Private Sector Officer

Introduction                                                        

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner working in more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Building on 60 years of experience and grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we work on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance. Our mission is to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems, which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. For more information, please refer to our website: www.snv.org

Programme Background

In Bangladesh, SNV had initiated urban water (primarily in Sanitation) programme from 2014 in southern cities and have been proactively engaged in National level to support urban sanitation initiatives. SNV under the Urban Sanitation Programme with the support from BMGF and DGIS aims to support Local Authorities (Khulna and Gazipur City Corporations, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Jessore and Benapole Paurashavas) to address service delivery challenges in sanitation and advance the sector development as a whole, through strategic engagement with Government Agencies and partnering with other experienced civil society and private sector organisations working in the sector. 

SNV believes in rethinking, reforming, and enhancing institutional structures to lessen the impact of rapid urbanisation and climate threats. To do this, we must seek ways to improve the governance and practices of the waste management, drainage and water supply sectors. In Bangladesh, the local government is responsible for water, sanitation, drainage, and solid waste, often needing more local capacities. Private sector engagement plays a crucial role in making cities more sustainable, but accountability and performance still need improvement. SNV has been working with different stakeholders to set up PPPs with clearer rules of engagement and oversight to strengthen performance accountability by adopting a holistic approach to a sustainable urban water cycle.

In continuation of this, and in close collaboration with the two responsible national departments the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) SNV is heading towards a new approach of promoting Sustainable Urban Water Cycle (SUWC) in Bangladesh. Supporting this, SNV in Bangladesh is implementing Transitioning to Sustainable Urban Water Cycles (SUWC) project in Bangladesh supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Bangladesh, (2022-2027).

The SUWC project is implementing 12 cities (4 City corporations and 8 Paurashavas). The objective of this project is to improve sanitation, solid waste, and drainage water management to protect the health and well-being of around 1.4 million people in 12 cities and towns by increasing access to safe, essential urban services (sanitation, solid waste, stormwater management).

The SUWC project envisages following 6 (six) outcomes to support city-wide inclusive services by professionalisation and financial viability of urban sanitation and solid waste facilities.

1. Strengthened capacities to support city-wide inclusive services.
2. Increased professionalisation and financial viability of urban sanitation and solid waste services.
3. Strengthened governance, regulation, enforcement, and monitoring capacity.
4. Strengthened performance, integration and circularity of treatment, reuse, and recycling.
5. More responsive strategic communication towards consumer behaviours.
6. Improved capacity and preparedness for city-level floods and droughts.

The project is working in four city corporations and eight paurashavas grouped into following six clusters. The cities are: Gazipur, Sylhet, Cumilla and Khulna City Corporation, and Chapainawabganj, Shibganj, Bogura, Joypurhat, Lalmonirhat, Moulvibazar, Chhatak, and Bagerhat municipality.

The project aligns with the long-term Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP) 21001; and related national commitments on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably SDG 6 on achieving inclusive and sustainable safely managed sanitation, SDG11 around solid waste and water-related risks, and SDG13 around resilience, adaptive capacity and greenhouse gas emissions.

Context and purpose of the assignment

The project aims to achieve systems change towards a sustainable urban water cycle at the city level and contribute to the national level. We follow a systematic process through all interventions to ensure the approach is institutionalised within the LGIs (city corporations/ paurashavas).

Service component of this project focus on professionalising and developing the capacity of service providers. Several national-level directives and plans encourage private-sector engagement in the delivery of adequate sanitation services; however the engagement of private sector is very low. SNV has already successfully implemented a variety of business models with different combinations of public and private roles and responsibilities across the FSM value chain in six cities. Therefore, the project will use an informed-choice decision making process with each city to develop the most suitable business model to operate sanitation and solid waste services. 

The position is responsible for supporting the Advisor in the services component of the project at the city level. She/he will support the SUWC programme in identifying, engaging, and structuring partnerships with local private sector actors to strengthen service delivery and enable scalable, market-based solutions in urban sanitation, and waste management.

Responsibilities/ Result areas

• Identify and map relevant private sector actors (operators, service providers, technology companies, investors), develop a data base for each of the cities.
• Facilitate training/ workshop to the LGIs with regards to the service component of the project.
• Facilitate dialogue between municipalities and private sector partners.
• Provide technical assistance to LGIs and private operators for developing business plan, and financial planning for sanitation and solid waste management.
• Support LGIs in tendering for outsourcing of services (sanitation and solid waste) including development of the contracts following public procurement act and rules, and other guidelines. 
• Support LGIs and private operators to design and implement marketing and promotions of sanitation and solid waste management services and conduct market assessments to determine the potential demand for services.
• Assist in defining roles, responsibilities, and risk allocation between public and private actors.
• Conduct preliminary market assessments and business case analysis.
• Support content development related the component for external communications.
• Support the integration of private sector solutions into urban service delivery systems.
• Document lessons learned and best practices in private sector engagement.

The above list of responsibilities is not exclusive or exhaustive, and the position will be required to undertake any assigned responsibilities assigned by his/her Supervisor as may reasonably be expected within the scope of the position.

• Minimum a bachelor’s degree in business administration/ in Business, Economics, Engineering, Development Studies, or related field.
• Minimum 4–6 years of experience in private sector engagement, business development, or PPP-related work
• Experience working with:
• municipalities or public sector institutions
• private companies or service providers
• Knowledge of urban services (water, sanitation, waste) is an advantage
• Excellent analytical, written, and oral communication skills both in English and Bangla.

Duration :  6 months with a possibility of extension depending on performance and availability of funds.

Location of Assignment : Gazipur with frequent travel to project cities

Reports To:     Business Advisor

How to Apply 

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position. If you believe that your credentials meet the outlined profile, we invite you to apply by submitting a brief letter of motivation (1 page) and your CV (not more than 3 pages). Your CV should highlight your prior work achievements; it should not be a list of your current or prior job responsibilities and expected monthly remunearation inclusive VAT/Tax for this assginement . Please apply through SmartRecruiters link by or before 20 May 2026.

All consultancies with SNV are subject to SNV's standard institutional policies, including those covering:

• Ethical Standards
• Security
• and ICT use

Applicants are expected to familiarise themselves with these policies upon engagement. SNV is committed to safeguarding and expects all consultants to uphold the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, and professional conduct throughout the assignment. Any conflict of interest — real or perceived — must be disclosed at the time of application.

 We do not appreciate third-party mediation based on this advertisement. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Any form of solicitation by phone or other means will be treated as disqualification of the candidate. SNV is an equal employment provider.