The USAID Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment (WAVE) Project in Kazakhstan is currently accepting expressions of interest for qualified Program Officer candidates. This is anticipated to be a full-time position based in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The WAVE Activity promotes economic stability and prosperity, and healthy ecosystems by strengthening regional capacity to manage shared water resources and mitigate environmental risks in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya River basins, shared by five Central Asian States – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The five-year USAID WAVE activity takes a multi-level governance approach to tackling complex regional water challenges by strengthening collaboration through stakeholder dialogues, shared vision development using evidence and modeling, and collaborative action across sectors and governance levels. WAVE seeks to improve the capacity of small and regional river basin councils to identify and address water management issues; and support national governments to improve regional collaboration, effective joint water management practices, and legal/regulatory improvements.

Working under the direction of the Chief of Party (COP), the Program Officer will assist in multiple aspects of project management at the request of the COP. Responsibilities will include assisting with the development of the technical direction of WAVE, writing and producing a broad variety of documents, facilitating internal knowledge management and learning, and supporting operations as needed. The Program Officer will be supervised by the Chief of Party and work closely with the senior management team.

Responsibilities

* Support the COP and the senior management team to organize and implement internal activities related to communications/report development, training, project planning, and management;

* Draft or review and edit high quality technical documents and reports including weekly highlights, quarterly reports, annual reports, annual work plans, MEL Plans and other written deliverables in close collaboration with the author, relevant communications, and technical staff, and the COP;

* Support the COP, DCOP, Communications Team, and technical leads to design, organize and deliver WAVE events (internal and external), including seminars, conferences, workshops, pause and reflect sessions, trainings, planning meetings, and other meetings;

* Support the Communications Team to design and produce communications materials including toolkits, manuals, success stories, documents, and other resources, that are accessible, user-friendly, timely, and tailored for target audiences and stakeholders;

* Support the Communications Team to develop knowledge and information products based on evidence as generated by WAVE activities;

* In collaboration with the MEL Manager and technical staff, research and write qualitative project impact stories as needed; and

* Build capacity of staff, partners, and other stakeholders to improve reports, communications, and information products.

Qualifications:

* University degree in international development, communications or other relevant field (advanced degree preferred).

* Minimum of five (5) years’ experience supporting the development and implementation of donor-funded development projects; experience with water resource management projects preferred.

* Experience developing and producing effective communications and reporting products for donors.

* Demonstrated ability to write and produce technical reports and communications materials in English, in collaboration with technical authors and under tight deadlines.

* Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

* Native English fluency is preferred. Strong written and oral presentation skills in English required.