Head of Programme Strategy & Policy

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic leadership

• Be an active member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and contribute to strategic direction setting, organizational decision-making, effective management and a culture of openness, inclusion, innovation and accountability.
• Ensure that all programmes are aligned with and contributing to the Country Programme Strategy objectives and outcomes.
• Design and lead the delivery of the Country Programme’s Policy and Advocacy portfolio to drive progress on universal access to WASH and in the thematic areas of WASH and Health and WASH and Climate Change, in line with the country strategy, for transformational change at scale.
• Deputize for the Country Director as and when needed.

Evidence-based advocacy and policy analysis 

• Proactively analyse and review sector policies and plans and utilise opportunities and strategies to influence government and foreign aid and assistance towards pro-poor, gender-sensitive, climate resilient and sustainable WASH approaches.
• Design and launch issue-based advocacy campaigns at the national level and support Provincial Teams in launching provincial campaigns.
• Create a culture of learning and innovation to systematically test, identify and document successful WASH approaches and models for evidence-based influencing.
• Ensure and oversee the development of effective communications products and tools, plus the use of social media for influencing, stakeholder engagement and dissemination of replicable and scalable approaches, tools and practices.
• Design and conduct research studies addressing inequalities and causes of WASH poverty, linkages between WASH and Health and WASH and Climate Change. Lobby with the government to adopt research findings & recommendations for the benefit of the most marginalised people.
• Initiate challenging and innovative influencing projects and ensure learning is applied for improved programme effectiveness and effective influencing.
• Facilitate WaterAid Team and partners in developing and aligning programme and policy agenda for creating synergies for achieving WASH outcomes.
• Strengthen and nurture CSOs based alliances and networks at the national level for creating greater influence and impact.

Programme and People Management 

• Lead programme design processes, including proposal and concept paper writing.
• Coordination and sharing learning between the provincial programmes and initiatives at the federal level.
• Ensure and oversee appropriate progress tracking of programme outcomes to achieving the strategic aims; with regular review and adaptation processes , to ensure successful implementation in line with the Country Programme Strategy, plus Programme and Annual Plans and Programme Quality Standards.
• Manage and monitor expenditures against budgets for the Strategy and Policy Team, adhering to financial guidelines, ensuring value for money, and acting as appropriate within delegated authorities.
• Ensure that any contractual requirements related to donor-funded programmes/ projects are fulfilled by the Strategy and Policy Team and that appropriate plans are made for meeting them.
• Ensure WAP and/or partner organizations’ involvement in and contribution to strategic consultative processes within WaterAid Pakistan and those launched by the government within the sector.
• Lead, manage, motivate, and develop the Strategy and Policy Team, in order to maximise their contribution to the programme, organisation, and their own professional development.
• Take on any other tasks assigned by the line manager.

Representation, collaboration and alliance building 

• Represent WaterAid as a thought leader, as delegated by the CD in relevant national CSOs, donors, and government forums to influence the thinking of wider stakeholders on sustainable and inclusive WASH services.
• Identify key sector players of relevance to the policy and advocacy initiatives of WAP, especially in Climate Change, Health and Nutrition sectors and build working relationships/partnerships with such individuals and organizations wherever feasible.
• Establish relationships with the government and other sector actors in the country including UN and bilateral agencies, INGOs, CSOs, media, private sector and academic research institutions for learning and initiating joint programmes wherever feasible.
• Contribute to regional and global policy and advocacy work by participating in and influencing regional and global advocacy initiatives.