What is the Opportunity?
Water Mission is coordinating with key international partners to establish a Regional Solar Technical Hub for West and Central Africa based in Dakar, Senegal. The primary objective of the Hub is to scale-up sustainable solar powered water systems (SPWS) programming in the region by providing technical support to Government, UN, NGO and private sector stakeholders. While initial geographic focus of the Hub will be on Mali, Mauritania and Niger, it is anticipated that this will expand to cover the region and include additional staff over the next two to three years.
Based full-time in Dakar, Senegal and reporting to the Director of Engineering at Water Mission Headquarters in the United States, the Regional Solar Advisor will be the principal agent of the Hub as well as a fully integrated member of the Water Mission global team. The senior position will provide on-demand engineering support throughout the life cycle of SPWS programming, from planning to implementation to evaluation, in all relevant sub-sectors at national, sub-national, and community levels. Successful candidates will be dynamic and innovative, adaptable to rapidly changing environments, and able to foster excellent relationships across a variety of stakeholders and cultures.
Key responsibilities:
- Support and actively promote a virtual and physical Francophone Technical Helpdesk facility focused on SPWS, responding to phone calls, emails, and posts requesting technical assistance or advice (the initial focus being on Mali, Niger and Mauritania with support provided to other countries if there is spare capacity)
- Undertake technical assessments of existing and planned SPWS programs in the region
- Participate in bottleneck analyses to identify critical barriers to sustainable SPWS programming in respective countries and collaborate with key stakeholders to address barriers, particularly in development of national standards for SPWS
- Collaborate with the Water Mission global team to develop and deliver targeted workshops, trainings, and other capacity building activities that address critical technical gaps in siting, design, procurement, installation, operation and maintenance of SPWS
- Collaborate with the Water Mission global team to develop key relationships with SPWS relevant networks and initiatives in West and Central Africa region Prior to moving to Dakar, the selected candidate will participate in a three-month intensive training period at Water Mission headquarters in Charleston, SC, USA and in select field offices. The position is for a minimum duration of two years with the ability to extend to three (to March 2023).
What is required?
- Personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ
- Written and verbal fluency in French and English required
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to maintain clear communication with team members across multiple countries, time zones, and organizations required
- Engineering degree required – Civil, Environmental, Chemical other relevant discipline
- At least five years of design engineering and/or project management experience required
- Chartered or Professional Engineering status preferred
- Demonstrated experience with motorized pumping systems required; solar powered water systems preferred
- Frequent regional, continental, and global travel required
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills required
- Demonstrated skills in relevant software packages – Required: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, Google Earth; Preferred: EPANET, AutoCAD
More Information
- Job City Dakar
