Principal Planning Officer at North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency — NRV 4 (1 Position)
North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency · Nairobi, Kenya · Onsite
Job Description
About the Role
North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency is seeking to recruit an experienced and strategic professional for the position of Principal Planning Officer NRV 4. Reporting to the Manager Planning, the successful candidate will oversee the coordination and management of research, planning, strategy development, monitoring, and performance management functions within the institution.
This role is ideal for professionals with strong expertise in economic planning, project analysis, strategic management, monitoring and evaluation, and resource mobilization within the water, sanitation, infrastructure, or public sector environment. The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening institutional planning systems, securing sustainable funding, and supporting the implementation of high-impact water and sanitation programs.
The appointment will be on permanent and pensionable terms, subject to satisfactory performance.
This opportunity is published on AscendurePro to connect qualified professionals with leading career opportunities in Kenya’s infrastructure and development sector.
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
- Formulating policies, strategies, procedures, and systems for identifying and enhancing institutional revenue sources.
- Coordinating the development, implementation, and review of the institution’s Strategic Plan.
- Conducting economic reviews and financial analysis of projects, programs, and investments.
- Providing technical and advisory support to internal and external stakeholders on planning and economic matters.
- Building institutional capacity for economic analysis related to water and sanitation infrastructure projects.
- Coordinating negotiations for revenue-generating contracts and funding arrangements.
- Identifying funding opportunities, development partners, and fundraising initiatives.
- Supporting implementation of income-generating activities and resource mobilization strategies.
- Establishing and maintaining partnerships with consultants, government agencies, financing institutions, and other stakeholders.
- Coordinating multilateral and bilateral financing engagements during project and program initiation.
- Developing investment proposals aimed at securing sustainable funding for projects and institutional activities.
- Supporting the development and review of water and sanitation master plans.
- Implementing research, planning, monitoring, and evaluation policies and strategies.
- Ensuring proper management and safe custody of planning and strategy information.
- Liaising with stakeholders on project requirements and operational planning matters.
- Coordinating operational linkages between departments and institutional divisions.
- Coordinating preparation of project monitoring, evaluation, and implementation reports.
- Monitoring and reporting on Performance Contract targets and institutional performance indicators.
- Coordinating quarterly and annual performance reporting processes.
- Conducting economic surveys and supporting implementation of related recommendations.
- Coordinating preparation of annual institutional work plans and aligning them with approved budgets.
- Supporting the preparation and coordination of annual budgets.
Requirements
To qualify for this position, candidates must have:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Statistics, or an equivalent qualification from a recognized institution.
- A Master’s Degree in Economics, Statistics, Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, or an equivalent qualification from a recognized institution.
- A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant work experience, including at least three (3) years in a supervisory role.
- A management course lasting not less than four (4) weeks from a recognized institution.
- Strong experience in strategic planning, economic analysis, project planning, monitoring and evaluation, and resource mobilization.
- Knowledge of public sector planning, infrastructure financing, and stakeholder coordination.
- Excellent analytical, leadership, communication, and report-writing skills.
- Proficiency in relevant computer applications and data analysis tools.
- Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and manage institutional planning processes effectively.
- Fulfillment of the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
How to Apply
Applicants should submit applications in both hard and soft copy, including copies of academic and professional certificates, testimonials and Curriculum Vitae, including details such as current position, remuneration and three (3) referees. While applying candidates should quote the reference number of the job applied on top of the envelope (or as the subject for those sending via email) to reach the undersigned on or before 19th May, 2026 by the close of business.
Chief Executive Officer,
North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency,
Office of the Auditor General Building, (2nd Floor), Furfural Road,
P.O. BOX 1012-30100,
Eldoret - Kenya.
OR
Emailed to
applications@nrvwwda.go.ke
What Is Offered
- Permanent and pensionable employment terms.
- Opportunity to work with North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency on strategic water and sanitation development initiatives.
- Exposure to large-scale infrastructure planning, financing, and institutional strategy implementation.
- Professional growth and leadership development opportunities.
- A collaborative and impact-driven working environment.
- Opportunity to contribute to sustainable development, infrastructure planning, and public service transformation in Kenya.
Boost your application
AscendurePro members win more interviews with these tools. Free to start, no credit card.
🧠 AI Insights for this role
Resume → Job Fit Analysis
Get a fit score, keyword gaps, and specific resume edits tailored to this role.
Check my fitLikely Interview Questions
Show prep pack ↓
LIKELY QUESTIONS - How have you led the development or review of a strategic plan, and how did you ensure it was aligned to institutional mandate, budgets, and performance targets? - Describe your experience conducting economic and financial analysis for infrastructure, water, sanitation, or public sector projects. What methods did you use and what decisions did your analysis inform? - This role requires strong resource mobilization. Can you share examples of how you identified funding opportunities, developed investment proposals, or supported negotiations with development partners and financiers? - How have you built and managed monitoring and evaluation systems for projects or institutions, including quarterly and annual performance reporting? - Tell us about a time you coordinated multidisciplinary teams across departments to prepare annual work plans and budgets. How did you handle competing priorities? - What is your understanding of the planning and performance management environment in the Kenyan public sector, including performance contracts and accountability requirements? - How have you supported the preparation or review of master plans, feasibility studies, or long-term investment plans for infrastructure programs? - This position includes supervisory responsibility. How do you lead, coach, and hold a planning team accountable while maintaining quality of analysis and reporting? BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONS - Tell us about a time you had to influence senior leaders or stakeholders to adopt a planning or strategy recommendation they were initially resistant to. Model approach: Situation - Strategic recommendation faced resistance due to cost, timing, or political concerns. Task - Secure buy-in without compromising analytical integrity. Action - Presented evidence, scenario analysis, stakeholder implications, and phased options; engaged key decision-makers early; linked recommendation to mandate, budget realities, and performance outcomes. Result - Recommendation adopted fully or partially, with improved alignment, reduced risk, or stronger project viability. - Describe a situation where a project or reporting cycle was off track and you had to restore momentum. Model approach: Situation - Delayed reporting, weak data, or interdepartmental bottlenecks threatened deadlines. Task - Recover timelines and improve coordination. Action - Diagnosed root causes, set a recovery plan with owners and deadlines, created follow-up routines, escalated critical issues appropriately, and supported teams with templates or guidance. Result - Reports delivered, compliance restored, and a stronger process institutionalized. - Give an example of when you successfully mobilized resources or helped secure funding for a program or project. Model approach: Situation - Funding gap affected implementation of a priority project or institutional plan. Task - Identify viable funding avenues and develop a compelling case. Action - Mapped donor and financing options, prepared concept notes or investment proposals, aligned project outcomes to funder priorities, coordinated technical and financial inputs, and supported negotiations. Result - Funding secured or partnership advanced, enabling implementation or improving pipeline readiness. - Tell us about a time you supervised a team through a complex planning or M&E assignment. Model approach: Situation - Team had to deliver a complex plan, review, survey, or performance report under pressure. Task - Ensure quality output, timely delivery, and team coordination. Action - Clarified roles, set milestones, reviewed outputs, coached weaker team members, managed stakeholder expectations, and maintained quality control on data and narrative. Result - Assignment completed successfully, team capability improved, and leadership confidence strengthened. SMART QUESTIONS TO ASK - What are the top three planning or performance management priorities you would expect the Principal Planning Officer to address in the first 6 to 12 months? - How mature are the Agency's current strategic planning, M&E, and performance reporting systems, and where do you see the biggest gaps? - What is the current funding mix for the Agency's programs, and how important is this role in expanding development partner, government, or internally generated funding streams? - How does the Planning function work with engineering, finance, procurement, and project implementation teams during project appraisal, budgeting, and reporting? - What would success look like in this role by the end of the first year, especially in strategic plan coordination, reporting quality, and resource mobilization? RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR - Vague answers about strategic priorities, reporting lines, or decision-making authority for the role, which may indicate unclear mandate or limited influence. - Signs of weak data systems, inconsistent performance reporting, or poor coordination between planning, finance, and project teams, which can make delivery difficult. - Heavy emphasis on compliance and reporting with little support, staffing, or leadership commitment to strategy execution, M&E, and resource mobilization.
Want full STAR-format answers tailored to your background? Use the Interview Simulator.
Adjacent Career Paths
Roles you'd also qualify for based on this posting's requirements:
- Monitoring and Evaluation Manager — The role closely matches the job's focus on performance tracking, reporting, project monitoring, and institutional results management.
- Strategic Planning Manager — A strong candidate would be well suited to lead strategic plan development, policy coordination, and cross-departmental planning processes.
- Project Planning and Development Manager — The experience in project analysis, master planning, budgeting, and stakeholder coordination aligns well with infrastructure project planning leadership.
- Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Manager — The job's emphasis on funding proposals, donor engagement, and revenue enhancement translates directly to partnership and resource mobilization roles.