Head of Program Management

Head of Program Management

Contract: 12 Month Fixed-term contract, Maternity cover, Full-time

Location: Canada, Remote - Preference will be given to candidates in the Eastern Time Zone. Candidates must be based in Canada and legally able to work in Canada.

Salary: CAD 80,000 - CAD 90,000 per year with excellent benefits, depending on candidate experience

Change starts with water. Change starts with you.

Every day, millions of people live without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid exists to change that – for everyone, everywhere. Join us, and your energy will help unlock people’s potential and create a fairer future.

About WaterAid

We’re a global federation driven by one vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. Powered by our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation, we work alongside communities, partners and supporters to make change happen.

About the role:

Reporting to the Director, International Programs and working closely with the IP team, WaterAid Country Program and Regional staff, as well as other WA member colleagues, the Head of Program Management (HPM) will play an integral role in providing leadership, strategic guidance and oversight of WAC’s portfolio of programs. The HPM will also engage across all WaterAid Canada (WAC) departments to ensure effective donor compliance and to integrate program knowledge as part of joint departmental initiatives.  

The HPM will lead and/or provide oversight on all aspects of WAC’s donor compliance requirements for assigned projects. The HPM will lead the participating WA Country Program teams and partners through all phases of the project cycle, building country program staff capacity where requierd. The HPM will provide excellence in  donor compliance, program and financial management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and partnership management. The HPM will also support business development initiatives by providing strategic and programmatic insight into concept design and will act as the Director, International Program’s deputy during periods of absence or travel. The HPM will travel as needed to CP locations as part of monitoring and program support activities as well as to Ottawa to participate in organization-wide and partnership meetings.  

• Provide leadership, strategic guidance and oversight for assigned projects: This includes leading in all aspects of the project cycle, to ensure project start-up, implementation and close-out are in line with WaterAid quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices.
• Donor compliance, reporting and budgeting: Ensure all assigned programs are in compliance with donor requirements and support other IP staff with donor compliance on non-assigned grants. Lead in the preparation and/or review of WAC baseline and end-line reports, periodic narrative and financial reports, proposals, workplans and budgets within the required formats. Ensure internal sign-off as necessary. 
• Agreement preparation and review: The HPM will take a lead role in the development and review of partnership teaming agreements as part of program implementation and WA member-to-member (M2M) agreements which set out the roles and responsibilities and partnership parameters between WA members engaged on specific programs. In some instances, the HPM will be required to ensure that agreements assigned to other IP colleagues are adequately reviewed and completed to a satisfactory level. 
• Technical advisor collaboration: Ensure that all programs within the IP portfolio receive sufficient technical expertise from various WA federation technical advisors, including seeking input as needed, following up on recommendations and using their expertise to pursue program quality. 
• Lead the development of project learning:  Identify opportunities for continuous learning, to improve the quality of programming and in line with WaterAid’s Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (PMER) guidelines. The HPM will work with the M&E teams in each Country Program and partners, to promote adapted accountability systems which feed into programmatic learning. 
• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E): Ensure that fully functional M&E systems are in place and aligned with donor requirements for all assigned grants while supporting other grants within WA’s portfolio as needed. The HPM will collate, analyse and evaluate program performance data following WaterAid and donor guidelines. The HPM will proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles.  
• Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC): Coordinate extensively with federation leads, Regional Offices and CP counterparts on issues of QA/QC to ensure that appropriate standards and expectations are in place for every WAC-led program. The HPM will work with relevant federation counterparts and WAC colleagues to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented to ensure the delivery of quality programming. 
• Partnership development: The HPM will act as the lead and focal point for partnership engagement for program implementation purposes on programs assigned to the HPM portfolio and support on those assigned to others. The HPM will also advise the IP team on partnership issues from a strategic and business development perspective as relationship opportunities emerge. 
• Stakeholder engagement: Maintain communication with relevant stakeholders, including partners and project consortium members on issues affecting the management of donor agreements, plans and strategies while ensuring strong and mutually beneficial relationships. 
• Financial management: Ensure timely and appropriate project expenditures are in line with work plans and budgets and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources. It will be critical for the HPM to understand financial requirements of donors and WaterAid policies to provide detailed oversight to budget planning, expenditures and financial reporting. 
• Cross-departmental collaboration: Take a lead role in working with other departments within WAC to ensure that all programs comply with donor requirements (primarily the finance department) and to integrate program knowledge as part of joint departmental initiatives such as donor outreach activities, communications and branding initiatives and fundraising-based reporting. 
• Supervision: Provide line management to the IP team’s SWISH Program Manager and Program Officer. Undertake other related tasks and assignments to be delegated by the Director, IP. 

Required Personal Qualities and Skills: 

• University degree in development studies, public health, education, WASH, environment, feminist/gender studies, or other related area. 
• At least 8 years’ experience implementing large, complex projects with multiple partner organizations. 
• Experience with Global Affairs Canada project management and reporting processes, including Results-Based Management (RBM). 
• Demonstrated ability to write high-quality reports in English. 
• M&E skills and experience required. 
• Previous experience working in a developing country. 
• Advanced knowledge of Excel required; strong administrative skills, including MS Office (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint). 

Qualifications considered an asset: 

• French, Urdu, and/or Portuguese language skills considered strong assets. 
• Technical expertise in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programming. 
• Experience designing and implementing WASH programming. 
• Experience designing and implementing gender equality/SRHR programming. 
• Familiarity with environmental issues and community-based, participatory approaches. 

Required Personal Qualities and Skills: 

• Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly within a small team in Canada while also linking into a larger network of teams and staff across the WA federation  
• Ability to work effectively and sensitively in a cross-cultural environment. 
• Willingness to travel overseas, approximately 1 to 2 weeks per trip, sometimes in difficult environments. Occasional travel to Ottawa for internal and external meetings will also be required. 
• A commitment to WaterAid's values, approach and direction. 

View Full Job Description here

Closing date: Applications close 12:00 PM UK time on 26th January 2026. Interviews may be scheduled on a rolling basis, and the role may close earlier if a suitable candidate is found.

How to apply: Click Apply to complete the pre-screening questions and upload your CV and Cover letter.

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in my application? At WaterAid, we strongly advise against using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure a fair and transparent process that provides every applicant with an equal opportunity to succeed. We value hearing about your unique experiences and perspectives in your application, and, if shortlisted, during the interview as well.

Pre‑employment screening: To apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to local law and WaterAid’s Safer Recruitment policy. All UK based roles require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

As a global organisation, WaterAid is committed to creating an environment where you can thrive and be yourself at your very best. Alongside our inspiring mission and meaningful work, we offer a range of benefits tailored to each country’s context and policies. These will be shared during the recruitment process

Our People Promise

We will work with passion and focus to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal Opportunities

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions, ways of life and status. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, caste, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability status, neurodiversity, age, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation.

Safeguarding

We are committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero- tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).

Together, we’ll change the world through water.

Join us and be part of the change!