Project Coordinator Lao PDR - World Waternet

Period: 1 November 2025 – end of project 2027 
Hours: 36 hours per week 
Location: Vientiane, Laos 

Laos lies in the heart of Southeast Asia and borders Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and China. The country is rich in natural resources and crossed by the Mekong, the lifeline affectionately called “mother water” by Laotians. Despite this wealth of water, access to clean drinking water and good sanitation is far from guaranteed outside the cities. Only 35% of the population lives in urban areas; most Laotians live in rural communities in mountainous regions where infrastructure is limited. 

World Waternet works in Laos together with local water companies to improve water supply, strengthen operational processes, and prepare the utilities for climate adaptation. By sharing knowledge and working with local partners, we contribute to resilient water systems that are ready for future growth and climate change. This is your chance to make a real impact in a country that is developing rapidly and where your expertise truly makes a difference. 

The project 

Since 2018, World Waternet has supported the Provincial Water Company (PNP) Luang Namtha within a Water Operators’ Partnership (WOP) under the WaterWorX programme. Together, we work on increasing the technical, operational, and financial resilience of the provincial water company. The knowledge gained and products developed are scaled up to the other 17 public water companies in Laos. 

The partnership focuses on: 

• Organisational development: implementation of GIS, asset management, Non-Revenue Water, water quality, and climate adaptation. In addition, we support the drafting of long-term strategic plans. 

• Water infrastructure: implementing two pilot projects in the northern part of Laos for climate-adaptive water systems. 

• Financial resilience: improving cost recovery of the water company, as well as exploring external financing opportunities. WaterWorX is committed to finding additional funding sources, such as with international partners like JICA and ADB. 

• Policy influence: in Laos, you work closely with the Department of Water Supply of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, thereby also strengthening the mandate of water companies and improving the national framework for water management. 

As Local Project Coordinator, you connect these fields of work and act as a bridge between technical interventions and sustainable social impact. 

What will you do and contribute to? 

In this role, you will work closely with local partners, Dutch experts, and international financiers (such as the Asian Development Bank). You will be responsible for: 

• Coordinating the WaterWorX programme and representing World Waternet in Laos. 

• Developing and delivering training on asset management, NRW, water quality, and climate adaptation. 

• Increasing the operational resilience of the water companies by optimising water treatment, distribution processes, and climate adaptation. 

• Setting up and guiding two pilot projects for climate-adaptive water infrastructure, including a new intake and water treatment plant. 

• Establishing a water quality monitoring programme and contributing to data management. 

• Promoting the WOP concept in the Laotian and Southeast Asian context during conferences and networking events. 

• Coordinating stakeholder management to maintain relationships with partners such as JICA, the Asian Development Bank, the National University of Laos, UNICEF, and exploring new cooperation opportunities. 

Your base will be the capital, Vientiane, where you will work at the Laotian Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Department of Water Supply (DWS). You will frequently travel to provincial water companies for site visits with Dutch experts for assessments, workshops, and on-the-job training. 

You will be part of an enthusiastic and multidisciplinary team. In Laos, you will work closely with our local World Waternet colleague, with the ministry, and with the colleagues from the water utilities.

From Amsterdam, 20 World Waternet colleagues will support you in communications, finance, project monitoring, and HRM. In addition, a team of 10 Dutch experts will be involved in the various topics. Together with your Laotian colleagues and the team in the Netherlands, you will contribute to the future of water in a country where your efforts truly make a difference. 

What do you bring? 

We are looking for an entrepreneurial and connecting professional who feels comfortable in an international context and stands firmly in their shoes. You have: 

• A completed Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in water management, civil engineering, or a comparable field. 

• Knowledge of water infrastructure and processes such as water treatment, wastewater treatment, and distribution. 

• Experience with project coordination and working in international partnerships. 

• 2 to 5 years of work experience in the water sector. 

• Affinity with capacity building and knowledge transfer. 

• Intercultural sensitivity and the ability to adapt to a new working and living environment. 

• Decisiveness, courage, and flexibility (you will work independently in an environment with time differences, which means communication with the office in the Netherlands is more limited). 

• Excellent communication skills in English; willingness to learn basic Laotian is an advantage. 

• Duration of the assignment: The assignment has an initial duration of 2 years with the possibility of extension, depending on progress and project needs. 

• Compensation: A market-based salary. 

• Travel expenses: Any travel expenses will be reimbursed based on kilometres or actual costs. 

• Flexible working hours: You work flexibly, with the freedom to set your own hours up to 8 per day and 19 working days per month, as long as agreed goals and deadlines are met. 

• Location: The work will be carried out on-site in Laos PDR and partly remotely, depending on project needs. 

Bij Waternet werk je met een uniek product: water. Samen met zo’n 2000 collega’s zorgen we voor veilig drinkwater, schone grachten, rivieren en droge voeten. Waternet werkt met de nieuwste technieken en is bijna 100% klimaatneutraal. Bij ons werken echte vakmensen: van dijkinspecteur tot dataspecialist en van techneut tot teamleider. Al deze betrokken medewerkers maken Waternet samen tot een werkgever waar je jezelf kan zijn. Wij stimuleren je om elke dag een stukje beter te worden. Je vindt dan ook een groot aanbod aan opleidingen en trainingen bij onze eigen Waternet Academie. 

Wij vragen onze nieuwe medewerkers om een geldige Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag. Een assessment kan onderdeel uitmaken van de sollicitatieprocedure. 

Would you like to know more about the position or do you have questions about working at World Waternet? Please contact the Project Lead Peter Jansen (peter.jansen@waternet.nl) or Steffie Bes (steffie.bes@waternet.nl).