Utility Specialists for USAID Non-Revenue Water Management Project At Tetra Tech

The USAID-funded Non-Revenue Water Management project, implemented by Tetra Tech International Development (International Development Jobs – Tetra Tech), is currently accepting expressions of interest from qualified candidates for three Utility Specialists. This is a full-time position based in Hebron with frequent travel to Halhul and Dura.

The purpose of this project is to improve Palestinians’ access to safe, reliable, sustainable, and climate resilient water services through: 1) the development and strengthening of the institutional capacity of the Hebron, Halhul, and Dura water utilities for sustainable, reliable, and climate-resilient water delivery service; 2) the implementation of strategic infrastructure works to support the objective of the activity; 3) the design and implementation of innovative solutions to expand the use of smart water management technologies for efficient, timely, and transparent water management; and 4) the design and implementation of innovative measures and public awareness campaigns to promote effective water governance at the utility and foster social behavioral change toward more efficient and responsible water use practices and trends. This is a full-time position based in Hebron, Halhul, or Dura.

The Utility Specialist reports to the Institutional Support Advisor (ISA) and will be embedded within each utility. The Utility Specialist will play a pivotal role in coordinating non-revenue water measures implemented by the project with the key stakeholder utilities. The Utility Specialist will support a broad level of technical support to the utilities that includes administrative, financial, engineering, and operations and maintenance.

Responsibilities:

· Collaborate with key stakeholders to formulate, implement, and monitor comprehensive non-revenue water management plans that align with the organization’s strategic objectives.

· Coordinate the co-design of service delivery improvement plans (SDIPs) that formulate the project activities to reduce non-revenue water in each utility.

· Manage the daily feedback of the water utilities in the overall project performance.

· Ensure capacity building programs coordinated by the Learning and Training Specialist and other technical team members are meeting the objectives of the capacity building plans.

· Support the development of financial systems and policies within the water utilities with an emphasis on organizational change, internal controls, auditing, financial management, and revenue collections.

· Monitor performance of key performance indicators outlined in the SDIPs through data collection and technical support to the water utilities.

· Drive and support organizational change initiatives, ensuring smooth transitions and effective communication throughout the process.

· Identify areas for process improvement and implement strategies to enhance overall operational efficiency.

· Document operation and maintenance processes and procedures for improvements.

· Develop and maintain robust internal control procedures to safeguard assets, ensure compliance with regulations, and mitigate risks.

· Coordinate and participate in internal and external water balance audits, providing necessary documentation and facilitating the resolution of audit findings.

· Review collection systems, identify areas for cost optimization, and implement strategies to achieve financial targets.

· Coordinate with project team members to identify coordination and technical support needs from the project to enable the water utilities to achieve their objectives.

· Integrate capacity strengthening efforts for the utilities into implementation of all aspects of programming, utilizing a co-design and co-implementation methodology.

· Develop and contribute to success stories and document lessons learned.

Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, or Industrial Engineering, Finance, or a related field.

. Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience

· Proven experience in water utility management.

· Experience working with non-revenue water management projects is a strong asset.

· Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen attention to detail.

· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments.

· Prior experience in internal control, audit, and collections processes is highly desirable.

· Effective communication and collaboration skills to work with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders.

· Proven leadership, organizational, and writing skills.

· Professional fluency in Arabic and proficiency in English is required.

Qualified applicants from Palestine are highly encouraged to apply.