Executive Director of Alexandria Water Resilience Centre of Excellence (AWRCoE) - USAID

The position is funded by the USAID and is managed by The American University in Cairo, with a duration of 5 years, beginning on February 20th 2019 and ending on February 20th 2024. The Executive Director oversees the day-to-day operations of the center, working closely with the steering committee and national and international partners. The Executive Director is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the development of the AWR Centre of Excellence, driving performance to ensure that it achieves its strategic objective to create a repository of trusted sources of information, knowledge, and tools and build a body of evidence for water resilience. The Director is also responsible for managing fiscal and personnel resources at the center, requiring a broad knowledge of operations, external funding acquisition, grants and contracts, project management, personnel management, and business development. The AWRCoE Executive Director is responsible for managing a team of staff, ensuring that all staff are organized and satisfied with their work, and developing strategies to attract and retain a highly competent workforce. The Director is also responsible for being the primary public spokesperson for the center, coordinating meetings, and helping the wider team meet the strategic directions of the society. The Director is expected to build and create new relationships with multi-stakeholders, work closely with the AU administration to broaden research and support academic programs within the relevant faculties, and pursue an innovative vision of collaboration with scientists at AU and relevant multi-stakeholder groups in areas related to water science and engineering. The Director is also responsible for overseeing and being accountable for agreeing the annual AWRCoE budget, operational plan, and personnel management of faculty and staff affiliated to the AWRCoE. The Executive Director is responsible for managing a team of staff, including the Associate Director, who will be responsible for the supervision and administration of the Center of Excellence for Water in Alexandria University. The Associate Director will work closely with the Executive Director to ensure the smooth operation of the center and will be responsible for supervising and administering the center's programs and activities. The ideal candidate for the Executive Director position should have a PhD in Water Engineering or a related discipline, with a minimum of 5 years' experience in Water Engineering or a related discipline in a management and/or advisory capacity working with senior management teams. The candidate should have advanced competencies in project management, recruitment strategies, capability development, and workforce planning, as well as proven experience in monitoring and evaluation, sustainability, and dissemination. The candidate should also have extensive experience in the conduct of center/personnel assessments, capacity needs, assessments, training activities, and capacity development, preferably in the water sector. The candidate should have proven experience in providing advice to senior-level government stakeholders, strong interpersonal and communications skills, and demonstrated academic and research qualifications and experience in water and related environmental issues. The candidate should also have significant leadership/management experience, a demonstrated ability to develop and implement real-world solutions, and strong networking and communication skills. The candidate should have good professional, scholarly, and technical understanding, good writing and reporting skills, excellent problem-solving skills, leadership skills to supervise and motivate volunteers, the ability to respond positively to pressure, and a committed and flexible approach to the job. The Director will lead an internationally recognized center, and the candidate should have experience in the management of a research of comparable scale, including the capacity to select long-term objectives for the AWRCoE, verify their execution, and be responsible for the achievement of the main goals. The candidate should also have experience in working in multinational environments, as the Centre of Excellence is formed through international partnership. The Position will be hired by The American University in Cairo under the center of excellence for water, and the applicant will be based in Alexandria, Egypt but will be required to travel to project locations as needed.