Project Officer at Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

Job description

A key activity of the SIWI ARC is the Africa-EU Water Partnership Project (AEWPP), which has been jointly initiated by EU, Sweden and the African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW). The project seeks to make more public and private capital accessible for water-related infrastructure projects in Africa and to encourage and support African governments to invest in water governance through capacity building related to infrastructure finance. Project implementation is supported by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

Areas of responsibility

The PO position will be at 60% of full-time equivalent (with a possibility to increase, subject to funding being available), split roughly as:

• Support the implementation and management of the AEWPP - 40%
• Support development of other ARC initiatives as required – 10%
• Support business development and management of the Africa Regional Centre – 10%

Tasks

• Under the overall guidance of the Programme Manager of the AEWPP, the Programme Officer will be responsible for providing administrative and technical support to the implementation of the AEWPP (see flyer describing project inception phase on the SIWI website). Specific tasks in this role include:
• Organize Project Implementation meetings – arrange meetings with implementation partners, provide meeting attendees with relevant information prior to the meeting, take meeting minutes
• Maintain project documents – track project progress, file all project documentation, ensure all documentation is accurate
• Identify problems or risks - identify any potential issues or risks that could affect the progression of the project and work to identify potential solutions
• Manage the schedule – monitor, track and report on the status of project deliverables to ensure time, cost and quality metrics are in line with the Inception Report
• Conduct research on water, development and infrastructure finance as and when required for project implementation
• Undertake routine administrative and reporting tasks as specified by the Programme Manager

Required knowledge

Education

A university degree in a field relevant to the development, implementation and financing of development assistance projects; for instance, development finance, business administration, public finance, natural resource economics, development studies, public-sector administration, international policy studies and water resource management and development.

Core Skills

• Thorough familiarity with word processing, spreadsheet, and project scheduling computer applications
• Ability to work effectively as a team member and independently,
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure, trouble-shoot, and to meet short- and long-term deadlines
• Demonstrated experience in budget and financial management; and reporting to recognised standards
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent critical and creative thinking, analytical and research skills
• Solid organizational skills, including multitasking and time-management

Previous experience

• 2 - 3 years’ experience in project/programme implementation in the field of environment or development in Africa. Experience in Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects an added advantage.
• Language and communication skills
• The applicant must have excellent spoken, written and presentation skills in English.
• The ability to speak French, Portuguese and/ or other regional languages is an advantage.
• Well-developed presentation and public speaking skills and a sense of diplomacy.
• The applicant must be able to communicate relevant theoretical and empirical analysis in a practical manner.

Other Requirements

• Must be able to travel approximately up to 25 per cent of the work time.
• Must be in possession of a valid South African work permit
• Applications from women are encouraged.

Other information

Reporting to: Programme Manager, with ultimate supervision by the ARC Director