Development Partner Liaison Advisor – Kampala – Austrian Development Agency

The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) is the Operational Unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). ADA finances and supports programs and projects in Africa, Asia, Central America and in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe.
The Government of the Republic of Uganda (GoU) and Development Partners (DP), including ADA, are implementing a Joint Water and Environment Sector Support Programme (JWESSP) over the 5-year period 2013-2018. The programme is a continuation of a similar programme which was running from 2008 to 2013. The programme supports the GoU’s effort to eradicate poverty in Uganda in line with the mandate of the MWE and also incorporates support to the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) sub-sector. It is also intended to further harmonise and align DP support to the sector by encouraging alignment to a consistent, co-ordinated and flexible sector programme. DPs are expected to “buy in” and to support components or elements that comply with their respective policies and strategic areas of support.
The DP supporting the sector are organised in the Water and Sanitation Sector Development Partners Group (WSSDPG). The chair function of the WSSDPG rotates in a troika arrangement with a chair and an incoming and outgoing chair. Currently, the WSSDPG is chaired by the Embassy of Germany. The DP Liaison Advisor is expected to support the chair in leading the policy dialogue with the GoU related to water and sanitation. The DP Liaison Advisor will support the MWE, through its Water & Environment Sector Liaison Department, by being a strong partner to the DPs. The leadership of liaison with DPs remains with the MWE.
The overall purpose of the assignment is to support the Development Partners (DPs) organised in the Water and Sanitation Sector Development Partners Group (WSSDPG) in achieving an effective and coordinated collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) and within the sector. This will facilitate effective achievement of the planned sector outcome and efficient use of the resources made available, while contributing to improvement of alignment, harmonisation, accountability and transparency for the remaining period of the JWESSP until 2018 and for the preparation and inception of a possible successor arrangement of sector support.
The assignment will be for 24 months. The Secondee will be recruited by ADA. The Secondee will be based at the ADC office in Kampala but is expected to have regular and frequent meetings at the MWE headquarters in Luzira and with DPs of the JWESSP and DPs involved in the water and sanitation sector. The Secondee will be expected to travel in Uganda from time to time.

Scope of work:
1. Support the Chair of the WSSDPG in liaison between DPs, MWE and other sector stakeholders
• Liaise closely with the MWE on policy and programme development and on implementation of sector priorities;
• Cooperate closely with Commissioner WESL and TAs at the MWE to ensure flow of information about ongoing processes;
• Support proactive liaison with DPs that are not part of the JWESSP and encourage them to join the JWESSP or at least to align to the JWESSP to the extent possible;
• Support the WSSDPG to liaise with civil society organisations;
1. Support to DPs by providing capacities for JWESSP monitoring and follow-up
• Participate in WESWGs, WSSWGs and Thematic Working Groups, JSR and JTR;
• Review quarterly and annual JWESSP progress reports and SPR and highlight issues that require WSSDPG’s and/or GoU‘s attention;
• Support the sector to strengthen JWESSP monitoring systems and the utilisation of indicators;
• Support the WSSDP in monitoring of agreed work plans, road maps, action plans and undertakings;
• Participate in consultancy studies and review missions, inception and debriefing meetings and track implementation of study and review missions‘ recommendations;
• Monitor institutional change processes, such as the operationalisation of the new MWE structure or conversion of Umbrella secretariats into government structure;
• Provide regular feedback and recommendations for action to the sector and the WSSDPG on observations from the above activities;
1. Support to strategic developments
• Support the MWE to appreciate and implement strategies that are of particular importance to the DP (e.g. pro-poor or climate change adaptation strategies);
• Support the WSSDPG in identifying strategic dialogue issues for the Joint Sector Reviews and Joint Technical Reviews, as well as policy and strategic issues for discussion in the Sector Working Groups;
• Support WSSDPG during the entire process of setting up a new support programme post JWESSP and update the respective 5-year work plan;
• Support the MWE and DPs to ensure sustainable financing levels of the JWESSP and a possible successor programme by:
o Supporting the chair of the WSSDPG for high-level advocacy and lobbying for the water sector at the national level (Ministry of Finance)
o Supporting dialogue with financing institutions and potentially interested bilateral donors
o Assisting the sector in acquisition of new projects and in innovatively tapping new funding options.
1. Support to the WSSDPG and in particular to the lead DP (chair)
• Organise and document regular and ad-hoc DPG meetings;
• Support the lead DP (chair of WSSDPG) to timely and efficiently communicate to all DPs;
• Prepare consolidated comments on routine reports (quarterly reports and SPR) as well as budget and work-planning documents (JPF work plan…);
• Support DPs‘ technical input and be pro-active on strategic issues in WESWG, WSSWG and sub-groups and other events (specific workshops…);
• Support DPs to follow up recommendations of the JWESSP Mid-term Review MTR and of other relevant missions;
• Support the respective DP lead donor and ensure continuity despite the fact that the position rotates annually;

Qualifications:
• EU/ EWR-Citizenship
• University education at master degree level or higher in the area of water supply and sanitation, water resource management or environment;
• Extensive work experience with DPs and African government institutions at all levels;
• Experience in working as an adviser to government and implementation of development projects internationally;
• Experience in development of sector organisations and management of change processes (e.g. changes in organisational structures);
• Experience in capacity development within public institutions with decentralized services;
• Strong working experience in developing countries, knowledge of the Ugandan water sector is an asset;
• Proven experience of working in complex multi-stakeholder environment;
• Experience in water and/or environmental policy development and strategic planning at international level;

Personal qualifications:
• Analytical, outgoing and robust with a pragmatic approach and appreciation for the dynamics in public service organisations;
• Political flair and understanding of public service dynamics and power relations;
• Ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team with relations to different DPs and their headquarters, ministries and stakeholders;
• Excellent skills for working in a cross-cultural environment, and sensitive to cultural differences;
• Gender and diversity competencies.
The minimum salary for this position is EUR 93.164,32 gross per year based on full-time employment.

HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit your application to kampala.application@ada.gv.at by 16. April 2017, indicating “ADA Development Partner Liaison Advisor in the Water Sector Uganda” in the subject and include your CV in English, a motivation letter, name, contacts and working relationship of 3 references (at least one referee your direct supervisor).

[yuzo_related]