Director, Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (wash)

Roles and Responsibilities

Africa Leadership and Institutional Leadership:

• Act as a senior member of the CIFF Africa Leadership Team, contributing to strategy, decision-making, and institutional effectiveness
• Advise the Executive Director Africa, Executive Team and Board on WASH-related strategy, policy, financing, and system reform
• Provide visible, values-based leadership that drives clarity, accountability, and performance
• Represent CIFF as a senior institutional leader and trusted partner, always acting as a corporate ambassador to strengthen the organization’s reputation and profile as a professional, visionary, and collaborative philanthropy

Strategy, Systems and Financing Leadership:

• Lead the development and execution of CIFF Africa’s WASH Mission
• Shape system-level interventions addressing governance, financing, service delivery, and sustainability
• Lead CIFF’s engagement with MDBs, Philanthropies, multilateral agencies and governments
• Oversee the design and champion innovative WASH financing mechanisms (e.g. blended finance, guarantees, results-based financing) with support from the Development finance team and CEO office
• Oversee the identification and structure co-financing opportunities that unlock significant public and private capital to address WASH in CIFF Africa priority countries

Programme Portfolio Leadership:

• Provide strategic, managerial and technical oversight of a large, complex WASH portfolio (circa $250 million)
• Ensure quality, performance, risk management, and learning across all investments
• Oversee design of large-scale, multi-country and multi-instrument programmes ensuring value for money, sustainability and scalability

External Influence and Partnerships:

• Lead senior relationships with governments, MDBs, UN agencies, and philanthropic partners
• Represent CIFF at global and regional forums, including UN Water and MDB Spring/Annual Meetings
• Position CIFF as a thought leader on WASH systems and financing

Leadership of the Team:

• Lead, manage and develop a team of 3–4 senior WASH managers/directors
• Build a high-performing, inclusive and accountable team culture that models CIFF’s code of respect and leadership behaviors, which empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence
• Coach and mentor senior staff and emerging leaders

Requirements

Skills & Experience:

• 15+ years of senior leadership experience in WASH, infrastructure, development finance or related sectors
• Significant experience working in or influencing WASH systems in Africa
• Proven engagement with MDBs, philanthropies, bilateral agencies and large-scale public financing mechanisms
• Strong understanding of WASH financing and system reform
• Exceptional leadership, influencing and partnership-building skills
• Strong commitment to evidence, learning, and impact
• Willingness to travel regularly

Skills Required:

• Social / Science / Project / Management / Development