JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: National Capacity and Facilitation Adviser, FSM WASH
Division/Programme and Section/Project (if any): Geoscience, Energy and Maritime (GEM) Division, Disaster and Community Resilience Programme (DCRP)
Location: Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (with regular travel to Chuuk, Yap and Kosrae)- Micronesia Regional Office (SPC)
Reporting to: Project Manager, FSM WASH
Number of Direct Reports: 0
Purpose of Role: The National Capacity and Facilitation Adviser (NCFA) is the project’s senior technical specialist responsible for stakeholder engagement, multi-level facilitation, institutional capacity building and dialogue at national and state levels. The role coordinates the project’s extensive consultation programme, capacity building for government counterparts and WASH stakeholders, facilitates high-level dialogue to drive governance reform, and supports the design and delivery of the national and state-level workshops and taskforce processes that underpin development of FSM’s first National Water and Sanitation Policy.
Date: September 2026

Organizational Context and Organization Chart

SPC is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, proudly supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. SPC is deeply committed to gender equality and the meaningful inclusion of all Pacific peoples in development processes.

The FSM WASH project is funded by the European Union under NDICI-Global Europe and scored as a Significant Objective under the EU Gender Marker system. Gender equality is therefore a core accountability of the project, not merely a cross-cutting principle. The National Capacity and Facilitation Adviser (NCFA) will drive stakeholder engagement, capacity building, facilitation, and dialogue at national and state levels to support the development of FSM’s first National Water and Sanitation Policy. The National Capacity and Facilitation Adviser sits within Micronesia Regional Office.

Key Result Areas (KRAs):

KRA 1: National and state-level facilitation of policy and governance consultations (30%)

KRA 2: Capacity building for government and WASH sector stakeholders (25%)

KRA 3: Support to institutional reform processes (20%)

KRA 4: High-level dialogue and stakeholder relationship management (15%)

KRA 5: Knowledge management and quality assurance of facilitated outputs (10%)

The performance requirements of the Key Result Areas are broadly described below

Jobholder is accountable for Jobholder is successful when
KRA 1: National and state-level facilitation of policy and governance consultations (30%) - Plan, coordinate and facilitate national and state-level inception workshops for the National Water and Sanitation Policy process - Facilitate detailed stakeholder dialogue with relevant Departments (DoRD, DECEM, DoHSA, DOE), State Utility Corporations, the Association of Micronesian Utilities (AMU), civil society and traditional leaders - Facilitate GESI-guided public hearings at national and state levels in coordination with the GESI Assistant - Convene and facilitate taskforce groups to provide guidance on specific WASH issues - Manage the planning and coordination of the National Water Forum to launch and socialise the National WASH Policy - Inception workshops are convened in all four states, with documented stakeholder representation. - All public hearings are conducted in accordance with GESI principles, with evidence of inclusive participation. - At least two taskforce groups are operational and meeting regularly. - National Water Forum is planned, with high-level government, traditional leader and EU representation confirmed. - PSC meetings are well-prepared, documented and outcomes communicated to all members within five working days.
- Support the Project Manager in facilitating National Water Working Group (WWG) meetings.
KRA 2: Capacity building for government and WASH sector stakeholders (25%) - Design and plan delivery of a comprehensive Capacity Building Programme for DoRD, state utilities, AMU and other WASH stakeholders to support effective participation in policy and planning processes - Develop training materials, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and reference guides that will remain with institutions beyond the project. - Implement a training-of-trainers (ToT) component to build sustainable in-country facilitation capacity. - Coordinate targeted Technical Assistance deployment alongside SPC specialists and external consultants. - Track staff turnover in partner institutions and adapt capacity building approaches to institutionalise knowledge within systems and processes, not just individuals. - Support DoRD in establishing the centralised water and sanitation coordination function, including training for new institutional roles - A Capacity Building Programme with annual workplans is in place. - Training materials and SOPs are deposited with DoRD and state utilities and remain accessible beyond the project. - At least one ToT cohort is trained and active in each state. - Capacity assessments are conducted at inception, mid-term and project end, showing measurable improvement. - New institutional roles within DoRD are staffed and functional, with documented capacity support provided.
KRA 3: Support to institutional reform processes (20%) - Support the Project Manager and government counterparts in implementing governance reform recommendations arising from the WASH governance review - Facilitate inter-departmental dialogue processes to address contested elements of proposed institutional reforms, ensuring that proposed changes are framed as coordinative and complementary, not absorptive - Support the drafting of legislation, regulations and procedures required to establish new national WASH institutional roles, working with the FSM Attorney General's Office as required. - Support government in establishing national coordination, monitoring and reporting roles and functions - Facilitate the development of a formal transition plan for handover of institutional functions to DoRD at project closeout - Inter-departmental dialogue records demonstrate broad government support for reform pathways. - Legal and regulatory drafting is progressing on schedule, with Attorney General engagement confirmed. - National coordination roles are established and operational within DoRD, with ToR developed and staffed. - A formal institutional transition plan is approved by the PSC.
KRA 4: High-level dialogue and stakeholder relationship management (15%) - Facilitate effective, sustained dialogue among leaders at national and state levels to build will for WASH governance reform - At least two high-level dialogue events are held annually, with documented attendance and outcomes.
- Maintain strong working relationships with DoRD Secretary, state governors, state utility CEOs and AMU leadership. - Support the Project Manager in preparing and disseminating a new government induction brief when needed - Coordinate with the Community Engagement Assistant to connect community voices to senior stakeholders - Identify and support WASH champions at high level to advocate for accelerated governance reform - Relationships with all four state governors' offices and state utility CEOs are formalised. - High-level WASH champions are active in at least two states.
KRA 5: Knowledge management and quality assurance of facilitated outputs (10%) - Ensure that all facilitation processes produce high-quality, usable documentation — including workshop reports, meeting minutes, consultation summaries and stakeholder feedback registers. - Review consultation outputs and stakeholder submissions for incorporation into policy and planning documents. - Contribute to semi-annual project progress reports covering Outputs 2.1 and 2.2. - Maintain a facilitation knowledge base and document lessons learned to inform future governance programming in the Pacific. - Workshop and consultation reports are produced within 10 working days of each event, reviewed and approved by PM. - Stakeholder feedback is systematically tracked and demonstrably incorporated into policy documents. - Semi-annual report contributions are accurate, evidence-based and submitted on time. - A lessons-learned registry for facilitation and capacity building is maintained and shared with SPC DCRP.

The above performance requirements are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for this job will need further discussion between the jobholder and supervisor as part of the performance development process.

Most Challenging Duties Typically Undertaken (Complexity):

  • Facilitating highly complex, multi-stakeholder governance processes across FSM's four states, each with distinct governance structures and priorities.
  • Building will among senior leaders for governance reforms.
  • Embedding long-term institutional capacity in government agencies.
  • Supporting legislative drafting in a jurisdiction with limited drafting capacity and a complex architecture.

Functional Relationships & Relationship Skills:

Key internal and/or external contacts Nature of the contact most typical
External Key external contacts are:
- FSM DoRD Secretary and National Government Departments - State Governors and State Government Offices - State Utility Corporations (PUC, CPUC, DOTU, YSPSC) - FSM Attorney General’s Office Traditional leaders - Institutional reform support; policy facilitation; counterpart advisory - Dialogue; state-level facilitation; endorsement processes - Capacity building delivery; consultation facilitation; technical TA - Legislative and regulatory drafting support - Cultural protocol navigation
Internal Key internal contacts are: - Project Manager, FSM WASH - GESI Assistant - Community Engagement Assistant - SPC DCRP Technical Specialists and External Consultants - MRO office - Reporting, planning, performance management - Integration of GESI principles into facilitation and training design - Linking community voice to political dialogue; coordination of consultation logistics - Coordinating TA deployment; quality assurance of technical inputs - Progress reporting; strategic alignment

Level of Delegation:

Routine Expenditure Budget: 0 EUR

Budget Sign off Authority without requiring approval from direct supervisor: 0 EUR

Personal Specification:

This section is designed to capture the expertise required for the role at the 100% fully effective level. (This does not necessarily reflect what the current position holder has.) This may be a combination of knowledge / experience, qualifications or equivalent level of learning through experience or key skills, attributes or job specific competencies.

Qualifications

Essential: Desirable:
- A postgraduate qualification from a recognised institution in public administration, public policy, development studies, law, social sciences, natural resources management or a closely related discipline, or an equivalent body of knowledge and experience. - A Master’s degree in public policy, law, governance, development studies or a related field. Formal facilitation, mediation or organisational development qualifications.

Knowledge/Experience

Essential: Desirable:
- At least 7 years of experience in institutional strengthening, governance reform, capacity building or facilitation preferably in a development context - Experience in WASH, water resources, environment or a related sector.
- Experience managing multi-stakeholder consultation processes at national and sub-national levels. - Experience in the Pacific region. - Demonstrable experience facilitating sensitive dialogue involving senior stakeholders. - Experience in designing and delivering capacity building programmes. - Understanding of GESI principles and their application to governance processes. - Demonstrable experience working with Pacific Island communities, including outer island and rural populations. - Knowledge of FSM's federal governance structures, state utility landscape and legal system. - Experience supporting legislative or regulatory drafting in a Pacific Island context. - Experience managing EU-funded development programming. - Familiarity with the World Bank Policy-Institutions-Regulation analytical framework.

Key Skills/Attributes/Job Specific Competencies

The following levels would typically be expected for the 100% fully effective level:

Expert level - Multi-stakeholder facilitation and high level dialogue in complex governance settings - Capacity building programme design and delivery - Navigating federal and multi-level governance systems
Advanced level - Strategic facilitation and consensus-building with senior officials - Legislative and regulatory process support - GESI integration in governance and capacity building processes - Written and oral communication in English to high professional standard
Working knowledge - WASH sector governance and service delivery - Project monitoring, evaluation and reporting - Microsoft Office Suite and facilitation software tools
Awareness - SPC operational policies, procedures and values - EU programming requirements and compliance - Pacific cultural protocols and traditional governance structures

Key Behaviours

All employees are measured against the following Key Behaviours as part of Performance Development:

  • Change and Innovation
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Teamwork
  • Promotion of Equity and Equality
  • Judgement

Personal Attributes

  • High level of professional integrity and ethics
  • Genuine commitment to community empowerment and participatory development
  • Culturally respectful and sensitive in engagement with Pacific communities and traditional leaders

  • Self-motivated and comfortable working independently in remote field environments

  • Friendly and approachable demeanor with strong interpersonal skills

Change to Job Description:

From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of the work environment – including technological requirements or statutory changes. Such change may be initiated as necessary by SPC. This Job Description may also be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle.

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