About eWATERservices

eWATERservices is a private water operator providing affordable, reliable and sustainable access to clean water across rural and peri-urban communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. We design, install and operate smart water systems that deliver 24/7 service, supported by real-time monitoring of system performance, water usage and revenue. Our model combines strong operations and maintenance with community engagement to ensure long-term service sustainability.

Role overview

The Operations and Engagement Officer is a regionally focused, field-based role within the Operations & Maintenance team, responsible for the end-to-end performance of eWATER water systems in an assigned region.

The role manages O&M technicians and is accountable for ensuring systems are reliable, well maintained and experience minimal downtime. Beyond technical performance, the role also owns service uptake and customer engagement, ensuring that operational availability translates into regular, sustained water usage by communities.

Acting as eWATER’s primary operational presence on the ground, the role leads day-to-day coordination with technicians, engages directly with customers and community stakeholders, escalates risks early, and runs targeted interventions to improve service performance. Success in the role is measured through clear operational KPIs of system uptime and water usage.

This role is well suited to someone who combines strong operational and technical understanding with effective people management and community engagement skills, is comfortable leading field-based teams, and is motivated by delivering measurable performance outcomes.

Key responsibilities

Service performance & usage growth

• Own end-to-end water system performance across assigned systems, with accountability for both system uptime and water usage.
• Manage and support O&M technicians, ensuring effective maintenance, customer engagement, rapid issue resolution, and consistent performance of water systems.
• Translate customer registrations into regular, sustained water usage through targeted community engagement, follow-up and local interventions.
• Design, run and evaluate field trials and promotional initiatives (e.g. messaging, pricing or engagement approaches) to improve usage and service uptake.
• Use system uptime, usage data and field insights to prioritise actions, identify risks early, and implement or recommend corrective measures.

Community engagement & customer insights

• Act as the primary engagement lead with communities, customers, local leaders and relevant stakeholders.
• Gather and report structured feedback on customer experience, community sentiment, competitor activity and emerging risks.
• Drive customer communication initiatives, including mass SMS campaigns and on-the-ground sensitisation.
• Ensure community issues are identified early, escalated appropriately and resolved quickly.

Monitoring, reporting & learning

• Track and report on usage, engagement activity and intervention outcomes.
• Maintain accurate field records and contribute to regional and organisational learning.
• Share insights with programme, operations and leadership teams to improve service design and delivery.

Skills and experience

Required

• Experience delivering community-based or field-led programmes or services.
• Experience engaging directly with communities, customers, or public stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating or supervising field-based teams.
• Strong communication skills and confidence engaging in diverse community settings.
• Ability to work with basic data and performance metrics to guide decisions.
• Highly organised, proactive and comfortable working independently in the field.

Desirable

• Experience in water, WASH, utilities, public health or other service delivery sectors.
• Experience using digital tools or data systems to support field operations.
• Experience running pilots, trials or behaviour-change initiatives.

Core competencies

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English and relevant local languages.
• High integrity, accountability and cultural sensitivity.
• Problem-solving mindset with strong escalation judgement.
• Results-oriented, with comfort being measured against clear performance KPIs.
• Adaptable and resilient in a field-intensive operating environment.

Why join eWATERservices

• Mission-driven work: Contribute directly to improving access to clean water.
• Operational impact: Own measurable outcomes that directly affect system sustainability.
• Growth environment: Be part of a fast-growing organisation with opportunities to develop and progress.
• Inclusive culture: eWATERservices encourages applications from women and underrepresented groups.

• Own end-to-end water system performance across assigned systems, with accountability for both system uptime and water usage.
• Manage and support O&M technicians, ensuring effective maintenance, customer engagement, rapid issue resolution, and consistent performance of water systems.
• Translate customer registrations into regular, sustained water usage through targeted community engagement, follow-up and local interventions.
• Design, run and evaluate field trials and promotional initiatives (e.g. messaging, pricing or engagement approaches) to improve usage and service uptake.
• Use system uptime, usage data and field insights to prioritise actions, identify risks early, and implement or recommend corrective measures.
• Act as the primary engagement lead with communities, customers, local leaders and relevant stakeholders.
• Gather and report structured feedback on customer experience, community sentiment, competitor activity and emerging risks.
• Drive customer communication initiatives, including mass SMS campaigns and on-the-ground sensitisation.
• Ensure community issues are identified early, escalated appropriately and resolved quickly.
• Track and report on usage, engagement activity and intervention outcomes.
• Maintain accurate field records and contribute to regional and organisational learning.
• Share insights with programme, operations and leadership teams to improve service design and delivery.

• Experience delivering community-based or field-led programmes or services.
• Experience engaging directly with communities, customers, or public stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating or supervising field-based teams.
• Strong communication skills and confidence engaging in diverse community settings.
• Ability to work with basic data and performance metrics to guide decisions.
• Highly organised, proactive and comfortable working independently in the field.
• Experience in water, WASH, utilities, public health or other service delivery sectors.
• Experience using digital tools or data systems to support field operations.
• Experience running pilots, trials or behaviour-change initiatives.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English and relevant local languages.
• High integrity, accountability and cultural sensitivity.
• Problem-solving mindset with strong escalation judgement.
• Results-oriented, with comfort being measured against clear performance KPIs.
• Adaptable and resilient in a field-intensive operating environment.

• Experience delivering community-based or field-led programmes or services.
• Experience engaging directly with communities, customers, or public stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating or supervising field-based teams.
• Strong communication skills and confidence engaging in diverse community settings.
• Ability to work with basic data and performance metrics to guide decisions.
• Highly organised, proactive and comfortable working independently in the field.
• Experience in water, WASH, utilities, public health or other service delivery sectors.
• Experience using digital tools or data systems to support field operations.
• Experience running pilots, trials or behaviour-change initiatives.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English and relevant local languages.
• High integrity, accountability and cultural sensitivity.
• Problem-solving mindset with strong escalation judgement.
• Results-oriented, with comfort being measured against clear performance KPIs.
• Adaptable and resilient in a field-intensive operating environment.