Regional Professionalized Services Operations Manager job at Water Mission

Water Mission is a Christian engineering nonprofit that builds safe water solutions for people in developing countries, refugee camps, and disaster areas. Since 2001, Water Mission has served more than 8 million people in 60 countries, sharing safe water and the message of God’s love. Working at Water Mission is as much a calling as it is a career, and we are searching for people with the courage, passion, and drive to help us change the world. Read more about our Statement of Faith and Our Christian Mission.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Director of Professionalized Services, the Regional Professionalized Services Operations (OPS) Manager provides regional leadership and coordination for Professionalized Services across East Africa. This is a full-time position and requires that the person reside in Nairobi, Kenya (preferred), or in Tanzania or Malawi. The position requires regular travel to remote locations within Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi.

The Regional Professionalized Services OPS Manager will provide matrix leadership, coaching, and functional oversight to Country Program Professionalized Services Managers (PSMs). Country Program PSMs will continue to report directly to their respective Country Directors, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Regional Professionalized Services OPS Manager. In this matrix structure, the Regional Professionalized Services OPS Manager will establish regional Professionalized Services priorities and standards, support work planning, strengthen staff capacity, review performance, and contribute functional input to performance evaluations.

The role will guide consistent implementation of Water Mission’s Professionalized Services framework across countries, including sustainability planning, preventive maintenance, uptime management, district-wide service delivery, Master Planning approaches, and transition of water systems to appropriate professional management models. The Regional Professionalized OPS Services Manager will also directly supervise the Regional Professionalized Services Engineer and coordinate technical support and quality assurance/quality control activities in response to country needs. Success will be measured by stronger country teams, consistent application of standards, achievement of agreed key performance indicators, improved service reliability, and progress toward financially and operationally sustainable water service delivery.

Position Responsibilities

• Maintain a strong Christian witness and model servant leadership to colleagues, partners, the communities we serve, and the public.
• Engage and participate in prayer before and after team meetings.
• Lead and participate in biblically based staff devotions.
• Work in a posture of humble service to God and others.
• Understand, support, and nurture the Vision, Mission, and Core Values of Water Mission.
• Provide matrix leadership, coaching, and functional oversight to Country Program PSMs while respecting the direct supervisory authority of Country Directors, and directly supervise the Regional Professionalized Services Engineer, including work planning, priority setting, performance management, and professional development.
• Establish regional Professionalized Services priorities, annual work plans, deliverables, performance expectations, and common implementation approaches aligned with organizational and country program objectives.
• Coordinate regularly with Country Directors and Program Managers on Professionalized Services priorities, staffing, budgets, risks, and support needs, contributing functional input to PSM goal-setting and performance evaluation and supporting Country Directors in addressing performance or capacity gaps.
• Facilitate regional coordination meetings, peer learning, joint problem-solving, and the sharing of best practices across country teams, and identify staffing and capacity gaps, recommending appropriate team structures, training, coaching, and technical assistance.
• Guide consistent regional implementation of Water Mission’s Professionalized Services framework — including Rural Water Cooperative approaches, utility and local service provider models, and other context-appropriate arrangements — and lead the operational integration of Master Planning and district-wide or portfolio-based planning.
• Provide regional leadership for sustainability planning, preventive maintenance systems, service reliability, uptime and asset management, and operational standards, supporting country teams in assessing existing WASH service provision, identifying performance gaps, and developing prioritized improvement plans.
• Guide water scheme transition activities — readiness assessments, transition planning, stakeholder engagement, operational handover, and post-transition monitoring — and strengthen the governance, management systems, policies, and accountability structures of utilities, local service providers, and other service delivery entities.
• Support the development, testing, documentation, and scaling of innovative Professionalized Services models appropriate to country and regional contexts.
• Oversee regional application of key performance indicators, benchmarks, and operational monitoring for service reliability, water quality, customer service, financial performance, and asset condition, ensuring country teams use mWater and other approved systems to maintain accurate data for timely decision-making.
• Review country Professionalized Services performance, identify trends and risks, and coordinate corrective actions with Country Program PSMs and Country Directors.
• Promote return-on-investment analysis, lifecycle costing, and other evidence-based methods to prioritize investments, and support strategies that improve revenue generation, cost recovery, non-revenue water reduction, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Work closely with the Regional Climate Finance and Carbon Markets Manager and Regional MEL Specialist to coordinate Professionalized Services contributions to Performance-Based Financing/Funding initiatives, including UPTIME and carbon-related programs, while ensuring required operational and reporting standards are met.
• Coordinate infrastructure assessments, operational monitoring, system upgrade planning, and QA/QC activities with the Regional Professionalized Services Engineer and Engineering teams, ensuring technical findings translate into practical operational plans, preventive maintenance actions, budgets, and prioritized capital improvements.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with government agencies, regulators, local authorities, service providers, utilities, NGOs, and funders, and represent Professionalized Services in regional and cross-functional planning, program design, and standards development.
• Prepare and present regional reports, dashboards, recommendations, lessons learned, and performance updates for leadership, donors, country teams, and other stakeholders.
• Manage multiple simultaneous initiatives within agreed scope, schedule, and budget; work effectively across cultures, countries, and time zones with clear stakeholder communication; and participate in disaster response activities when needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

• Personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Alignment with Water Mission’s Statement of Faith and core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, water resources management, business administration, public administration, development studies, or another relevant field. A master’s degree or MBA is preferred.
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the WASH sector, water utility management, rural water service delivery, infrastructure operations, or a closely related field, including at least three years of staff supervision, matrix leadership, or multi-country program leadership.
• Demonstrated experience strengthening operations, maintenance systems, service providers, utilities, or other long-term service delivery arrangements in low-resource environments.
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance, uptime and asset management, service reliability, financial sustainability, and institutional or governance strengthening, with experience using operational, financial, and asset-management data to assess performance, identify risks, and guide decisions.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross-cultural and matrixed environments with collaboration, humility, initiative, and accountability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Fluency or familiarity with written and spoken Swahili is preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and virtual collaboration tools. Experience with mWater or comparable management information systems is preferred.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel up to three months per year, primarily within East Africa. Trips are typically one to four weeks and may involve long car rides on rough terrain and extended work in hot or difficult field conditions.
• Legal authorization to work in the country where the position is based.
• Flexibility to work periodic nights and weekends as required for ministry operations and collaboration across time zones.
• Home internet bandwidth sufficient to support video conferencing and other job-related responsibilities.

• Maintain a strong Christian witness and model servant leadership to colleagues, partners, the communities we serve, and the public.
• Engage and participate in prayer before and after team meetings.
• Lead and participate in biblically based staff devotions.
• Work in a posture of humble service to God and others.
• Understand, support, and nurture the Vision, Mission, and Core Values of Water Mission.
• Provide matrix leadership, coaching, and functional oversight to Country Program PSMs while respecting the direct supervisory authority of Country Directors, and directly supervise the Regional Professionalized Services Engineer, including work planning, priority setting, performance management, and professional development.
• Establish regional Professionalized Services priorities, annual work plans, deliverables, performance expectations, and common implementation approaches aligned with organizational and country program objectives.
• Coordinate regularly with Country Directors and Program Managers on Professionalized Services priorities, staffing, budgets, risks, and support needs, contributing functional input to PSM goal-setting and performance evaluation and supporting Country Directors in addressing performance or capacity gaps.
• Facilitate regional coordination meetings, peer learning, joint problem-solving, and the sharing of best practices across country teams, and identify staffing and capacity gaps, recommending appropriate team structures, training, coaching, and technical assistance.
• Guide consistent regional implementation of Water Mission’s Professionalized Services framework — including Rural Water Cooperative approaches, utility and local service provider models, and other context-appropriate arrangements — and lead the operational integration of Master Planning and district-wide or portfolio-based planning.
• Provide regional leadership for sustainability planning, preventive maintenance systems, service reliability, uptime and asset management, and operational standards, supporting country teams in assessing existing WASH service provision, identifying performance gaps, and developing prioritized improvement plans.
• Guide water scheme transition activities — readiness assessments, transition planning, stakeholder engagement, operational handover, and post-transition monitoring — and strengthen the governance, management systems, policies, and accountability structures of utilities, local service providers, and other service delivery entities.
• Support the development, testing, documentation, and scaling of innovative Professionalized Services models appropriate to country and regional contexts.
• Oversee regional application of key performance indicators, benchmarks, and operational monitoring for service reliability, water quality, customer service, financial performance, and asset condition, ensuring country teams use mWater and other approved systems to maintain accurate data for timely decision-making.
• Review country Professionalized Services performance, identify trends and risks, and coordinate corrective actions with Country Program PSMs and Country Directors.
• Promote return-on-investment analysis, lifecycle costing, and other evidence-based methods to prioritize investments, and support strategies that improve revenue generation, cost recovery, non-revenue water reduction, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Work closely with the Regional Climate Finance and Carbon Markets Manager and Regional MEL Specialist to coordinate Professionalized Services contributions to Performance-Based Financing/Funding initiatives, including UPTIME and carbon-related programs, while ensuring required operational and reporting standards are met.
• Coordinate infrastructure assessments, operational monitoring, system upgrade planning, and QA/QC activities with the Regional Professionalized Services Engineer and Engineering teams, ensuring technical findings translate into practical operational plans, preventive maintenance actions, budgets, and prioritized capital improvements.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with government agencies, regulators, local authorities, service providers, utilities, NGOs, and funders, and represent Professionalized Services in regional and cross-functional planning, program design, and standards development.
• Prepare and present regional reports, dashboards, recommendations, lessons learned, and performance updates for leadership, donors, country teams, and other stakeholders.
• Manage multiple simultaneous initiatives within agreed scope, schedule, and budget; work effectively across cultures, countries, and time zones with clear stakeholder communication; and participate in disaster response activities when needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Leadership
• Coaching
• Facilitation
• Negotiation
• Stakeholder management
• Cross-cultural communication
• Collaboration
• Humility
• Initiative
• Accountability
• Written and verbal communication
• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Virtual collaboration tools
• mWater or comparable management information systems (preferred)
• Swahili (preferred)

• Personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Alignment with Water Mission’s Statement of Faith and core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, water resources management, business administration, public administration, development studies, or another relevant field. A master’s degree or MBA is preferred.
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the WASH sector, water utility management, rural water service delivery, infrastructure operations, or a closely related field, including at least three years of staff supervision, matrix leadership, or multi-country program leadership.
• Demonstrated experience strengthening operations, maintenance systems, service providers, utilities, or other long-term service delivery arrangements in low-resource environments.
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance, uptime and asset management, service reliability, financial sustainability, and institutional or governance strengthening, with experience using operational, financial, and asset-management data to assess performance, identify risks, and guide decisions.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross-cultural and matrixed environments with collaboration, humility, initiative, and accountability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Fluency or familiarity with written and spoken Swahili is preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and virtual collaboration tools. Experience with mWater or comparable management information systems is preferred.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel up to three months per year, primarily within East Africa. Trips are typically one to four weeks and may involve long car rides on rough terrain and extended work in hot or difficult field conditions.
• Legal authorization to work in the country where the position is based.
• Flexibility to work periodic nights and weekends as required for ministry operations and collaboration across time zones.
• Home internet bandwidth sufficient to support video conferencing and other job-related responsibilities.