Head of WASH and Schools Programmes At SEED Madagascar

Position Overview
This is a superb opportunity for a development professional to work alongside national
international staff, leading on the grant writing reporting and evaluation of SEED’s WASH and
Schools programmes.
SEED Madagascar is a British Charity working in partnership with communities in the southeast
of Madagascar. We integrate high-quality community health, sustainable livelihoods, schools
and conservation programmes to support long term, sustainable change while adding to
International best practice through research and publication.
Our WASH and schools programmes are currently made up of four projects spanning both urban
and rural areas, with a total budget of approximately £150,000. We use community-led,
participatory approaches, working with local communities to identify and implement projects
that meet their needs and priorities. Our WASH programme focuses on WASH in rural schools,
menstrual hygiene management, community water supply and Community Led Total Sanitation
while our education infrastructure programme focuses on building school infrastructure such as
classrooms, toilets, handwashing stations and menstrual hygiene management facilities to
support learning.
This is an exciting position for someone who has in-field experience to work alongside national
and international staff, coordinating the development, grant writing, reporting and evaluation of
our WASH and Schools programmes. You will be responsible for generating funds across the
programmes and expanding our network of partners in-country and internationally to maximise
impact. This post will partner our national implementation teams, managing donor compliance,
ensuring proposals and reports are to a high standard and budgets are appropriately managed.
It is essential that the post holder has grant writing experience, WASH knowledge and is able to
work in English to a high standard and have at least basic French. Candidates who do not meet
these criteria will not be considered.

Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar
Timeframe: 2 years
Probationary period: 3 months
Contract Type: Salary plus contribution to flights and insurance
Reporting to: Director of Programmes & Operations
Duties and Responsibilities
Programme Development

1. Work with national and international staff to design WASH and schools projects that fulfil
   local needs and align with SEED’s strategic aim, taking into account past learning,
   international best practice, contextual constraints and government objectives.
2. Oversee the development of project frameworks (e.g. Log Frames and Theory of Change)
   and proposals to ensure they are representative of the community needs whilst being
   attractive to donors
3. Support the team to conduct research into international and national development best
   practice and funding opportunities for the WASH and Schools programmes
4. Ensure the high standard of all project documents submitted to donors to secure the
   ongoing funding of SEED’s projects – currently at around £150,000 per annum across all
   active interventions
5. Identify partners and build networks and collaborations across the WASH and schools
   programmes to increase the impact of SEEDs work in these areas
6. Use evidence-based advocacy from research and project findings in briefing papers for
   staff, local and regional stakeholders and government departments to inform regional
   and national development strategy
   Programme Management
7. Provide timely updates to the Programme Funding Coordinator of project activities and
   support them to communicate any changes in project activities to donors when
   necessary
8. Oversee effective systems for monitoring project progress against activity plans, working
   with project teams to ensure objectives are met and using learning from ongoing
   evaluation to inform the development of projects
9. Conduct fieldwork and monitoring visits to project sites when appropriate and ensure
   observations are fed back into ongoing project design
   People Management
10. Recruit, support, manage, review and provide professional development to a team of
    Programme Interns, Officers and Specialists, delegating to and managing their work to
    achieve departmental objectives and support organisational ethos and strategy
11. Foster essential cross-cultural collaboration and learning, providing support to both the
    national and international teams to bridge gaps in understanding and priorities for
    project development and implementation
12. Provide pastoral care, guidance and act as a role model, both professionally and
    personally, for a team of early career professionals living in country
    Budget Management
13. Oversee the development of budgets, including full cost allocation with consideration of
    the organisational strategy and priorities over the coming years
14. Provide monthly overview of financial reports, ensuring project spending is on track and
    identifying trends in expenditure, and management of exchange rate gains
    General
15. Provide core support to the Director of Programmes & Operations in management and
    ensuring the support and security of all international staff, including acting as an
    intermediary of organisational priorities to the wider team
16. Work flexibly, including changing work priorities at short notice and working unsociable
    hours when necessary to meet a short deadline, for example the submission of project
    funding documents within the timeframe set by donors
17. Ensure all of SEEDs policies and procedures are evident throughout the work of the
    department, including those for safeguarding, whistleblowing and anticorruption, and
    undertake continual training to ensure these are promoted at all times
18. Represent SEED Madagascar in external meetings with other agencies, donors and
    partners on the ground in Madagascar and in the UK
19. Act as a temporary stand-in for the Director of Programmes & Operations and/or other
    Programme Heads when required during a period of leave and absences
20. Required skills & experience:
    Essential
    • At least a first degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in WASH, international
    development, or related discipline
    • Sound knowledge of international development frameworks and contemporary global issues
    facing least developed countries
    • Sound knowledge of and interest in WASH issues and approaches in least developed
    countries
    • Minimum of 2 years’ experience of WASH projects in a developing context
    • Minimum of 3 years’ experience in grant writing and proven record of success
    • Minimum of 2 years’ professional experience in line management and/or project
    management
    • Familiarity with the use of project management tools including Logical Frameworks, Theory
    of Change models, Budgets Activity Plans and Monitoring & Evaluation frameworks
    • Fluency in English (written and spoken) with excellent written communication skills, to the
    level of editing English documents for publication
    • At least intermediate French and be able to hold meetings and write reports in French
    • Excellent listening and verbal communication skills, and a flexible and patient attitude
    • Excellent proposal and report writing and editing skills, with previous experience compiling
    project proposals and reports and the ability to tailor written information to various
    audiences
    • Cross-cultural negotiation skills and a curiosity in effective work practices in a cross-cultural
    setting. Ability and desire to build capacity both within international and national teams
    • Ability and desire to develop, support and manage a team of volunteers and staff, and to
    oversee the Project Development internship programme
    • Ability to demonstrate and support staff to develop appropriate professional and social
    attitudes required for living in another country, and to manage these aspects of volunteers’
    behaviour when required
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint
    • Excellent problem solving and analytical skills, with demonstrable ability in gathering and
    assimilating facts and data from various sources
    • Experience of living and working in a developing country with the ability and desire to work
    with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language
    barriers
    • Candidates need to have their own non tablet laptop
    Desirable
    • Sound knowledge of participatory and community-led approaches to development
    • Knowledge of and interest in education issues and approaches in least developed countries