Membership Engagement Officer

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) was established in 1990 and mandated by name in United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/45/181.The WSSCC Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and aims to accelerate the achievement of sustainable sanitation, hygiene and water services for all people, with special attention to the unserved poor, by enhancing collaboration and coordination of all sector stakeholders. The WSSCC Secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland. More information on WSSCC can be found on the website at www.wsscc.org.

WSSCC is committed to mobilize its partner-base at the grass-roots level through both government and civil society partners, bringing its strong communication and advocacy experience.  Through stronger collaboration at national level, brokered through WSSCC, the National Coordinators, WSSCC members and partners, WSSCC can effectively facilitate discussions on sector reform, sector financing, reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized, and strengthening

monitoring and national delivery and accountability systems in a large number of countries.

Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director, the membership engagement officer (maternity cover) will focus on leveraging WSSCC’s current membership and expanding its future membership with local champions who bring their own networks in to the discourse about accelerating progress towards SDG 6.1 and 6.2.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

• To promote and nurture the membership base, as part of its support base in countries where WSSCC has a footprint as well as regional and global level;
• To lead on the implementation of the membership engagement plan as per the 2019 /2020 work plan and as approved by the WSSCC Senior Leadership Team;
• To facilitate the exchange of views among members, including the use of social media and other tools/platforms in coordination with the communication unit, and to develop initiatives that enhance the value added and offerings of membership;
• In coordination with the communication team and with other unit team members, lead the development of global initiatives aiming at broadening and enhancing the membership;

• To act as a conduit between members, partners and key staff of WSSCC through regular information exchange and feedback that mutually reinforces the work of the Council and the role and value of membership;

• Support country coordination and engagement among National Coordinators and membership, policy advocates with relevant communication advice and strategies.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Building on recent research conducted by the membership team, develop proposals for enhancement of WSSCC membership model (individual and organizational);
• Analyse the results of a members’ questionnaire on areas of interest and expertise to inform the membership engagement and outreach strategy, and the development of country engagement plans (CEPs);
• Building on enhancements to the membership model, develop the membership ask and offer and provide support to Regional Units and National Coordinators (NCs) to run well-targeted membership drives;
• Develop and coordinate initiatives to improve and enhance the value-added and offerings of membership;
• Work with the Communications and Advocacy unit to develop a suite of communications materials for NCs to use in their membership drive campaigns and a guidance note on the same;
• Work with the Communications and Advocacy unit to conceptualize and operationalize member-focused and targeted communications and guidelines and ensure steady two-way flow of communication from Secretariat to members;
• Provide support to NCs to identify, track, and monitor the engagement of members in national debates, events and policy processes;
• Provide support to NCs on membership mapping, identifying champions to contribute to CEP, outreach to members, expanding membership and engaging in activities within the CEP, tracking, monitoring and capturing information for use in comms, corporate reporting and M&E
• Develop a module or facilitated session on membership, to fit into partner workshops with options for membership engagement
• Play an active role in the working group to organise a Global Members for Influence Meeting 2020 in readiness for the launch of the WSSCC Strategic Plan 2021

Education

• Master’s degree in Development Studies, Communications, or related field is required. 
• A bachelor's degree with a combination of 2 additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the master's degree.

Experience

• Minimum five years of relevant professional experience in membership management, stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, advocacy or related fields.   
• Experience working in international development with UN agencies and/or International NGOs is highly desirable.

Fluency in written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French is desirable.  

• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude; remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Excellent understanding and experience of stakeholder engagement and/or membership management;
• Demonstrated experience in project development, including guiding a project from the conceptual stage through to implementation;
• Strong organizational and inter-personal skills;
• Ability to effectively communicate complex ideas to a wide range of audiences, able to produce high quality and accessible communications materials using traditional and digital media;
• Excellent analytical, problem solving and creative thinking skills;
• Accountability for management of time, establishing clear performance goals, standards, & responsibilities;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside the Council.

• Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
• Contract level: International ICA Level 2
• Contract duration: 6 months maternity cover (60%) 

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.


APPLICANTS MUST INCLUDE A BRIEF MOTIVATION LETTER INDICATING HOW THEY MEET THE  REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION.

This position is based in Switzerland and the contract fee is not exempt from Swiss laws, including but not limited to laws regarding taxation, social security, accident and health insurance.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.