement Date: September 2021
Duration: One (1) year with the possibility of renewal.
Background
Water For People is an international not-for-profit organization established in 1991. Our vision is a world where every person has access to reliable and safe water and sanitation services. We exist to promote the development of high-quality drinking water and sanitation services, accessible to all, and sustained by strong communities, businesses, and governments. We value accountability, courage, empowerment, partnership, and transparency. We operate in nine African, Asian, and Latin American countries.
The Water and Sanitation Business Development Officer will support and coordinate sanitation and water business development work in Rwanda.
Job Summary
The Water and Sanitation Business Development Officer will coordinate, support, and drive the implementation of Water For People’s market-based approaches in sanitation and water, an initiative that seeks to facilitate private sector development and increase access to sustainable urban and rural sanitation, and safe drinking water through local market channels.
The successful candidate will develop and implement a market-based approach towards the provision of sustainable WASH services in Rwanda.
This will include but is not limited to providing business development technical expertise to the program, carrying out due diligence through comprehensive assessments of potential business partners, developing and testing new business propositions for rural and urban water and sanitation management, creating financial service linkages for water and sanitation businesses, identifying and providing technical support to water and sanitation service providers in the districts where Water For People has programming, assisting service providers in developing business plans, setting their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and tracking progress.
Major responsibilities and duties
- Participation in strategic and operational planning
- Drive innovation in the water and sanitation business in line with the overall vision of the Water For People and Rwanda Country Program.
- Provide business development technical expertise to the program.
- Provide technical leadership on sanitation and water business strategies, business modeling, and operational planning to partners/entrepreneurs.
- Conduct business landscaping studies, and oversee the management of market analysis work in all the districts where Water For People has programming.
- Identify needs, opportunities, gaps, and constraints in potential water and sanitation markets, models, and service providers/entrepreneurs.
- Support partners to develop business growth strategies, operational plans, marketing and promotion strategies and plans, and working capital analysis for identified businesses.
- Financing water and sanitation businesses
- Review opportunities for financing water and sanitation businesses and developing market linkages.
- Undertake consultations with finance institutions (e.g. micro-finance institutions, Savings and Credit Cooperatives, banks, etc.) to evaluate financing mechanisms.
- Work with relevant institutions to develop and implement national and district-wide strategies relating to improving co-financing for Water and sanitation services.
- Partnerships
- Build trust and relationships with key local entrepreneurs, and gain an understanding of the private sector and water and sanitation businesses in the district Water For People intervenes in.
- Identify and maintain regular contact with partners, including private sector organizations and government bodies supporting water and sanitation businesses.
- Engage with local government to understand and, if necessary improve the regulatory operating environment for emerging water and sanitation businesses.
- Collaboration with LIXIL to increase scale of SaTo pan distribution and marketing to national scale in Rwanda, with focus on affordable pricing models and expansion into rural distribution networks
- Capacity building and learning
- Promote entrepreneurial development by coaching and mentoring WASH businesses to build their entrepreneurship capacity and ability to innovate, market their products/services and run successful businesses.
- Document successes, failures, and lessons learned, and work with both MEL Officer and Communication Officer to share knowledge both internally and externally.
- Actively collaborate with Water For People strategic partners and other sector players to promote marketing approach to sustainable sanitation;
- Undertake any other duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the supervisor.
Competences & Behaviors
- Connects to the Mission – Embraces the mission of Water For People and is passionate about advancing the dynamic role it plays a leading social impact in international development;
- Demonstrates Ethics and Integrity – Understands ethical behavior and business practices and ensures that own behavior is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization;
- Manages through Ambiguity – Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in responding to change and ambiguity;
- Demonstrates Cultural Awareness – Able to engage the wide range of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds and cultures;
- Action-oriented – Maintains an attitude of open, curious, and proactive learning, continually expanding own area of understanding and expertise.
- Connects with Others – Listens and fosters open communication through questioning, dialogue, and information sharing;
- Self-confident – Demonstrates humility, mature confidence, and courage to innovate, risk, and lead in own role.
Qualifications, knowledge & skills required
- Bachelor’s Degree in business development/management, social marketing, entrepreneurship development, or other related disciplines.
- At least five years of experience in social and commercial marketing approaches, ideally with work in the water and sanitation sector.
- Extensive experience in small and medium enterprise development, preferably in Rwanda.
- Experience in business modeling and financial forecasting.
- Excellent representational experience and skills.
- Advanced proficiency in financial modeling software.
- Excellent report writing, documentation, and presentation skills.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, networking, and negotiation skills.
- Good analytical skills and the ability to extrapolate lessons to other situations.
- Experience with running or investing in a business would be an added advantage.
Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job.
How to Apply:
- If you are both qualified and Water For People interests you, please visit our Career Center and apply with an application letter along with detailed curriculum vitae (resume), relevant academic documents, and contact details of at least three (3) referees to this position. Please submit your application materials in English. In-person visits or phone calls are not allowed!
- Applications need to be received no later than 15 September 2021 at 5:00 pm (Rwanda time).
Kigali, August 2021.
Perpetue Kamuyumbu
Country Director
Water For People in Rwanda.
