Regional Program Coordinator – Flexible Location

Job at WaterAid Australia · CBD & Inner Suburbs Melbourne · Posted 20 hours ago

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Full-timeRemote

Operations and Risk Management, Environment and Sustainability, International Aid and Development, Fundraising

Not For Profit (NFP)

Job description

Reporting To: Head of Program Operations

Location: Australia

Classification: Level 4

Employment Details/Hours: Full Time, 24 Months

Introduction

WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the world’s poorest communities.

WaterAid works through supporting local organisations and government authorities to design and demonstrate appropriate and sustainable WASH programs. WaterAid also seeks to influence policy change through government and other key sector actors to secure and protect the right of poor people to safe, affordable water and sanitation services.

Everything we do is shaped by our six values:

Integrity

Respect

Collaboration

Courage

Accountability

Innovation

WaterAid is a child safe organisation and committed to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse in everything we do. All positions within WaterAid are required to comply with our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.

Overview

WaterAid Australia works within a federated international NGO structure, and is the WaterAid international member responsible for managing country programs in South East Asia and the Pacific. WaterAid Australia has country programs in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Cambodia.

The Program Coordinator works within the Program Operations Team within Policy and Programs to provide quality grant and project management, and operational support to implementing partners of KIWA and Pac Fresh – including WaterAid’s Country Programs in PNG and Timor-Leste, and sub-grantee Permatil Global. The Program Coordinator will also work closely with Live & Learn Education’s regional team to ensure Samoa and PNG projects managed by Live & Learn meet all grant compliance, financial and project quality requirements. This role is responsible for coordinating across teams to ensure effective management of the Kiwa project through its secretariat role in the Project Management Unit.

The Project Coordinator will act as the key focal point for Kiwa donors and the Kiwa secretariat for reporting and strategic direction of the program.

Job Purpose

The specific purpose of the Program Coordinator is to ensure effective implementation of the PRESERVE and Pac Fresh H20 projects, with a focus on strengthening the capacity of country program staff through training, mentoring and accompaniment to effectively manage grants, and all the quality program processes this entails. The role provides contract oversight and project management support to the following complementary projects:

PRESERVE project (60%):

The objective of PRESERVE is that Pacific Islands communities, ecosystems and economies have enhanced resilience to climate change. The project enhances ecosystem and economic resilience to climate change by addressing vulnerabilities in water security, food production, and livelihoods through Nature-based Solutions (NbS), traditional knowledge and sharing, and inclusive governance.

The project is led by WaterAid Australia, the primary beneficiary and contracting entity with the French Development Agency (AFD) through the Kiwa initiative, a regional multi-donor fund (EU, France, NZ, Australia and Canada). WaterAid Australia will oversee all aspects of project governance, including financial management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and regional knowledge-sharing, as well as implementing activities project activities in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste

Live & Learn Environmental Education will act as an implementing partner, focusing on activities in Papua New Guinea and Samoa. Permatil Global, another implementing partner, will lead efforts in Timor-Leste.

Both Live & Learn, Permatil Global and Permatil Timor-Leste will also serve as on-grantees, receiving part of the grant to implement activities in their respective regions.

The project will commence in May 2026 with a deadline for implementation of the project by 30 September 2029. The 3.5 year project budget is approximately €5 million.

Pac Fresh H20 project (40%):

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (GIZ) the project will strengthen existing rural water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems and improve access to climate resilient water sources to enable communities to better cope with changing climate conditions and extreme weather events towards increased resilience.

The project is implemented by WaterAid in PNG from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028 with a budget of €3.1 million over 3 years. There is an option to extend the project based on performance.

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The Program Coordinator actively engages, along with Program Operations Team members in continuous improvement in policies, procedures, and behavioural guidance to ensure quality systems and project performance.

To achieve this the Program Coordinator builds and maintains strong professional relationships with Country Directors, Operations Teams, and Program Managers to support country-led decision making on implementation of projects and management of contracts. The Program Coordinator will also have strong professional relationships with colleagues within WaterAid’s Policy and Programs team - including project Technical Leads - to ensure that global norms and best practice related to program quality, planning, monitoring, evaluation and accountability, and gender and social inclusion are applied.

The role also works closely with finance teams to ensure effective financial management of grants, and leads on coordination with operations teams in country to ensure financial processes are relevant, understood and implemented. The role also supports in ensuring effective risk management.

Keeping in mind the overall purpose described above, the following key accountabilities are highlighted.

Key accountabilities

Contract Management

Oversee the management of the PRESERVE and Pac Fresh H20 contracts including:

ensuring understanding of contract compliance requirements and providing support to address compliance challenges and mitigate risks, enabling country teams to operate confidently and independently in line with donor requirements and quality standards;

reviewing, drafting and negotiating contracts with donors and partners/sub-grantees and overseeing management of contracts;

coordinating project planning with team members, partners and stakeholders;

lead the coordination of donor reports with country program counterparts and project sub-grantees (WAPNG, WATL, LLEE Australia and Permatil Global), seeking review/input from relevant technical leads and finance staff and compiling 6 monthly reports for submission to Kiwa ;

alongside the Finance Coordinator collaborating with country program counterparts to strengthen financial management, including supporting budget preparation, expenditure tracking, and the review and development of financial reports and donor invoices;

supporting in-country staff to develop, monitor, and manage risks;

working with country programs to manage project documentation to WaterAid and donor standards and ensuring that accurate grant information is accessible to both Melbourne and country-based staff, including through use of WaterAid’s Project Management System (WAPS).

Program Operations

In close consultation with the Regional Finance Team, Project Managers, and regional program staff, and in collaboration with the Head of Program Operations, support management of country program finances, including:

supporting staff in country offices to prepare annual project budgets and quarterly reforecasts, including allocation of expenses to contracts and projects;

ensuring systems are in place to support country programs staff to implement WaterAid and donor procurement, cost recovery and re-forecasting mechanisms;

reviewing expenditure against budgets; and verifying that appropriate supporting documentation is in place

manage the contractual relationships with consultants and partner organisations, where those relationships are managed from Australia including:

preparing and negotiating agreements;

providing relevant information, documentation, and briefings for consultants and partner personnel travelling to a country program;

monitoring the quality of outputs and deliverables against agreements; and;

ensuring payments are processed in accordance with agreements.

identifying areas for improving ways of working, improving processes and effective financial management to deliver on commitments;

Quality Programming

Working closely with the Learning and Evaluation team in Australia, sub-grantee MEL staff and country program counterparts to ensure lessons from program implementation are well documented and linked to strategic, advocacy and policy work;

supporting country program staff to meet agreed standards of accountability as required by WaterAid’s planning, monitoring and evaluation processes;

working closely with staff in country programs to identify support needs and WaterAid’s Strategy, Quality and Technical team to coordinate technical inputs – including the WaterAid Environment Technical Lead – who will provide technical support to Nbs activities;

ensuring the coordination of Australia-based staff visits to country offices as relevant;

supporting integration of gender, disability, and social inclusion within programming;

actively advancing safeguarding within programming and supporting country program teams to do the same

supporting monitoring, evaluation and reporting of specific grants, including:

Contributing to the design monitoring and evaluation frameworks;

Compiling M&E data and reporting on achievements to donors and partners;

Supporting the development of Terms of Reference and managing contracts for monitoring and evaluation consultant visits.

Qualification, Skills & Attributes (Key Capabilities / Selection Criteria)

Essential:

Knowledge, skills and experience

Minimum 5 years experience managing donor funded grants, including preparing proposals, negotiating and drafting contracts, ensuring compliance, supporting effective project delivery, conducting monitoring and evaluation, and writing reports

Demonstrated commitment to locally led approaches and experience in capacity strengthening

Strong financial management skills, including budget development, expenditure review and financial reporting

Excellent communication, relationship building and problem-solving skills

An understanding of international development donor requirements and ACFID standards

Demonstrated relevant work experience in contract, project management, and compliance roles

Demonstrated relevant work experience for an international development and/or humanitarian organisation

Education

Degree in International Development or relevant field, or equivalent experience in the sector.

Personal qualities

Team player with ability to plan own work, manage competing priorities and work under pressure when required.

Commitment to WaterAid’ values and standards of safety of children and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse in all our activities

Commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and open to new ideas.

A commitment to locally led initiatives and gender and social inclusion within programming

Desirable

Lived and/or work experience in the countries where WaterAid Australia’s has country programs

Experience/demonstrated understanding supporting projects with a sectoral focus of WASH, environment or health.

Physical Environment and Demands

Flexible working arrangements, Sydney and Melbourne office environment includes Ergonomic work stations within an open plan office, standing desks, recreational area and flexible work environment, occasional overseas travel required

Level of contact with children

This role may have contact with children during project visits in Country Programs, always accompanied by local WaterAid staff and never required to be alone with children.

To Apply

Please submit an application via the "Apply Now" button by the closing date.

Applications for this position must include a resume and a cover letter (max 2 pages) addressing the above Qualification, Skills and Selection Criteria.

A position description is attached.

For any queries not answered in this document please email [email protected] using the subject line: Regional Program Coordinator - Flexible Location enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applicants must have the right to work in Australia.

About Job at WaterAid Australia

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About Job at WaterAid Australia

WaterAid Australia aims to improve access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in impoverished communities through supporting local organisations and government authorities. The organisation influences policy change to secure water and sanitation rights while managing international programs in South East Asia and the Pacific.

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