Posted on :
24 Nov, 2021
24 Nov, 2021
To be based in Accra, Ghana, with extensive travel to field sites (to begin no later than January 2022)
Job Description
Job Title: Program Officer
About Aquaya
The Aquaya Institute (Aquaya) is an independent, non-profit research and consulting organization dedicated to safe, equitable, and sustainable water and sanitation in developing countries. Our mission is to improve public health by reducing the burden of waterborne diseases. Aquaya was established in 2005 to provide development agencies, governments, and implementing organizations with a trustworthy and agile resource for conducting rigorous research, experimentation, and evaluation.
Aquaya has completed projects spanning public health, economics, technology development, and social entrepreneurship in over 20 countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We have published or contributed to over 30 peer-reviewed research articles and produced numerous other reports and publications.
Aquaya maintains an office in Nairobi, Kenya. Staff members are also located in the US, Europe, and other African countries. Many of our projects are carried out in collaboration with academic research groups and expert consultants.
About the Program Officer position
We are recruiting a Program Officer for a full-time position based in Accra, Ghana, with extensive travel to field sites: Asutifi North and Wassa East Districts. The Program Officer will report to Aquaya’s Senior Research Manager and will lead activities in Ghana for a new initiative for Aquaya, the Hilton Africa Water Quality Testing program. This Program Officer will be responsible for executing all of the related program activities in Ghana, including overseeing water quality data collection and collaborating with the University of Ghana to develop a new Water Quality Testing Fellowship program.
Specific activities include:
The Hilton Africa Water Quality Testing Program
The Hilton Africa Water Quality Testing Program includes two primary interrelated components: 1) water quality data collection and analysis at the community, household, school and health care facility levels in select districts and 2) a fellowship program centered on providing resources and opportunities for practical skill acquisition in water quality testing. The objective of the program is to conduct water quality monitoring and trend analysis at the community, household, and institutional levels in the Hilton Foundation’s Safe Water Initiative’s seven focal districts in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda between 2021-2025 by partnering with academic and water quality-focused institutions in these countries.
The program will provide statistically representative data on progress against water quality parameters in different contexts to inform targeting of safe water delivery approaches led by government and key partners in support of Sustainable Development Goal 6 targets, as well as the development and adaptation of safe water policies, plans and programs as part of the Foundation’s five-year strategy.
Additionally, by working through local academic and research institutions, the program will include a Hilton Africa Water Quality Testing Fellowship to support promising undergraduate and graduate students and/or junior researchers as an essential component in its research and capacity development model, with the goal of identifying, leveraging resources and opportunities to provide academic training in water quality testing and analysis. In Ghana, this program will engage University of Ghana-Legon, and focus on Asutifi North and Wassa East Districts for water quality monitoring.
Other programs
1) Under the USAID-funded REAL-Water program, Aquaya is studying drivers of rural water supply professionalization, water quality monitoring, and holistic water resources planning.
2) Aquaya’s Monitoring for Safe Water program is evaluating water safety management strategies in collaboration with District governments in Asutifi North and Wassa East in Ghana.
3) Aquaya is the Research & Learning partner for the new USAID-funded Enhancing
WASH program, led by Global Communities.
Criteria for the Program Officer position
The following qualifications are necessary for this position:
We are also looking for the following skills and attributes:
Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time position, with an initial 3-month probationary period. Aquaya offers competitive salaries that are commensurate with experience. Benefits include medical insurance and enrollment in a pension plan.
To apply for the Program Officer
Please submit your resume via e-mail to [email protected] along with a thoughtful cover letter. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2021. There will be an additional screening survey and activity once your resume is received.
In your cover letter, please explain why you are interested in Aquaya’s mission and activities. Please also tell us why your skills, background, and accomplishments make you the ideal candidate for this position, specifically highlighting your experience.
Please note that we will not consider applications without a cover letter. In your e-mail subject line, please specify “Program Officer Ghana 2021”. No phone calls, please.