Operations Director, Malawi

Water Mission is a Christian engineering nonprofit that builds safe water solutions for people in developing countries, refugee camps, and disaster areas. Since 2001, Water Mission has served more than 8 million people in 60 countries, sharing safe water and the message of God’s love. 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 our Statement of Faith and Our Christian Mission.

• Maintain a strong Christian witness and model servant leadership to colleagues, partners, communities, and the public. 

• Lead and participate in biblically based staff devotions and prayer before and after team meetings. 

• Demonstrate and encourage Water Mission’s core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity in all operational decisions and staff relationships. 

• Work with the Country Director and functional leaders to develop the annual operations plan, operational budgets, project schedules, and measurable performance targets. 

• Lead implementation of approved WASH projects and operational plans, coordinating staff, equipment, materials, and other resources across project locations. 

• Monitor progress against agreed scope, schedules, budgets, and quality standards; address delivery constraints and escalate significant risks or changes to the Country Director. 

• Coordinate professionalized services, technical staff, construction, community engagement, Evangelism & Discipleship, and MEL activities to ensure effective delivery, commissioning, handover, and sustainable management of safe water solutions and program goals. 

• Conduct regular field visits and operational reviews to verify O&M and implementation quality, resolve challenges, and support field teams. 

• Coordinate with Regional and Headquarters departments/staff to achieve organizational objectives. 

• Work with the Project Manager, Finance Manager, and budget holders to prepare project budgets, forecasts, cost estimates, and expenditure reviews, explaining variances, and implementing agreed corrective actions. 

• Oversee assigned procurement, logistics, inventory, fleet, equipment, facilities, and administrative activities in line with approved policies and delegated authority. 

• Ensure project management and enterprise accounting systems accurately reflect operational activities, working with the Project Manager, Finance, and other functional teams to maintain timely, complete records. 

• Maintain effective operational controls and support audits, risk reviews, and timely completion of corrective actions. 

• Implement applicable safety, safeguarding, security, and operational procedures; report incidents and significant concerns through established channels. 

• Supervise and mentor assigned staff, clarify responsibilities, allocate workloads, review and approve performance goals, and conduct regular coaching and performance reviews. 

• Identify skills gaps and coordinate training, mentoring, recruitment, and succession planning with the Country Director, Human Resources, and other organizational departments/staff as required. 

• Promote staff care, well-being, accountability, and constructive, collaborative resolution of workplace concerns. 

• Collaborate with finance, human resources, and technical staff in accordance with their established direct and matrix reporting relationships 

• Monitor operational performance against the business plan and agreed indicators, using MEL findings and lessons learned to improve program quality and effectiveness. 

• Provide regular operational reports to the Country Director and agreed updates to the Africa regional dotted-line of staff connections, highlighting progress, budget performance, risks, and decisions needed. 

• Support grant applications, implementation, donor reporting, and fulfilment of project commitments by providing accurate operational plans, budgets, and results. 

• Lead to accomplish project, grant, partnership, etc. goals and collaborate with other country programs to exchange ideas, status, and alignment. 

• Support the Country Director in relationships with government, churches, communities, NGOs, and other partners; represent Water Mission in operational meetings as delegated. 

• Coordinate operational support for Water Mission’s Living Water Strategy in Malawi, working with ministry and program teams. 

• Perform other duties assigned by the Country Director within the scope of the role. 

• A personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. 

• Alignment with Water Mission’s Statement of Faith, core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity, and principles of servant leadership. 

• A bachelor's degree in Engineering, Management, Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Health, or a related discipline. A relevant master’s degree is an added advantage. 

• At least eight years of relevant leadership or management experience, including managing multidisciplinary teams and training, mentoring, and developing leaders. 

• Proven experience managing programs or operational budgets exceeding USD 1 million, with responsibility for planning, expenditure control, and performance reporting. 

• Experience or technical knowledge of the WASH sector; construction, engineering project management, or WASH program design experience is preferred. 

• Experience working in Malawi or comparable African development contexts, including field operations and partnerships with government, communities, Christian ministries, NGOs, or development agencies. 

• Leadership experience in Christian ministry, evangelism, or discipleship. 

• Fluency in English required. Strong skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft 365, and SharePoint. 

• Strong planning, problem-solving, financial management, and cross-cultural communication skills, with a commitment to ending the global water crisis. 

• Willingness to establish full-time residence in Lilongwe, work flexible hours when necessary, and travel regularly to field locations in Malawi, including stays of up to one week and occasionally longer. 

• Willingness to undertake international travel and travel to other regional country programs, as may be occasionally required.