Project Director - Water Services Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Research

Job Summary

Action Against Hunger-USA seeks a Project Director to lead a 3-year research project on Operation & Maintenance (O&M) for water service delivery in rural humanitarian contexts. The research will look into alternative models to the traditional community-based governance of water supply infrastructure that is often applied in humanitarian contexts. The project is expected to identify and compare O&M models for rural water supply through a comprehensive mixed-methods approach in up to 10 countries spanning Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, before designing and testing specific models in up to three country office where Action Against Hunger operates and responds to humanitarian crises.

The Project Director will serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) of the research and will oversee and coordinate the research project with partners across multiple countries. The Project Director will serve as the main point of contact between the project team, partners, and the donor, provide overall technical strategy and direction for all project activities and staff, be responsible for global and institutional technical leadership, and ensure administrative, fiscal, and regulatory oversight of the project.

The O&M research project is expected to require at least 50% of the level of effort (LOE) from the position. The position will be involved in other WASH or research projects, including business development, technical assistance, and/or knowledge management, based on needs and profile.

The position is contingent on receiving the funding, and on a final approval by USAID/Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs of the applicant.

II. Essential Job Duties

The Project Director will:

(A) Serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Water Supply O&M research (min 50% LOE), and contribute to other strategic research projects at Action Against Hunger USA.

This role will:

• Be accountable as the lead researcher and primary accountable for all-aspects of study design and implementation from inception through completion.

• Ensure that the global study protocol is scientifically sound and of both scientific and social value, as well as applicable across multiple country contexts.

• Manage the project resources adequately to conduct high-quality research and ensure donor compliance.

• Ensure all applicable approvals have been obtained for trial registration and ethical review, both at international and country-levels before starting the study and enrolling subjects.

• After approval, ensure that all required reports are submitted to IRB and/or the donor, as applicable (e.g. progress reports, unanticipated problems, protocol deviations).

• Provide oversight over all study activities at all levels, including tasks delegated to others, to ensure that the research is conducted in alignment with its protocol, in compliance with all donor and ethical rules and obligations, and all guidelines and standards within Action Against Hunger.

• Ensure that each subject’s valid, voluntary informed consent will be obtained and documented using an IRB-approved tool.

• Ensure training and technical oversight of research personnel and consultants in study sites and at global level.

· Oversee overall team management, guidance, direction, and management of the administrative and technical aspects of the project.  Supervision of Deputy Project Director, research staff, and consultants

· Coordinate and oversee inputs from local and global partners, stakeholders, and all actors involved in the research.

· Lead on data analysis, in adherence to the pre-planned protocol analysis plan, using appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analyses to produce technically sound and robust results.

· Serve as the primary point of contact for host country government agencies, partners, and counterparts, cultivating and strengthening strong, productive relationships. 

· Ensure work planning, interim and final reporting, and any contractual or requested deliverable are timely developed, submitted, and revised to the highest quality, and meets donor’s expectations.

· Work with administrative, operation and finance functions at Action Against Hunger and at partners to ensure close oversight of compliance requirements and appropriate allocation and use of project resources.

· Coordinate with Action Against Hunger’s country offices and headquarters (France, Spain) involved in the research, ensuring efficient research delivery and monitoring collaboration protocols.

· Organize and facilitate Pause & Reflect workshops, learning reviews, or other exercises fed by project monitoring to ensure up-to-date decisions and revisions to the research questions or methodology.

· Provide overall financial oversight of the budget o