Program Manager-Market System Development-W4R

The Program Manager-Market Systems Development will provide technical, operational and thought leadership for the Water for Resilience Programme (W4R), a four-year, multi-donor Programme designed to improve sustainable access to safe, reliable and affordable water for rural and peri-urban agro-pastoral communities in Somalia through private sector engagement and market systems development. This role involves supporting program interventions based on relevance, opportunity for growth, and feasibility of stimulating sustainable change in the market system through different approaches to water market systems strengthening, private sector engagement, climate resilience, governance strengthening, catalytic financing mechanisms, investment facilitation, and institutional capacity development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of water market systems assessments, ecosystem mapping exercises and corridor diagnostics during programme inception and throughout implementation.
• Conduct Market System Mapping and Analysis and prioritize market sectors for program intervention.
• Develop and oversee the portfolio of market system development interventions and partnerships within the W4R program.
• Provide technical oversight to interventions targeting Water Service Providers, Water Companies, Community Water Management Committees, O&M operators and water-related SMEs.
• Lead in identifying market failures, business growth opportunities and investment barriers affecting water ecosystem actors.
• Lead the implementation of business diagnostics, due diligence assessments and capacity gap analyses for targeted enterprises and institutions.
• Implement development and implementation of tailored Business Development Service packages for water ecosystem actors.
• Provide targeted enterprises with technical assistance in business planning, governance, operations management, customer service, financial management and investment readiness.
• Facilitate strategic partnerships between private sector actors, government institutions and financial service providers.
• Promote commercially viable, climate-resilient and inclusive business models capable of sustaining water service delivery beyond Programme funding.
• Lead the implementation of water ecosystem strengthening initiatives designed to improve operational efficiency, service quality and business performance.
• Support establishment of private sector platforms and learning networks to encourage peer learning and sector collaboration.
• Lead development and operationalization of catalytic financing mechanisms supporting climate-resilient water service delivery.
• Lead development of financing governance structures, eligibility criteria, selection frameworks and standard operating procedures.
• Ensure financing mechanisms remain market-compatible and do not distort local financial markets.
• Lead identification, screening and selection of enterprises eligible for catalytic financing support.
• Ensure direct establishment and management of investment pipelines for water companies, SMEs and service providers.
• Lead the implementation of investment readiness assessments and business strengthening processes.
• Facilitate engagement with commercial banks, microfinance institutions, impact investors, diaspora investors and development finance actors.
• Ensure due diligence assessments are conducted before financing decisions are made.
• Lead negotiation and structuring of financing arrangements between investors and water ecosystem actors.
• Support organization of investment forums, business matchmaking events and investor engagement platforms.
• Ensure performance of financed enterprises and ensure financing contributes to improved sustainability and service delivery.
• Lead and/or support MSD and gender and youth inclusion assessments, research studies and stakeholder consultations to inform program strategies and approaches.
• Provide relevant technical input for program work plans, budgets, and MEAL Plan, including Learning Agenda.
• Actively participate in program monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities including results reviews and learning exchanges.
• Provide key support for data collection and analyses in collaboration with the MEAL team to ensure interventions are impact-oriented and adjusted.
• Contribute relevant technical input for donor reporting and external program communications such as technical reports, case studies, video/radio content, social media posts.
• Participate in development of the annual work plan ensuring alignment with technical strategy.
• Undertake regular visits to the field to support implementation of M&E and identify where adaptations might be needed.
• Prepare program progress reporting.
• Establish and effectively manage strong relationships with market system actors including private companies, WMCs representatives, local government offices.
• Network and represent the organization through coordinating with stakeholders, partners, government officials such as Project line Ministry of Water.
• Represent the program at networking and relationship meetings with private and public actors.
• Lead and support relevant enabling environment interventions and development of partnerships to address social norms excluding women, youth and the poor from markets.
• Build capacity of private sector actors to understand the business case for gender equality and unconscious bias; provide technical assistance to partners to develop gender equality policies and equitable hiring processes.
• Support private sector capacity building efforts including TA to partners for regenerative and environmentally sustainable solutions.
• Manage, supervise, mentor corridor managers and gender, communications and M&E team.
• Deputize the Program Director.
• Work closely with Program Director and Financial Controller to ensure compliance with company and donor regulations and policies.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree + 7 years’ experience, master’s degree + 5 years’ experience in Economics, Statistics, Agribusiness, Business Management, Marketing, Finance and Accounting, Program/Project Management or related fields.
• At least 5 years’ experience applying MSD (Market System Development) especially in WASH programs in Somalia or elsewhere.
• Demonstrated understanding of - and commitment to challenging - barriers that disadvantage the vulnerable, women and youth and exclude them from economic opportunities.
• Good understanding of market systems and their role in poverty reduction from a systemic perspective; experience conducting market analysis in order to make business or investment decisions.
• Demonstrated orientation toward innovative thinking with strong ability to generate creative ideas/solutions and predict possible outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating consultative planning processes that involve input from a range of experts and stakeholders toward strengthened evidence-based programming and decision making.
• Strong adaptive management skills, including critical thinking, foresight, and vision to actively analyses program activities, challenge assumptions, and make decisions.
• Demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies: Striving for excellence, Collaborating, Taking the lead, Communicating, Demonstrating integrity.

Skills

• Market Systems Development
• WASH Programme Management
• Market Analysis
• Economic Opportunity Inclusion
• Innovative Thinking
• Consultative Planning
• Evidence Based Programming
• Adaptive Management
• Critical Thinking
• Program Decision Making
• Private Sector Engagement
• Climate Resilience
• Governance Structures Strengthening
• Catalytic Financing
• Investment Facilitation
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Project Management
• Business Management
• Finance and Accounting

Languages

English