The Organization

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. 

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday 
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated 

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.  We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. 

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Save the Children International seeks to always be a child safe organization through fulfilling its obligations to the community and through programme implementation carried out by the organization for safeguarding children and to improve the living standards of the child.

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Position: WASH, Infrastructure and Climate Resilience Advisor

Location: Aden

Grade: 2

Contract Length: Till December 2025

The Opportunity:

As a member of the Programme Quality and Impact (PQI) team, and under the overall guidance of the Director of PQI, the WASH, Infrastructure and Climate Resilience Advisor provides strategic and technical leadership to ensure the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, and climate-resilient WASH and infrastructure programming in Yemen. The role is responsible for ensuring technical excellence across program design, implementation, monitoring, and learning, while contributing to national and global advocacy, donor engagement, and knowledge sharing.

The Advisor leads the development and implementation of the WASH and Climate Resilience strategy and annual thematic plans in alignment with the Save the Children’s (SC’s) Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and global ambitions. The role entails supporting sectoral assessments, program design, proposal development, and master budgeting, while also identifying and leveraging funding opportunities, including those linked to climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability.

The Advisor provides ongoing technical guidance and oversight to program managers and field teams, and supports operational aspects such as recruitment and procurement, particularly in complex emergencies. The role also ensures that all infrastructure interventions including those under other sectors such as Health, Education, and Food Security & Livelihoods comply with SCI’s Construction Policy and standards, and integrate eco-friendly, climate-smart, and context-appropriate solutions.

The postholder plays a key role in external representation, coordination, and advocacy, including active participation in WASH cluster, technical working groups, and strategic advisory forums. The Advisor champions cross-sectoral integration, particularly linking WASH and climate resilience with Education, FSL, Child Protection, and Gender, while strengthening partnerships with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, INGOs, and national stakeholders.

In addition to supporting quality program delivery, the Advisor will contribute to the rollout of SC Yemen’s Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change (ESCC) policy. This includes ensuring the use of climate risk including Environmental and Social Screening (ESS) and Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) in program design and contributing to the development of green infrastructure and sustainable water resource management approaches.

As part of SC’s dual mandate, the Advisor is expected to engage in emergency preparedness and response, based on early warning indicators, and be ready to lead or support WASH and infrastructure interventions during rapid-onset crises.

Programme Quality and Technical Leadership

• Provide strategic and high-level technical leadership for the design, implementation, and monitoring of quality WASH, construction, and climate resilience programming in alignment with SC global standards.
• Lead regular assessments of WASH and climate resilience needs, ensuring evidence-based, child-centered, and environmentally responsible programming that is responsive to humanitarian and development contexts.
• Ensure the development and dissemination of technical guidance, tools, and standards across WASH and Climate, including engineering designs, sustainable construction practices, hygiene promotion, and environmental safeguards.
• Oversee the review and quality assurance of BoQs, technical designs, and construction plans in compliance with SCI’s Construction Policy and technical benchmarks.
• Provide regular field-level support and coaching to ensure technical quality and adherence to global WASH, climate, and humanitarian standards.
• Support quality integration of WASH with other sectors including Health, Nutrition, Education, FSL, and Child Protection to ensure a holistic, climate-smart response for children.

Strategy Development and Programme Design

• Lead the development and periodic review of the WASH and Climate Resilience strategy, thematic plan, master budget ensuring alignment with the SC's CSP ambitions and ESCC Policy.
• Champion climate adaptation and resilience thinking across program design, embedding environmental sustainability, disaster risk reduction, nature-based solutions, and anticipatory actions into proposals.
• Drive the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, and budgets, ensuring consistency with donor priorities and technical excellence.
• Design and lead technical inputs into sector-specific and multi-sectoral assessments, ensuring climate and environmental risks are incorporated.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

• Ensure all WASH and climate programs have robust MEAL systems, indicators, and tools aligned with SC frameworks, including environmental and gender-sensitive metrics.
• Lead learning and reflection processes, synthesizing evidence and lessons learned into technical guidance, strategy updates, and cross-country sharing platforms.
• Support quality donor reporting, technical evaluations, and the generation of knowledge products to influence broader learning and advocacy agendas.
• Provide leadership in rolling out environmental and social impact assessments and mitigation planning in line with SC and donor requirements.

Capacity Building and Technical Support

• Identify learning needs and lead capacity-building initiatives for SC and partner staff in WASH, sustainable infrastructure, and climate resilience approaches.
• Mentor technical teams and provide ongoing coaching to improve technical competencies, cross-sectoral integration, and localization of climate-smart practices.

Representation, Advocacy, and External Engagement

• Actively represent SC in national and sub-national WASH Clusters, Technical Working Groups, and Strategic Advisory Group, advocating for child-sensitive and climate-smart approaches.
• Build strategic partnerships with government ministries (e.g., Water, Environment, Health), UN agencies, INGOs, and donors.
• Contribute to advocacy efforts by identifying and documenting evidence-based climate resilience and environmental sustainability priorities affecting children.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Contribute to emergency preparedness planning, with a focus on climate-informed risk analysis and pre-positioning.
• Lead the design and delivery of timely and effective WASH and infrastructure interventions during emergencies, ensuring resilience-building is integrated into response and recovery.

Organizational Contribution and Compliance

• Uphold SC policies and procedures, including Child Safeguarding, Code of Conduct, and Gender Equality, ensuring they are embedded in all programming.
• Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, and environmental responsibility throughout the team and wider operations.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

Qualifications and Experience:

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Hydrology, or a related field is required; a Master’s degree is preferred.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in WASH programming, with at least 3 years in fragile/conflict settings.
• Proven skills in design and supervision of rural water systems and technical review of BoQs/specifications.
• Experience in community-based hygiene promotion, including CLTS.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate climate resilience and conduct risk-informed multisectoral assessments.
• Strong experience in cross-sectoral collaboration, especially with Health, Nutrition, Education, and Child Protection.
• Skilled in capacity building, project cycle management, and adaptive programming.
• Excellent English communication skills, with strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Experience managing projects funded by ECHO, BHA, GIZ, GAC, YHF/OCHA, UNICEF or similar donors.
• Knowledge of DRR, anticipatory action, and climate adaptation frameworks.
• Familiarity with SPHERE standards and child-focused, accountable programming approaches.

Desirable

• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Structure Analysis software programs, GIS, and tools like Kobo, Excel, Power BI.
• Arabic fluency is a strong asset

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities 

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SC Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.