Water Security Facilitator

View Vacancy – Water Security Facilitator HEO, Climate and Resilience Team (01/26 LIL)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

Job Category
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of the job:

The purpose of this role is to play a central role in delivering the Just Transition for Water Security (JTWS) Programme in Malawi, and to lead engagement, coordination and support technical policy advice, working with FCDO leads in Malawi.

These country-based positions would most likely be housed within the office of one of the suppliers to the 3 workstreams. Their focus will be on engaging national stakeholders to support the programme’s objectives on water governance and wider delivery. The purpose of the programme funded positions will be to ensure support is provided where required to ensure the programme delivers on the programme.

In-country facilitators will coordinate country-based delivery plans, support stakeholder dialogues and any negotiations and policy dialogue, ensure programme coherence and supervise work on the ground. The facilitator will report to the BHC in the first instance and to the UK Resilient Ecosystems team on broader policy matters and grant management. The facilitators will participate in monthly Operational Coordination Unit (OCU) and Programme Executive Steering Committee (PESC) meetings.

The purpose is to ensure local coherence and alignment and building a ‘fail fast’1 approach into the programme management mechanisms.

More detailed governance mechanisms will be developed in consultation with Malawi according to current arrangements which are likely to include a steering committee co-chaired by government representatives from the UK and host country. It may also include setting up and facilitating country partnerships and supporting international level programme outcomes.

You will help mobilise and support implementation of country action and delivery of a just transition for water security. You will work with in-country delivery partners from the consortium, FCDO Post, and other key national partners, to shape national approaches, supporting design and delivery of programme interventions and building synergies between international partners.

You will build key relationships with partner Governments, national civil society, farmer, foresters, industry groups, investors and with the BHC. You will play a central role in building strategic relationships and coordinating approaches on public policies and support with FCDO posts, World Bank and other international agencies at national level.

This position is country-based and will involve travel within Malawi as well as trips to other countries in the programme, the UK and other countries as required.

Roles and responsibilities:

We all have a responsibility to embrace the changes of the FCDO as it transforms, building the culture we want to see and delivering our cultural statement in how we lead and behave towards others; how we make decisions and how we get the job done is everyone’s responsibility.

In this role you will also be responsible for:

• Overall coordination of the three initiatives to ensure delivery of the programmatic effect of the three components plus MEL
• Monitoring of delivery, emerging evidence and key lessons
• Support country-level and international policy work ensuring lesson-learning.
• Managing relations between government, business, and civil society, ensuring good coordination between workstreams and other relevant initiatives or programmes.
• Convening and coordinating approaches with other major donors and organisations working on water security to catalyse greater join-up in approaches and reduce the risk of fragmented international support.
• Support to shape country strategy, governance and
• Co-design activities and strategies, consider political-economy analysis within approaches and be responsible for supporting engagement with relevant donors to join up approaches and look for partnership opportunities in recipient countries.
• Leading on water security for BHC Lilongwe, tracking and responding to key political activity
• Consider how the programme could help respond to emerging political priorities after the national election.
• Consider how lessons learned could further improve policy approaches being tested and support reforms in other geographies in the region and globally, through the JTWS and other FCDO programmes or international initiatives (e.g. Rio Convention COPs and other key international fora).

Candidates who secure a role that is considered specialist/technical, may be required to affiliate to the relevant specialist network, in this case most likely the Climate, Environment and Infrastructure, or Food and Agriculture Cadres.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

Budget for the programme is held by the JTWS PRO but the job-holder may be asked to provide local advice on specific items

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Water and Natural Resources Management.

• Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree
• Experience in international policy and programme leadership (technical knowledge in water security or climate and environment is desirable)
• Experience of engaging with, and shaping, international initiatives and partnerships
• Ability to research, benchmark, scope, design, implement and evaluate project delivery aspects to tight deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Resilience and ability to manage a varied and complex workload, prioritising work to meet tight deadlines
• A ‘can do’ attitude and collaborative, inclusive and respectful approach
• Ability to work autonomously
• Language requirements – English and Chichewa

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Postgraduate (Masters) degree
• Prior experience of working with a wide range of different stakeholders
• Prior experience of working directly with partner Governments to shape and influence policy approaches
• Prior experience of developing collaborative relationships over a geographically dispersed region
• Experience of deploying development cooperation in complex political situations, including through the use of political economy analysis.

Application deadline: 12 March 2026
Grade : Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Type of Position : Fixed Term, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
Working hours per week : 35
Duration of Post : 24 months
Region : Africa
Country/Territory : Malawi
Location (City) : Lilongwe
Type of Post : British High Commission
Salary Currency : USD
Salary : 3,593.08 (Base salary is subject to tax and other statutory deductions)
Type of Salary : monthly
Start Date : 1 April 2025