Who is Water Mission?
Water Mission is a rapidly growing Christian engineering nonprofit working to end the global water crisis by building safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in developing nations and disaster areas. Guided by love, excellence, and integrity, we are driven to share clean, safe water and God’s love with all. To date, we have served more than 5 million people in 56 countries. 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 What We Believe, our Statement of Faith, and our Christian Mission.
What is the opportunity?
The Disaster Response Program Development Specialist will serve on the Disaster Response Team (DRT) with potential frequent deployments. This position reports directly to the Director of Disaster Response in Charleston, SC, and to the Disaster Response Manager while deployed in the field. This role will be responsible for attending UN coordination meetings, seeking partnership opportunities in the field, and developing concept notes and proposals in conjunction with the Disaster Management Team. He or she will focus on relationship-building and developing strategic funding opportunities related to Water Mission’s disaster response efforts. This individual will also be tasked with managing the disaster response team in the field and other disaster response duties as needed.
The Disaster Response Program Development Specialist will:
- Maintain a strong Christian witness to colleagues, vendors, donors, charitable beneficiaries, and general public.
- Initiate and strengthen relationships with government organizations, NGOs, and local partnerships to further Water Mission’s disaster response efforts.
- Highlight Water Mission’s capabilities for disaster response, recovery, and rebuild efforts to government organizations, NGOs, and local partnerships.
- Maintain a high-level knowledge of Water Mission’s response projects and activities which require funding.
- Attend and represent Water Mission at United Nation coordination and cluster meetings with the Disaster Response Manager.
- Update the Disaster Response Team on relevant information regarding relationships and opportunities.
- For every disaster, in coordination with the Disaster Response Manager, develop the initial Water Mission disaster response field strategy to be shared with HQ.
- Be aware of and able to communicate Water Mission organizational capacity.
- In conjunction with this role’s counterpart on the Disaster Management Team, identify opportunities to submit concept notes and proposals.
- Work with the Director of Disaster Response and Disaster Response Manager to develop the programmatic strategy for new concept notes and proposals.
- Coordinate with the Disaster Response Manager regarding the transition plan to demobilize or toward a longer-term Water Mission presence in-country.
- When not deployed, this role will focus on relationship-building and developing strategic funding opportunities related to Water Mission’s disaster response efforts
What is required?
- Personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ
- Bachelor’s degree required in project management, communications or another related field
- 5 to 7 years of experience in relationship development, program development, or disaster response required
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly articulate ideas and feedback in a constructive way
- Advanced skills with MS Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a team
- Adaptable to the dynamics of a disaster response – high operational tempo in stressful environments
- Foreign language skills preferred
- Ability to work within cross-cultural environments and to overcome stereotypes and language barriers
- Experience in developing country preferred
- Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally for up to 4 consecutive weeks, 3-4 times a year. These trips will require this person to live and travel within difficult disaster environments for extended periods of time. Ability to thrive in environments that require long car rides over difficult terrain, walking long distances in difficult terrain, working and sleeping in unconditioned environments with limited to no access to electricity.
- Ability and willingness to travel to a disaster response situation with only 48 hours of notice is required