Programme Background:

Under the Austrian Development Cooperation funded Institutional Support Programme (ISP), the Palestinian Water Authority intends to hire national senior experts to provide additional human resources to PWA in critical areas and to further develop the capacity of PWA staff and junior specialists to be hired under the ISP.

The Institutional Support Programme (ISP) will assist the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) "to fulfil its functions as per the Water Law 2014 through strengthened and effective institutional capacities in the areas of strategic planning, policy formulation, coordination, monitoring, reporting, and resource mobilisation" (outcome). Over three years the intervention will contribute to putting an "effective institutional framework in place for improving water security and sustainable management of water and wastewater services (SDG 6) in Palestine through a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach (impact).

The program's key emphasis will be on enhancing human resources while also allocating resources for operational purposes, research, and the implementation of a Management Information System (MIS).

The water sector receives support from various donors to facilitate essential infrastructure developments, considering the diverse range of contributors involved. The Programme will aim to support further institutional development of the PWA.

The water sector has established coordinating platforms to effectively manage and facilitate collaboration with the various donors involved in supporting its initiatives. The coordinating platforms are mechanism for sharing information about the PWA funding priorities, donors' commitments, and ongoing projects related to the water sector. It also allows them to align their efforts with the sector's overall goals and objectives, ensuring a more coherent and targeted approach to addressing water-related challenges.

The platforms provide a mechanism for the water sector to communicate its specific needs and requirements to the donors, facilitating a better understanding of where resources are most needed.

Senior experts and an international Organizational Development Advisor will provide technical support and capacity building to the existing staff and junior specialist to be recruited. This will be complemented by the provision of equipment and resources for conducting studies to fill knowledge gaps as well as for the MIS.

Scope of Work:

The overall objective of the specialist  is to support ISP Output 2 – Sector Coordination & Nexus: The PWA leads a vibrant water sector coordination platform which forms a solid basis for mutual trust, accountability and the effective implementation of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) and Water-Energy-Agriculture (WEA) nexus, contributing to effective resource utilization, stakeholders’ coordination and linkages with other sectors.

The expert´s main objective is to support the Aid Coordination Unit in creating and driving strategic and proactive resource mobilization approaches, including interaction with Water Sector donors and implementation of Resource Mobilisation (RM) processes and tools (e.g. proposal development, RM knowledge management, RM reporting, etc.). The expert will play a key role in coordinating programs with relevant donors. S/he will facilitate regular unit discussions to drive RM priorities, support in developing RM strategy, and identify, track, and facilitate decision making related to pursuing funding opportunities.

S/he will be expected to conduct research and gather information on donors and partners, and develop, monitor, and ensure implementation of donor/partner engagement plans. The RMS will support the development of high-quality concepts and proposals in close coordination with relevant team members and partners, prepare funding needs, and priorities, revise Financial Agreements and MoU's with donors.

Further, the expert will actively support PWAs efforts to enhance visibility vis a vis existing and potential donor.

The Senior Expert will coordinate with the Finance Department related to the small-scale projects. This involves review of the project priority list, budgeting and seeking the opportunities for funding. Furthermore, expert will work on identifying potential cost-saving measures, and aligning financial resources with priority projects and strategic goals.

The specialist will report directly to the Head of Aid coordination Unit and work closely with the junior specialist in the unit and the entire project team while – with support of the Organisational Development Advisor – applying a well-thought through and systematic capacity development approach to the benefit of dedicated ISP specialists and PWA staff.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The specialist will be responsible for the following overall tasks (to be specified at the onset of the assignment and periodically reviewed and updated):

• Develop project fact sheets, concepts and proposals based on the list of priority projects in the West Bank and in Gaza.
• Follow up communication and requests for further data and information from donors (e.g. no- objection, aide memoires, critical issues and conditions) for projects development.
• Assist in supporting missions and making respective arrangement (e.g. communication, agenda, arrange internal meetings and field visits) and accompany missions if needed.
• Revising financial agreements with donors, needed amendments, budget disbursements.
• Coordinate with the preparation of the proposal and the methodology for priority projects.
• Assist in Preparation for the consultation/negotiation and Water Sector Working Group (WSWG) and Thematic Groups meetings with donors.
• Participate in WSWG and Thematic groups meetings and assist in MoM and follow up action points.
• Acquire capacity to manage data in sections of new MIS relevant to the unit and use the information in the systems for the benefit of the unit, impart that knowledge to the team in the unit.
• Assist in set-up, conduct and use of donor mapping study.
• Support PWA to institutionalize nexus approaches (Human Development Peace Nexus and Water Energy Agriculture Nexus).
• Assist in coordination/communication with PWA stakeholders, donors and PWA.

The specialist will be responsible for the following deliverables (to be specified at the onset of the assignment):

• Resource mobilization strategy for priority water sector projects in the areas of water resource management, drinking water supply and waste water treatment and reuse.
• Fundraising proposals, presentations, and other materials for mobilisation of resources.
• Analysis of potential donors and partners for water-related projects.
• Development of the guidance for donor support in cooperation with the junior expert.
• Reports on the progress and impact of resource mobilization efforts.

Location and duration of the Assignment:

The position is a full-time contract position for a period of 3 years.

The specialist will be based in PWA headquarters in Ramallah

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Experience & Qualifications:

• Minimum academic qualification: bachelor degree in Business Administration, International Development, Engineering, Water Resources Management, Environmental Science or a related field.
• Master degree is preferable.
• 5 years' experience working in a relevant position.
• Good strategic planning and coordination skills.
• Familiarity with budgeting and financial management processes.
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills.
• Excellent command of MS Office and ability to create well-formatted, edited and visually appealing graphs, documents and tables.
• Experience and ability in meeting and workshop facilitation and documentation.
• Excellent command of English language (written and verbal).
• Negotiation skills.
• Eloquence in dealing with high ranking and diplomatic delegations and excellent interpersonal skills

The contract will be for 1 year extendable as demand necessity, on a full-time basis. The expected start date for the position is the 01st of April 2024. 

Interested consultants shall submit her/his applications including (Cover letter, CV describing similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc.) which must be delivered by email addressed below no later than 14/03/2024.

[email protected]