Project Officer

Job description

Project Officer

Contract type: Fixed term | Full time – 37.5 hours per week

Location: WaterAid Bangladesh Project Office, Khulna.

Salary: Monthly gross salary BDT 67,000/- with excellent benefits (Flexible for deserving candidates with strong track record and demonstrated credentials)

Change starts with water. Change starts with you.

Every day, millions of people live without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid exists to change that – for everyone, everywhere. Join us, and your energy will help unlock people’s potential and create a fairer future.

About WaterAid

We’re a global federation driven by one vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. Powered by our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation, we work alongside communities, partners and supporters to make change happen.

About the team

The Project team at WaterAid Bangladesh delivers WASH initiatives with a focus on equity, rights, and good governance. The team works collaboratively across Gender Equality and Inclusion, Policy and Advocacy, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), alongside implementing partners across two unions and one municipality. As part of a multi-country consortium, the team collaborates with WaterAid Netherlands, the Water Integrity Network, and project teams in Kenya and Uganda to strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in WASH.

About the role

The Project Officer will lead the day-to-day implementation of the three-year From Shame to Action Project in Bangladesh, focusing on Paikgacha, in collaboration with implementing partners, local government, communities, and key stakeholders. The project aims to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) associated with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services through a survivor-centred, rights-based, and systems-strengthening approach.

The role will coordinate project activities, strengthen community awareness and safe reporting and referral mechanisms, support survivor services, and promote institutional accountability. The Project Officer will also contribute to research, capacity building, advocacy, monitoring, financial compliance, and reporting to ensure quality implementation and generate evidence and learning for wider impact.

In this role, you will:

- Lead project planning, implementation, and monitoring in Bangladesh, ensuring alignment with the workplan, budget, and project results.

- Coordinate and strengthen implementing partners across two rural unions and one municipality through joint planning, field monitoring, quality assurance, and capacity building.

- Monitor partner performance, expenditure, and reporting, and coordinate with relevant WaterAid teams to ensure timely delivery and compliance.

- Mobilise youth groups, women’s organisations, religious leaders, and communities to raise awareness and challenge gender-based violence (GBV) linked to WASH through community campaigns, dialogues, and advocacy.

- Strengthen safe reporting mechanisms, survivor-centred support services, and referral pathways, ensuring confidentiality, informed consent, and do-no-harm principles.

- Support capacity building for local government representatives, healthcare providers, and WASH service providers on GBV prevention, response, and institutional accountability.

- Contribute to ethical research, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, progress reporting, case studies, policy briefs, and cross-country learning.

- Represent WaterAid Bangladesh in relevant project meetings, stakeholder engagements, and national-level events.

- Promote compliance with WaterAid’s safeguarding policies and Code of Conduct, ensuring concerns are reported through appropriate channels.

These responsibilities will be reviewed with the line manager from time to time.

To be successful, you will need:Education: Bachelor’s degree in a social science, such as sociology, anthropology, social work, gender studies or development studies. Master’s degree will be an added advantage.Experience: At least 2 years of experience in GBV prevention and response projects, applying a rights-based approach to community engagement with women, girls and survivors, and collaborating with NGO partners, community groups and local government in Bangladesh.Skill, Knowledge and Competencies:

- Good understanding of survivor-centred and do-no-harm principles, including confidentiality and safe referral mechanisms.

- Strong facilitation, training, and communication skills, with the ability to lead sensitive discussions with diverse stakeholders.

- Effective planning, monitoring, reporting, and basic data analysis skills.

- Understanding of the WASH sector, water governance, anti-corruption, or social accountability.

- Experience working with INGOs, youth groups, creative community-based campaigning, or media.

- Experience supporting research on sensitive topics.

- Fluency in written and spoken Bangla and English.

View the full job description hereClosing date: Applications close 05:00 PM BD time on 03 November 2026. How to apply: Click Apply to answer the Pre-screening questions and upload your CV only.Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in my application?At WaterAid, we strongly advise against using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure a fair and transparent process that provides every applicant with an equal opportunity to succeed. We value hearing about your unique experiences and perspectives in your application, and, if shortlisted, during the interview as well.

Pre‑employment screeningTo apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to local law and WaterAid’s Safer Recruitment.

Responsibilities

• Lead project planning, implementation, and monitoring in Bangladesh, ensuring alignment with the workplan, budget, and project results.
• Coordinate and strengthen implementing partners across two rural unions and one municipality through joint planning, field monitoring, quality assurance, and capacity building.
• Monitor partner performance, expenditure, and reporting, and coordinate with relevant WaterAid teams to ensure timely delivery and compliance.
• Mobilise youth groups, women’s organisations, religious leaders, and communities to raise awareness and challenge gender-based violence (GBV) linked to WASH through community campaigns, dialogues, and advocacy.
• Strengthen safe reporting mechanisms, survivor-centred support services, and referral pathways, ensuring confidentiality, informed consent, and do-no-harm principles.
• Support capacity building for local government representatives, healthcare providers, and WASH service providers on GBV prevention, response, and institutional accountability.
• Contribute to ethical research, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, progress reporting, case studies, policy briefs, and cross-country learning.
• Represent WaterAid Bangladesh in relevant project meetings, stakeholder engagements, and national-level events.
• Promote compliance with WaterAid’s safeguarding policies and Code of Conduct, ensuring concerns are reported through appropriate channels.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a social science, such as sociology, anthropology, social work, gender studies or development studies; a Master's degree is an added advantage.
• At least 2 years of experience in GBV prevention and response projects, applying a rights-based approach to community engagement with women, girls and survivors, and collaborating with NGO partners, community groups and local government in Bangladesh.
• Good understanding of survivor-centred and do-no-harm principles, including confidentiality and safe referral mechanisms.
• Strong facilitation, training, and communication skills, with the ability to lead sensitive discussions with diverse stakeholders.
• Effective planning, monitoring, reporting, and basic data analysis skills.
• Understanding of the WASH sector, water governance, anti-corruption, or social accountability.
• Experience working with INGOs, youth groups, creative community-based campaigning, or media.
• Experience supporting research on sensitive topics.
• Fluency in written and spoken Bangla and English.

Benefits

• Festival bonus
• Provident fund
• Gratuity
• Life insurance for self
• Health insurance for self, spouse and children
• Cell phone allowance (as per policy)

Skills

• Community Mobilisation
• Facilitation
• GBV Prevention
• Monitoring & Reporting
• WASH