Principal Consultant - Water Resources

Mott MacDonald is seeking a Principal Water Resources Specialist, who will contribute to the acquisition of new projects as part of the Infrastructure, Development and Resilience Division within the International Development Services Unit, and provide short-term technical inputs on projects.

We are looking for a specialist with broad experience in water resources management, water governance, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), but will consider experienced applicants with a specialism in any of these areas. This role will be required to work closely with water, climate and environment and infrastructure colleagues in the pursuit of new opportunities.

Examples of our ongoing projects include a catchment management project in India, a water supply and wastewater treatment project in Egypt, an irrigation management improvement project in Indonesia, and a climate resilience project in Nepal.

The Principal Consultant – Water Resources will develop relationships with new and existing clients and partner organisations to build on existing as well as identify and secure new areas of work for our international water team. They will proactively pursue opportunities, and lead the preparation of high quality technical proposals.

They will also actively contribute to professional and technical excellence activities, raising the profile of our International Development work in the water sector, support the sharing of knowledge and experience, and mentor junior colleagues. Our clients are increasingly looking for practical approaches to implement systems approaches to water, climate, environmental and infrastructure management in a development context. The Senior Associate / Principal – Water Resources is expected to take a leading role in thought leadership and policy advice in this area, demonstrating how we can translate ambition on systems approaches into real project delivery for clients.

You will also provide short-term technical inputs on projects within their area of expertise.

Key skills, qualifications and experience

• A master’s degree in Water Resources Management, Hydrology or related subject.
• Experience in the design, implementation and management of international development projects in the water sector, which may include water resources management, catchment management, nature based solutions, systems strengthening, water governance, and WaSH.
• A strong track record in thought leadership and the translation of thought leadership into innovative project and programme delivery.
• Proven leadership in stakeholder engagement and collaborative working
• Experience in national or regional water management / governance, institutional strengthening of water agencies, multi-disciplinary projects, and/or planning, design and management of water infrastructure.
• Experience in business development, gathering market intelligence to develop business development strategies, and technical proposal management / writing, ideally for development institutions in the UK and / or the Netherlands.
• Demonstrated ability to work in teams and communicate effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills – proficiency in other languages is an advantage.
• Good report writing and presentation skills.

Desirable experience includes:

• Experience of working in more than one sector and a demonstrated ability to make cross-sector connections and synergies.
• Experience of value/benefit frameworks, resilience, theory of change, road mapping, system transformation

If you meet 80% or more of what we’re looking for, please still apply. We understand not everyone will meet all the requirements, but you might have skills we don’t yet know we need. 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team and personal commitments. We embrace agility, flexibility and trust.