Terms of Engagement for SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVISOR INNOVATIVE RESOURCE MOBILIZATION & FINANCING (WATER & SANITATION SECTOR)

Position Summary

1. Introduction & Context

National Development Alignment

Rwanda’s Vision 2050 aspires to elevate the nation to upper-middle-income status by 2035 and high-income status by 2050. This path relies on sustainable economic growth and an improved quality of life for all citizens. The Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), spanning 2024 to 2029, sets the strategic direction for this national development. Building upon the resilience and progress demonstrated during NST1, NST2 prioritizes sustainable, inclusive infrastructure as a core pillar of economic growth.

Sectoral Framework

The Water and Sanitation Sector Strategic Plan (WSS SSP) 2024–2029 provides a comprehensive framework to advance Rwanda’s water and sanitation (WASH) ecosystem. Developed by the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) alongside key sector stakeholders, the plan addresses systemic challenges while leveraging new opportunities to achieve universal access to clean water and safely managed sanitation. Over the next five years, the WSS SSP focuses on expanding infrastructure, enhancing service delivery, and securing sustainable services for all Rwandans by 2029.

Key Challenges & Capital Requirements

While Rwanda has increased water production capacity and expanded sanitation coverage, key structural challenges remain. These include rural water supply gaps, climate change impacts on water security, and high Non-Revenue Water (NRW) rates driven by legacy infrastructure. Additionally, decentralized logistics and limited centralized waste management systems slow sanitation progress. The WSS SSP (2024–2029) targets 100% access to clean water and sanitation services across all countrywide villages, schools, and healthcare facilities.

Achieving these targets requires an estimated investment of FRW 1.39 trillion (approximately USD 1 billion) over five years. Meeting this funding requirement demands a strategic shift toward public-private partnerships (PPPs), climate financing, blended finance, and institutional capacity building.

Partner Organization Context

Water For People is a global non-profit organization working across Latin America, Asia, and Africa to resolve the global water crisis. Headquartered in Colorado, USA, the organization established operations in Rwanda in 2008. Water For People is partnering with the Government of Rwanda to mobilize capital through a strategic mix of private investments, government appropriations, climate funds, and commercial tariffs. This initiative focuses on removing enabling-environment bottlenecks, streamlining regulatory frameworks, and executing a comprehensive resource mobilization roadmap.

II. Position Overview

The Senior Technical Advisor for Innovative Resource Mobilization & Financing will guide the strategic design, development, and execution of innovative financing mechanisms to scale Rwanda's water and sanitation (WATSAN) initiatives. Embedded within the WASAC Group, this high-level advisor will drive the transition from traditional, grant-dependent aid models to sustainable, blended, market-based financial solutions. The Advisor will secure high-value partnerships with institutional donors, climate funds, private impact investors, and commercial banks to ensure long-term sector resilience.

III. Core Focus Areas & Approaches

The Advisor will execute an innovative financing strategy to bridge the sector's funding gap using five core financial pillars:

• Results-Based Financing (RBF): Structuring mechanisms tied directly to verified outcomes (e.g., household sanitation certification metrics) to maximize capital efficiency.
• Blended Finance & Risk Mitigation: Designing public and donor-backed guarantee frameworks to de-risk investments, encouraging commercial banks to finance rural, small-scale, and historically high-risk assets.
• Operational Efficiency & Creditworthiness: Enhancing the credit profiles of utilities and service providers through transparent accounting and performance benchmarking to unlock access to capital markets and green bonds.
• Micro-loans & Household Financing: Scaling household capital programs (e.g., Credit Water) that offer affordable micro-loans, allowing low-income families to build and keep private water and onsite sanitation facilities.
• Climate Finance & Carbon Markets: Positioning the water sector as a pillar of climate resilience to secure capital from global adaptation funds, carbon credit markets, and sustainability-linked bonds.

IV. Key Responsibilities

1. Innovative Financing & Strategy Development

• Strategy Execution: Design, update, and execute a comprehensive resource mobilization strategy targeting non-traditional funding streams.
• Instrument Structuring: Structure blended finance instruments, green bonds, blue bonds, and structured water credit initiatives.
• Carbon Architecture: Create and launch a carbon financing framework, including adaptation fund pitches and carbon credit generation models for resilient water infrastructure.
• PPP Pipeline: detect, screen, and create public-private partnership (PPP) frameworks for large-scale infrastructure projects.
• RBF Design: Build results-based financing (RBF) architecture that link capital disbursements to verified water and sanitation service metrics.

2. Partnership & Investor Cultivation

• Pipeline Management: Build and oversee a pipeline of diverse funding partners, including venture philanthropists, impact investors, and commercial lenders.
• DFI Engagement: Engage bilateral and multilateral development banks (e.g., World Bank, African Development Bank, KfW) to establish co-investment and co-financing structures.
• Climate Fund Alignment: Establish direct partnerships with global climate change funders, carbon asset developers, and international adaptation funds.
• Sector Representation: Represent the WASAC Group and the Ministry of Infrastructure, when required and requested, at international water forums, climate finance summits, and investor pitches.

3. Proposal Development & Transaction Structuring

• Deal Structuring: guide the preparation of investment pitches, financial concept notes, and bankable grant and debt proposals.
• Data Translation: Translate complex engineering, hydrological, and operational data into clear investment cases for non-technical investors.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: organize teams across engineering, finance, procurement, and legal departments to build accurate financial and tariff models.
• Commercial Negotiation: oversee commercial negotiations with funders to secure favorable financial terms and ensure compliance alignment.

4. Market Analysis & Institutional Capacity Building

• Trend Monitoring: track global trends across climate finance, carbon markets, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing.
• Feasibility & Risk Assessments: perform comprehensive financial feasibility studies, value-for-money (VfM) analyses, and risk assessments for proposed pipeline assets.
• Thought Leadership: Convert institutional lessons learned into thought leadership publications, policy briefs, and operational toolkits to attract visionary capital.
• Talent Development: Train and upskill embedded WASAC staff to oversee climate finance portfolios and structure future innovative finance transactions.

V. Key milestones/Deliverables

For a Senior Technical Advisor – Innovative Resource Mobilization & Financing in a water supply and sanitation utility, milestones should demonstrate progress in mobilizing funds, strengthening financial sustainability, and implementing innovative financing solutions. Following 

Step 1: Assessment & Strategy Development

Milestone 1: Financing Landscape Assessment

• evaluate the utility's current financial position, funding sources, debt profile, and investment needs. 
• Map potential funding partners and financing opportunities. 
• detect financing gaps for priority water and sanitation projects. 

Deliverable: Financing Gap and Opportunity Assessment Report.

Milestone 2: Resource Mobilization Strategy

• create a multi-year resource mobilization and financing strategy. 
• Establish funding targets and priority financing instruments. 

Deliverable: Approved Resource Mobilization & Financing Strategy.

Step 2: Pipeline Development

Milestone 3: Investment Pipeline Preparation

• Prioritize bankable projects for financing. 
• create concept notes and investment cases. 

Deliverable: Project Investment Pipeline with estimated funding requirements.

Milestone 4: Partnership Engagement

• Initiate discussions with key financiers and development partners. 
• Establish financing partnerships and collaboration frameworks. 

Deliverable: Stakeholder Engagement Plan and partnership pipeline.

Step 3: Resource Mobilization

Milestone 5: Funding Proposals Developed and Submitted

• produce and submit proposals to donors, development banks, climate funds, and investors. 
• assist due diligence processes. 

Deliverable: Multiple financing applications developed and submitted.

Milestone 6: Innovative Financing Structures Designed

• create financing mechanisms such as: 
  • Blended finance facilities 
  • Results-based financing schemes 
  • Green or climate financing structures 
  • PPP frameworks 

Deliverable: At least one innovative financing model approved for implementation.

VI. Required Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Minimum Requirement: Master’s degree in finance, Economics, Business Administration, Climate Finance, Infrastructure Economics, or a closely related financial discipline.

Experience

• Professional Longevity: Minimum of 8 to 15 years of progressive experience in resource mobilization, investment banking, corporate finance, or structured infrastructure finance.
• Sector Track Record: Proven experience designing or managing blended finance, results-based financing (RBF), or public-private partnership (PPP) transactions, preferably within the water, energy, or environmental sectors.
• Geographic Experience: Demonstrated experience working within Sub-Saharan Africa or similar emerging markets is highly preferred.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional track record of engaging with high-level government officials, international development partners, and private institutional investors.

The scoring matrix is as follows, but can be changed by Water For People and WASAC when judged suitable:

Bids shall be submitted to rwprocurement@waterforpeople.org not later than Sunday June 21st, 2026.