House No.

C403/16 Nii
Noi Kwame Street
Dzorwulu
P.O. Box CT 6135
Cantonments-Accra
Tel +233 030 2797593

Job Title: Research & Policy Specialist

Department: WSUP Ghana

Reporting to: Country Programme Manager, WSUP Ghana (line manager)

[But note also strong functional liaison with Research & Evaluation Manager
and Director of Research & Evaluation, both in London]

Duration: Full-time: 40 hours per week

Location: Accra, Ghana

Salary: GHS 60,000 to 70,000 per annum plus benefits as per WSUP Staff Handbook

Contacts: Internal
WSUP Ghana - Country Programme Manager; other colleagues in WSUP
Ghana team
WSUP London - Programme Director Ghana, Research & Evaluation
Manager, Director of Research & Evaluation

External
Technical specialists, managers and senior managers in utilities, regulatory
agencies, municipal government, national government, and in international
agencies and development banks active in Ghana; Ghanaian researchers
and academics; Ghanaian individuals and civil society organisations involved
in advocacy for improved urban basic services including WASH; national and
municipal politicians; journalists.

ABOUT WSUP
WSUP is a not-for-profit company that helps transform cities to benefit the millions who lack access
to water and sanitation. We were created in 2005 as a response to the unprecedented urban
explosion that has left cities unable to provide basic services, such as access to a toilet or drinking
water, to low-income communities. We are based in the UK with offices in seven countries in sub-
Saharan Africa and Asia. Since inception we have helped over 10 million people access better water
and sanitation services.

WSUP has grown rapidly to a 10-12m organisation and has plans for greater expansion over the
next few years. The organisation is now at a pivotal stage in its growth. In the business plan period
2016-2020, WSUPs ambition is to raise 65 million (an annual turnover of up to 18-20 million in
FY2019-20), but more importantly be recognised as a key player in the water and sanitation section
sector globally. It presently operates six well-developed, respected country programmes in Africa
and Asia to strengthen public and private sector service providers to improve the delivery of
affordable services to low-income consumers. WSUP has recently expanded its portfolio of
operations to include the building and strengthening of private sector provision in urban water and

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Company Limited by Guarantee No. 5419428 registered in England & Wales. Registered address: 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE
sanitation services and the sale of consulting services on all aspects of low income urban WASH
(Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) to disseminate learning and increase impact. All of these operations
are supported by research, communications, funding and finance and resources teams.

For more information about WSUP's vision and approach, see www.wsup.com

ABOUT WSUPS RESEARCH AND POLICY WORK

Over the current business period 2016-2020, WSUP will place strong emphasis on policy influence in
the urban WASH sector in Ghana, and will implement a major programme of research designed to
drive urban sanitation change. For more details on WSUPs overall vision and plans for Ghana 2016-
2020 (including policy influence), see WSUP Business Plan 2016-2020 and WSUP Ghana Business
Plan 2016-2020. For more details on the vision and aims of WSUPs research in Ghana 2016-2020,
see WSUPs Research Strategy 2016-2020. Al of these documents are downloadable from our
website. The Research Strategy document is centrally important to understanding the Research &
Policy Specialist role.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose

To coordinate WSUPs sector influence and research activities in Ghana.

Main Responsibilities

1. To lead ongoing development and implementation of WSUP Ghanas sector influence strategy
2016-2020, acting as key support to WSUP Ghanas Country Programme Manager in this area.
This work component is likely to include a) close consultation with WSUP colleagues and
external actors, in workshops or one-to-one; b) detailed analysis of relevant documentation; c)
strategy development and planning; d) day-to-day management of strategy implementation
including technical briefings and progress reports for WSUP team; e) technical briefings and
other support to WSUP Ghana Country Programme Manager and other WSUP team members
with public voice; f) participation as WSUP representative in meetings, workshops and forums
with sector influence aims; g) writing externally directed publications and press releases
supporting WSUPs sector influence and research-into-policy aims in Ghana; h) close liaison with
sector influence partners in Ghana; i) close liaison with WSUPs ERL and Programmes teams in
London. [WSUP Ghanas sector influence strategy is currently in outline form only, so a key start-
up task will be to develop this strategy in greater detail, in close liaison with the WSUP Ghana
team and with London teams, notably the ERL team and the Programmes team.]
2. To play a lead role, in close liaison with the WSUP ERL team in London, in design and
management of WSUPs research-into-policy programme 2016-2020 in Ghana. This work
component is likely to include a) coordination of inputs from key stakeholders around

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 identification of research needs (key stakeholders include urban WASH institutions, Ghanaian
academics, citizens voice organisations, and other international organisations active in urban
WASH in Ghana; this will feed into wider decision-making about research strategy and design,
also drawing on inputs from the WSUP ERL team, other WSUP teams, and external researchers
and advisors); b) own inputs to research strategy thinking, requiring careful analysis of what
types of research project can generous rigorous academic findings and at the same time
genuinely and substantially drive urban sanitation sector change in Ghana; c) rigorously effective
management of out-sourced research and research-into-policy work in Ghana (at commissioning
stage, and notably during implementation); this will involve acting as primary liaison with
Ghanaian researchers involved in delivery of WSUPs research programme, to ensure close and
timely researcher understanding of relevant WSUP plans and activities, and WSUP
understanding of research plans and activities. [This does not imply micro-management of
research projects by WSUP: rather, it aims to ensure fluid communication.]
3. To ensure intelligent and effective coordination between i) WSUPs research and research-into-
policy work in Ghana and ii) WSUPs sector influencing/advocacy work in Ghana: this is
important, because (i) and (ii) are very closely related, but not identical.
4. To ensure close coordination between WSUP Ghana and WSUP London regarding research and
sector influence.
5. Other related activities of similar nature as may arise, under line management of the WSUP
Ghana Country Programme Manager, but in line with broad time allocations agreed with
WSUPs Director of Research & Evaluation.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
The essential criteria will be assessed by the following methods: Application (A), Interview (I), Test
(T)

Qualifications
ESSENTIAL: DESIRABLE:
Undergraduate degree (A) Research experience at PhD level or above
(A)

Experience
ESSENTIAL: DESIRABLE:
Substantial experience, as the central At least 2 years recent experience (last 5
component of a full-time role, of pro-poor years) in a role in an international
policy influence/advocacy/lobbying work in organisation or research institution in
a development context (A, I) Ghana, in which the primary activity
involved both a) pro-poor policy influence
work and b) primary research or research
management. (A, I)

Knowledge
ESSENTIAL: DESIRABLE:
Strong understanding of approaches to Knowledge of urban WASH. (A, I)

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 achieving policy influence, including via Knowledge of urban planning and urban
research-into-policy and technical advisory governance. (A, I)
routes, as opposed to public campaigning. Knowledge of research methodologies
(A, I) across a wide range of domains including
epidemiology and quantitative social
sciences. (A, I)
Skills
ESSENTIAL: DESIRABLE:
Strong capacity to design and implement
policy influence work, especially via
research-into-policy and technical advisory
routes, as opposed to public campaigning.
(A, I)
Strong current understanding of, or
demonstrable capacity to understand,
research methodologies across a wide range
of domains including epidemiology and
quantitative social sciences. (A, I, T)
Strong analytical writing skills (A, I, T)
Other
ESSENTIAL:
Commitment to the vision and aims of
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor. (I)
In particular, commitment to a vision of
urban WASH which understands a) that
commercial thinking and market solutions,
and the poor householder payments
implied by this, are critical to effective pro-
poor urban sanitation, but b) that equally
critical is massively increased national and
municipal government investment, and
efficient and equitable allocation of this
investment to support services for the poor
and very poor, whether through direct part-
subsidy or part-subsidy of components of
the sanitation service delivery chain. (I)

APPLICATION DEADLINE
Monday, November 28th 2016

INTERVIEWS
Monday, December 12th 2016

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To apply for this position, please visit this link.

CVs will not be accepted. WSUP does not use agencies for recruitment.

Please note: This job is based in Ghana. Applicants must have the right to work in Ghana at the
time of application. Please do not apply if you are ineligible.

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