COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (7 Positions)

Position Summary:

Under the direction of the Lead Community Development Officer, the Community Development Officer (CDO) is responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating community development and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activities that promote the sustainable use and management of Water Mission safe water systems.

The Community Development Officer works closely with communities, schools, local governments, Safe Water Committees, and other stakeholders to strengthen community ownership and accountability, improve sanitation and hygiene practices, build local capacity to manage safe water systems, and promote the long-term sustainability of safe water projects. The role also supports disaster response activities, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and proposal development. The position requires frequent travel to remote project locations and occasional travel outside the assigned duty station.

Our culture:

As an employee of Water Mission Malawi, a Community Development Officer, is responsible for developing a biblical worldview culture that leads to God-honoring excellence in all their work and reinforcing the following: providing accurate data, empowering staff to have the skills and mindset needed to acknowledge mistakes or problems as opportunities to find appropriate solutions, and empowering staff to consistently work for excellence in solutions that are consistent with Water Mission’s mission, vision, values, and standards.

1.0 Duties and Responsibilities

1.1 Mission Responsibilities

Maintain a strong Christian witness and model servant leadership to colleagues, partners, communities, and the public.
Participate in prayer before and after team meetings and engage in biblically based staff devotions.
Demonstrate Water Mission’s core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity in all aspects of work.
Support the integration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through appropriate words and actions consistent with Water Mission’s mission.

1.2 Community Mobilization and Engagement

Mobilize communities to participate in the planning, implementation, operation, and long-term management of safe water projects.
Facilitate community meetings, participatory assessments, and stakeholder consultations.
Build strong relationships with community leaders, schools, faith leaders, and local government authorities.
Promote community ownership and accountability for Water Mission projects.
Support meaningful community participation throughout the project lifecycle.

1.3 WASH Programming

Plan and implement Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activities in communities, schools, and institutions.
Conduct Training of Trainers (ToT) on WASH using approved curricula.
Conduct hygiene promotion and sanitation education using participatory approaches.
Support the implementation of School WASH programs and sanitation improvement initiatives.
Promote positive behavior change related to safe water handling, sanitation, menstrual hygiene management, and hygiene practices.
Develop community action plans to improve sanitation and hygiene outcomes.

1.4 Capacity Building

Establish, strengthen, and support Safe Water Committees, Water User Committees, and other community management structures.
Train committee members and local system operators on governance, financial management, operations and maintenance, and sustainability.
Build the capacity of community volunteers, teachers, health workers, and local leaders to sustain WASH interventions.
Mentor communities to improve the long-term management and sustainability of safe water systems.

1.5 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

Participate in baseline assessments, routine monitoring, and post-implementation assessments.
Collect, verify, manage, and maintain community development and WASH data.
Monitor project outcomes, community participation, and sustainability indicators.
Maintain accurate records, photographs, beneficiary information, and other project documentation.
Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities through high-quality data collection, analysis, and reporting.

1.6 Project Planning and Implementation

Prepare annual work plans, implementation schedules, budgets, and activity plans.
Coordinate and implement community development activities according to approved project plans.
Support proposal development by providing community needs assessments and relevant technical input.
Implement activities in accordance with Water Mission standards and donor requirements.

1.7 Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

Collaborate with district and local government authorities, schools, health facilities, NGOs, churches, and community organizations.
Represent Water Mission in district coordination meetings, technical working groups, and community forums, as delegated.
Strengthen partnerships that improve the delivery and sustainability of WASH services.
Coordinate activities with other implementing partners to maximize project impact and minimize duplication of efforts.

1.8 Disaster Response

Support disaster response assessments and emergency WASH interventions when required.
Assist with rapid community mobilization during emergency operations.
Participate in recovery and resilience-building activities following disasters.

1.9 Reporting and Administration

Prepare timely activity reports, monitoring reports, monthly reports, donor reports, and success stories.
Maintain complete and accurate project records and documentation.
Ensure accountability for project resources and the timely submission of required reports.
Support budget monitoring and the responsible utilization of project resources.

1.10 Other Responsibilities

Participate in organizational training and continuous professional development.
Support cross-functional teams during project implementation.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Community Development Manager.
2.0 Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

2.1 Relationship and Alignment

Demonstrated personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Alignment with Water Mission’s Statement of Faith and core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity.
2.2 Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Community Development, Transformative Community Development, Social Work, Development Studies, Public Health, or a related field.
Minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience implementing community development or WASH programs.
Experience working with rural communities and community-based organizations.
Experience facilitating participatory training and community mobilization.
Experience in monitoring and evaluation, behavior change communication, and capacity building.
Experience working with schools, local governments, and development partners is an advantage.
Possession of a valid driver’s license and ability to drive a manual-transmission vehicle.
2.3 Skills and Abilities

Excellent facilitation, training, and community mobilization skills.
Strong knowledge of WASH programming and behavior change methodologies.
Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills.
Strong report-writing and documentation skills.
Good planning, organizational, and time-management skills.
Ability to analyze community needs and develop practical, context-appropriate solutions.
High level of integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Experience using mobile data collection tools such as KoboToolbox, mWater, or ODK is an added advantage.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently to remote project locations.

Application instructions

Applications should be made online through the Water Mission Website using the above links. The vacancies can also be found on Water Mission Website:
https://watermission.org/careers/

Closing date for submission is 10th September 2026.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for interview.