Mainย Purposeย ofย theย Roleย ย
The Director, WASH is a senior Africa leadership role responsible for setting and driving CIFF Africa\u2019s WASH vision,ย missionย and system-level influence. WASH is a catalytic enabler across CIFF Africa\u2019s two strategic pillars Resilient Communities and Girl Capital and underpins outcomes in health, nutrition, education, climate resilience, and economic opportunity.ย
This role combines deep technical credibility, strategic leadership, and high-level external influence. The Director will oversee CIFF\u2019s WASH investment portfolio, lead and develop a senior WASH team, and represent CIFF at the highest levels with governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs), UN agencies, philanthropies, and the private sector.ย ย
A central focus of the role is not only on ensuring the effective execution of the WASH portfolio but is also focused on shaping and influencing large scale financing for WASH, including engagement with the World Bank\u2019s Mission Water, MDB-led initiatives and philanthropies and the design of innovative and catalytic financing mechanisms.ย
As a key member of the CIFF Africa leadership team, the Director will work closely with other members of the management team to actively contribute to Africa leadership decision-making including setting direction at portfolio level,ย establishingย operational systems and processes to boost effectiveness, andย maintainingย the welfare and morale of the team.ย
Roles andย Responsibilitiesย ย
Africa Leadership and Institutional Leadership:ย
Act as a senior member of the CIFF Africa Leadership Team, contributing to strategy, decision-making, and institutional effectiveness Advise the Executiveย Directorย Africa, Executive Team and Board on WASH-related strategy, policy, financing, and system reform Provide visible, values-based leadership that drives clarity, accountability, and performance Represent CIFF as a senior institutional leader and trusted partner, always acting as a corporate ambassador to strengthen the organization\u2019s reputation and profile as a professional, visionary, and collaborative philanthropyStrategy, Systems and Financing Leadership:ย ย
Lead the development and execution of CIFF Africa\u2019s WASH Missionย Shape system-level interventions addressing governance, financing, service delivery, and sustainability Lead CIFF\u2019s engagement with MDBs, Philanthropies, multilateralย agenciesย and governmentsย ย Oversee the design and champion innovative WASH financing mechanisms (e.g.ย blended finance, guarantees, results-based financing) with support from the Development finance team and CEO officeย Oversee the identification and structure co-financing opportunities that unlock significant public and private capital to address WASH in CIFF Africa priority countriesยProgrammeย Portfolio Leadership:ย ย
External Influence and Partnerships:ย ย
Lead senior relationships with governments, MDBs, UN agencies, and philanthropic partners Represent CIFF at global and regional forums including UN Water and MDB Spring/Annual Meetings Positionย CIFF as a thought leader on WASH systems and financingLeadership of the Team:
Lead,ย manageย and develop a team of 3\u20134 senior WASH managers/directors Build a high-performing, inclusive and accountable team culture that models CIFF\u2019s code of respect and leadership behaviors, which empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence Coach and mentor senior staff and emerging leadersRequirements
Skillsย &ย Experience:
15+ years of senior leadership experience in WASH, infrastructure,ย developmentย financeย or related sectors Significant experienceย working in or influencing WASH systems in Africa Proven engagement with MDBs, philanthropies, bilateralย agenciesย and large-scale public financing mechanisms Strong understanding of WASH financing and system reform Exceptional leadership,ย influencingย and partnership-building skills Strong commitment to evidence, learning, and impact Willingness to travel regularlyKey Working Relationships:
Executive Director, Africaย Deputy Executive Director, Africaย Pillar Leads (Girl Capital and Resilient Communities)ย CIFF Africa Directorsย CIFF Executive Teamย CIFF PIC and Board membersย ย Other CIFF teams - particularly functional teams (e.g.ย legal, HR, finance)ย ย Global institutional partners/stakeholders -ย e.g.ย World Bank, AFDB, AUDA-NEPAD, Africa Water Investmentย Programmeย (AWIP), GFCC, UAE et alย ย International charities and NGOs -ย e.g.ย World Vision, UNDP, Oxfam, Nationalย governmentsย and local NGO partners in priority geographiesยBenefits
CIFF operates a hybrid work policy across all locations, which means employees work in the office and some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.
Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following.
Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service to a maximum of 30 daysBonus - CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus schemeTraining allowanceWellbeing allowanceLife insuranceMedical insurancePlease submit your application on or before Friday, 6 February 2026. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.