Strategic Funding and Co-financing Advisor

Strategic Funding and Co-financing Advisor

Contract type: Permanent, Full time – 35 hours per week

Location: London, UK

UK hybrid working – a minimum of 40% of working time is spent face-to-face (London office, external meetings or travel). 60/40 hybrid working at WaterAid means roughly three days wherever you work best and two days together in person.

Salary: £39,358 - £41,325 per year with excellent benefits.

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 Programme Funding and Partnerships Team contributes to WaterAid’s mission by cultivating and securing income from priority institutional and non-institutional partners for all of WaterAid’s programmes globally. 

About the role

As our dynamic Strategic Funding and Co-financing Advisor, you will oversee a portfolio of restricted funding projects, bringing donors closer to our work through engaging project proposals and reports. You will also act as the global focal point for your portfolio and proactively support country and fundraising teams to drive income growth through strategic advice and guidance. 

This is a unique role within the organisation and will suit someone who thrives in a busy working environment with a varied workload. You will enjoy using your meticulous eye for detail and creativity to develop compelling materials that inspire donors and stakeholders.  

You’ll also:  

• Oversee the project cycle, supporting project selection, bid development, and monitoring until closure. 
• Provide quality assurance of internal and external project proposals and reports. 
• Manage donor communications, tailoring content for diverse audiences. 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with project staff and stakeholders across the WaterAid federation. 
• Provide strategic guidance on funding priorities and programme needs, including managing a busy helpdesk that supports teams across the federation. 

• Champion WaterAid’s commitment to equity, inclusion and safeguarding.

Requirements

To be successful, you will need:

• Experience in project management and administration 
• Knowledge of restricted funding cycles and budgets 
• Excellent writing and IT skills, including Excel 
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills 

Although not essential, we’d prefer you to have:

• Interest in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) 
• Experience with grant monitoring/management 
• Copywriting skills and French language proficiency 

Closing date: Applications close 12.00 PM UK time on Monday 2 March 2026. Interviews are expected to take place week commencing Monday 9 March 2026.

How to apply: Click Apply to complete the pre-screening questions and upload your CV and cover letter  


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 screening: To 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 policy. All UK based roles require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. 

Benefits

• 36 days’ holiday (including 8 Bank Holidays)
• Option to buy an extra 5 days’ annual leave
• Employer pension contribution up to 10 %
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Season ticket loan
• Free annual eye tests
• ‘Give as you Earn’ charitable giving scheme
• Enhanced parental leave (maternity, adoption/surrogacy, shared parental and paternity)
• Sabbaticals
• One paid volunteer day each year

As part of our annual leave policy, all employees receive three additional days of annual leave on top of their standard allocation of 25 days. These days are designated to cover the period when our UK office closes between Christmas and New Year, allowing all UK Water Aiders to take a well-deserved break.

These days are automatically scheduled and cannot be changed or moved. Annual leave is accrued based on your start date. If sufficient leave has not been accrued by the time of the closure, the 3 days will be taken as unpaid leave or pro-rated, depending on your circumstances.

Our Global Commitment:

Our people promise

We will work with passion and focus to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal Opportunities

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions, ways of life and status. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, caste, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability status, neurodiversity, age, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation.

Safeguarding

We are committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero- tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).

Together, we’ll change the world through water.

Join us and be part of the change!