SUMMARY OF THE POSITION
CAPRED is seeking to recruit a highly qualified and experienced individual for the position of Water Infrastructure Coordinator. This is an important role at a time when Cambodia's clean water supply sector is progressing rapidly, with increasing momentum in sector planning, sector financing, policy reform, enhancing quality of private sector participation, and accelerating service expansion. Thus, there is a strong need for pragmatic support that can help close the gap between sector strategic direction and execution.
 
The selected candidate will play a crucial role in coordinating and managing CAPRED's infrastructure support, with a particular focus on clean water supply. This role requires a strong all-rounder who can work across public sector engagement and private sector engagement; translate technical and policy ideas into practical actions; and support investments, reforms, partnerships, and delivery on the ground. The ideal candidate will bring strong judgement, analytical ability, stakeholder management skills, and practical experience in infrastructure services, preferably in clean water supply.
 
The role will be based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with potential travel to provincial locations. This is a nine-month position with possibility of extension. The Water Infrastructure Coordinator will report to the Infrastructure Lead.
 
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership

• Lead and mentor task/project delivery teams between 5-7 people, encouraging them to innovate, identify practical solutions, and generate new ideas and approaches.
• Contribute to overall domain leadership, strategy, and work planning.
• Support the Infrastructure Lead to ensure project team workload is realistic and deliverables are managed in a timely manner.
• Ensure appropriate quality of deliverables from project team members, consultants, and implementing partners.
• Provide strategic and practical advice to the Infrastructure Lead on emerging risks, opportunities, stakeholder priorities, and implementation bottlenecks.
• Support adaptive management across the Infrastructure domain by using evidence, implementation learning, partner feedback, and field realities to adjust workplans, refine intervention approaches, and improve delivery.
• Support the team to strategic objectives of Clean Water into clear actions and improved implementation.
• Encourage effective teamwork across the Infrastructure domain and with cross-cutting areas.

Technical

• Shape, manage, and oversee clean water supply
• Provide strategic and technical leadership across the clean water supply portfolio, ensuring interventions are coherent, technically feasible, commercially sound, policy-relevant, and aligned with CAPRED's objectives.
• Manage clean water supply portfolios, monitor project performance, and advise the program on financial planning, grant disbursement, implementation risks, adaptive management, and corrective actions.
• Identify, develop, and advance new intervention concepts, investment approaches, and technical solutions that respond to emerging sector priorities and opportunities.
• Assess clean water sector investment proposals, and activity designs for relevance, coherence, technical quality, value for money, feasibility, and potential for systemic impact.
• Lead and contribute to high-quality analytical and strategic outputs, including reports, strategy papers, intervention plans, progress reports, policy briefs, investment notes, feasibility studies, aide-mémoires, talking points, and presentations.
• Conduct due diligence on potential investment opportunities, including financial, technical, environmental, work-health and safety, gender, disability, social inclusion, and other safeguard considerations.
• Support public sector counterparts to strengthen sector planning, sector financing, regulatory reform, policy coordination, and institutional arrangements needed to improve the long-term economic viability and sustainability of the clean water supply sector.
• Coordinate support to private water operators, public water utilities, and other service providers to improve business performance, operational efficiency, service expansion, and climate resilience.
• Use evidence from CAPRED's interventions to inform strategic decision-making, policy dialogue with public sector counterparts, and future portfolio direction.
• Support collaboration between Cambodian and Australian water-sector institutions, including technical exchange, professional development, and institutional partnerships.
• Work closely with MERL to strengthen impact assessment, data collection, results measurement, learning, and evidence generation across the clean water supply portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to integrate GEDSI and climate resilience into clean water supply investment works, policy engagement, sector planning, and operator support.
• Coordinate with communications colleagues to document results, lessons learned, case studies, and sector insights that demonstrate CAPRED's contribution to sector change.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Infrastructure Lead.

Compliance

• Ensure stakeholders will operate within Cowater and DFAT-related codes of conduct and policies including all inclusion-related policies such as Child Protection and PSEAH; antifraud and corruption; value for money and other policies.
• Commitment to championing environmental sustainability and climate action across the Facility.

Stakeholder relationship

• Act as a key coordination focal point with MISTI and relevant government stakeholders on clean water supply planning, financing, policy reform, and implementation follow-up.
• Build and maintain relationships with existing and potential partners, including government agencies, private water operators, public water utilities, financial institutions, industry associations, technology suppliers, consultants, and development partners.
• Represent CAPRED in technical discussions, partner meetings, sector events, and government coordination platforms.
• Maintain and strengthen trusted, constructive, and responsive working relationships with DFAT and the Australian Embassy.

JOB REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications

• At least a master's degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a related field is required.

Essential Criteria

• At least five years of experience in infrastructure, clean water supply, investment management, financial analysis, public policy, private sector development, or related fields.
• Proven ability to work across policy, investment, technical, and implementation issues in a practical and coherent manner.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex workstreams, support project teams, and deliver high-quality outputs.
• Strong experience in writing reports, policy briefs, intervention plans, progress reports, technical notes, presentations, and senior-level briefing materials.
• Proven track record in stakeholder engagement with government counterparts, private sector actors, and development partners.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess investment opportunities, sector constraints, financial viability, and implementation risks.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with stakeholders at various levels.
• Sound understanding of project management principles and practices.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision in a diverse environment.
• Strong language proficiency in both Khmer and English in writing and speaking.
• Proactive, self-motivated, flexible, and able to adapt quickly across interventions, sectors, and partner needs.
• Demonstrated commitment to GEDSI, environmental sustainability, and climate action.
• Willing to take on new assignments and perform at a high standard.

Desirable Criteria

• Being familiar with Australian economic development programs related to infrastructure investment and sustainability is preferred.
• Strong understanding of Cambodia's clean water supply sector, including private water operators, public water utilities, sector financing, regulation, service expansion, and investment challenges.
• Experience in market systems development, blended finance, viability gap financing, infrastructure finance, or utility reform would be an advantage.
• Having real life experience in Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) integration in planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation would be an advantage.

This is a full-time position with attractive monthly remuneration package being commensurate with qualifications and experience.

APPLICATION PROCESS
How to apply: Please send your cover letter and CV with name and contact details (phone and email) of three professional referees to recruitment@capred.org mentioning the position you apply for in the subject line "Water Infrastructure Coordinator".

For your application to be considered, please upload your documents as followed: Candidate Last Name, First Name, date, Title of the Position.

Closing Date: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so please apply as soon as possible. The application process will close once the position is filled.

Only applicants shortlisted will be contacted for interview.

Cowater international strives to maintain a fair, transparent, and human centered recruitment process. As part of our commitment to responsible hiring practices and compliance with evolving recruitment regulations, we may use AI assisted tools to support limited aspects of our talent acquisition workflow, such as reviewing or shortlisting applications. These tools are used only to enhance efficiency and consistency in our processes. All assessments, interviews, and final hiring decisions are made exclusively by our human recruiting managers. Candidates may request additional information about the use of these tools or reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process.

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.
We thank all applicants, however only those shortlisted will be contacted.
 
ABOUT US
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