Location: Remote | CET timezone. Full time position.

Akvo is looking for the “road captain” of the Tech Solutions team. You provide technical direction, assess trade-offs (build vs buy) on FOSS components, and mentor team members on good engineering practices. As an architect, you have hands-on experience in designing, building and maintaining distributed systems (e.g modular systems, offline data collection, data synchronisation, event systems). 

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate technical decisions on projects and products
• Evaluate technical design for custom solutions; act as sounding board and counterpoint
• Lead, develop, maintain, scale and evolve all the common/shared services
• Together with the team leads, coordinate architecture concerns between projects and products
• Identify cross cutting concerns that can be moved into the Akvo data platform
• Provide technical direction to the rest of our teams
• Research existing FOSS components and assess the trade-offs (build vs buy)
• Collaborate with QA and Ops teams to make better projects and products, more reliable and maintainable

Key requirements:

• You have designed and/or developed complex systems in combination with organisational constraints
• You like mentoring junior and mid level engineers and you’re strong proponent of good software development practices
• You have amazing debugging / troubleshooting capabilities
• You know how to deliver a working product and meet a deadline
• You know more than just programming knowledge and enjoy sharing that (e.g. business domain, agile teams/organisations, project management, budgeting)
• You have Python and JVM experience (diagnose/debug performance and memory problems)
• You have GNU/Linux experience (diagnose/debug performance problems) and you have been exposed to Docker and orchestration tools (Kubernetes)
• You have experience in fast growing organisations and/or the lean startup methodology

Our tech stack

• Programming languages: Python, Clojure, Java, JavaScript (Node.js)
• Databases: PostgreSQL / PostGIS, MySQL, Google App Engine Datastore
• CI/CD: Docker/Kubernetes/GKE, SemaphoreCI
• Misc: Bash, Nginx, OpenResty

What we offer

• This assignment is a commitment of 40 hours/week for a period of one year and can be extended afterwards
• Opportunity to contribute to the design of a growing open-source platform and work with interesting technologies in a creative and entrepreneurial environment together with highly motivated colleagues
• A unique chance to work with tools that contribute to achieving higher efficiency and better results for the development aid sector
• Help build and maintain services used in 60+ countries, making the development aid more transparent and helping to the governance of countries
• Team and organisation committed to learning, knowledge sharing, personal growth and working at a sustainable pace
• You will be part of our international Akvo community, with colleagues all over the world.
• Remuneration in line with the market

How to apply

Akvo works with a diverse and international team, and we are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion across our organisation. If you think you are the right person for this position, we highly encourage everyone to apply.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Simply click on the button below to send your motivation letter and resume in PDF to Karen Blanken by 1 July 2022. We aim to fill this position as soon as possible. 

Akvo is looking for a dynamic and visionary CTO to drive our technical solutions and platform development. This is a unique opportunity to take our technical solutions to the next level so that Akvo can better support partner organisations in achieving sustainable and inclusive impact. 

You will be responsible for all aspects of our technical solutions, including technical consultancy  and product development. As our CTO, you will be a member of Akvo’s management team (MT) and inform the MT members on all strategic matters relating to technical solutions. You will frequently align with our hub managers and project managers. 

This position is based in Amsterdam, and you will be reporting to the CEO.

About you

In this role, you will lead and supervise Akvo’s technical solutions team of around 15 people, and make sure they are able to develop and operate our standard products and custom technical solutions. You are a visionary leader that drives Akvo’s strategy regarding technical data solutions for our partners. You also play a key role in developing, implementing, and executing Akvo’s global strategy. The team members of the tech solutions team are located all over the world, therefore your remote leadership skills are crucial.

Main tasks and responsibilities

Strategy and advice

• Develop and implement our technical solutions strategy in alignment with Akvo’s strategy on data for development and sector collaboration.
• Play an active role in the management team. 
• Support business development.
• Identify new technological opportunities and create plans to implement them for Akvo and its partner organisations.
• Balance work and resources between platform & product development and tech consultancy projects. 

Operations

• Oversee all system design and changes in system architecture.
• Lead efforts to keep Akvo’s technical infrastructure reliable, scalable, sustainable and secure.
• Oversee the work with internal IT systems and ensure that Akvo’s IT operations adhere to local laws.

Team management

• Manage Akvo’s tech solutions team and oversee the execution of their goals and objectives
• Create a productive, sustainable and positive work environment.
• Motivate, coach and supervise team members (mostly remote).

Key requirements:

• At least 10 years years of working experience in software projects, including custom technical solutions as well as product management/software engineering.
• Experience in driving a vision and strategy for technical data driven solutions.
• Preferably experience or a good understanding of data solutions for international development.
• Strategic mindset and strong track record in senior management.
• Transformative leadership skills.  
• Experience with tailored solutions as well as product and platform development and management.
• Proven track record in guiding highly collaborative, participatory, distributed teams with a strong sense of ownership of their tasks.
• Experience in balancing in-house development versus outsourcing of components.
• An MSc and BSc in software engineering or equivalent.
• A strong set of intercultural communication skills.
• Experience with and interest in agile and lean startup approaches.
• Experience with overseeing internal IT systems for highly distributed teams.
• Interest in the international development sector.
• Excellent command of English in both writing and speaking.

What we offer

• Full time (40 hours/week) employment contract for one year, with the intention of building a long-lasting working relationship.
• A unique chance to be part of our international Akvo community, with motivated and talented people whose diverse backgrounds converge to accomplish ambitious objectives.
• Contribute to our mission: unlocking the power of data to boost sustainable development.
• Remuneration in line with the (NGO) market.

How to apply

Akvo works with a diverse and international team, and we are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion across our organisation. If you think you are the right person for this position, we highly encourage everyone to apply.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Simply click on the button below to send your motivation letter and resume in PDF to Karen Blanken by 1 July 2022. We aim to fill this position as soon as possible. 

Location: Remote – Netherlands 

Akvo is looking for a technical project manager for our tech solutions team. 

You enjoy working with partners, understanding their requirements and translating them to the technology/software development team. This is a unique opportunity to help us take our technical solutions to the next level so that Akvo can better support partner organisations in achieving sustainable and inclusive impact. 

This role would be a great match for an IT / technical project manager or product owner with around 3+ years experience in a client-facing, software focused environment. And if you’re passionate about sustainable development, even better.

About you

As a technical project manager, you will work closely with governments, multilaterals, donors, NGOs and other stakeholders to understand system requirements and develop documentation and implementation plans. You have strong knowledge of software development cycles, project planning and Agile methodologies. You will work with the software development team to operationalise the requirements and design agile sprints to ensure smooth rollout of the project within the scope and budget. 

You will be a member of Akvo’s global developers team. You will lead a product team on a day-to-day basis and help contribute to Akvo’s technical solutions. You will frequently align with our delivery executives, hub managers and other technical/non-technical project managers.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Lead design and technical requirements gathering workshops with a wide variety of stakeholders – government, multilaterals, donors, NGOs and other stakeholders.
• Create “high quality” software development design documents and implementation plans.
• Ensure timely delivery within budget while avoiding scope creep.
• Be the scrum master/agile coach and coordinate/anchor design sprints.
• Work on delivering a global platform in bi-weekly development sprints.
• Look at the “big picture” of the product with the long term vision in mind. Be able to translate the big picture into smaller actionable details.
• Cut through the clutter, create clarity, prioritise features and be able to highlight the actual needs towards the software development team.
• Manage a distributed engineering team to translate user needs into functioning software.
• Interact with our design team to communicate feature needs and discuss design approaches.
• Conduct product presentations and demonstrations internally and externally.
• Be able to deconstruct technicalities and communicate clearly to a lay audience.

Team management

• Manage the product teams and oversee the execution of their goals and objectives.
• Create a productive and positive work environment.
• Motivate, coach and supervise team members (mostly remote).

Key requirements:

• At least two years experience as a project manager or product owner for software products in a similar position, preferably in an organisation working with agile methodologies.
• Some experience/understanding of data solutions for international development.
• Proven experience and skills in connecting business needs to technology.
• A clear communicator with a strong set of intercultural communication skills.
• Experience in working with a remote team.
• A creative problem solver with a good understanding of user needs and experience in balancing competing requirements with limited resources.
• Ability to think on your feet and work with minimum guidance.
• Experience/expertise with demanding deadlines and partners. 

Good to have 

• Experience of working with NGOs and governments.
• Experience in software architecture / design thinking.

What we offer

• This assignment is a commitment of 40 hours/week for a period of one year and can be extended.
• Opportunity to contribute to the design of a growing open-source platform and work with interesting technologies in a creative and entrepreneurial environment together with highly motivated colleagues.
• A unique chance to work with tools that contribute to achieving higher efficiency and better results for the development aid sector.
• You will be part of our international Akvo community, with colleagues all over the world.
• Remuneration in line with the market.

For this position we are looking for applicants preferably based in the Netherlands.

How to apply

Akvo works with a diverse and international team, and we are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion across our organisation. If you think you are the right person for this position, we highly encourage everyone to apply.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Simply click on the button below to send your motivation letter and resume in PDF to Karen Blanken by 1 July 2022. We aim to fill this position as soon as possible. 

Location: Amsterdam

Akvo is looking for a dynamic financial controller and administrator who can operate independently and become the backbone of the finance team. Our finance controller and administrator is responsible for the preparation and maintenance of financial records, and for making sure that Akvo has the financial systems and procedures in place to conduct flawless audits and support effective project implementation. Of course, you have a great eye for detail and like to figure things out. You’ll be part of the global finance team and report to the CFO. You’ll work closely together with the HR team and project and programme managers based in Akvo hubs worldwide. You will be in contact with many members of our international community. We are looking for a spider on the web, who keeps the administration in good order and works with project managers on their project administration.

About you

Your role involves a variety of financial administrative tasks such as booking of invoices, booking of bank transactions, reconciling bank statements, maintaining the fixed assets register, booking of payroll transactions, preparation of VAT returns, and maintenance of debtors-and-creditor ledgers. You will be responsible for running the project administration. Akvo has over 120 projects running at the same time, from grants and consultancy to software-only contracts. You’ll work closely with project and programme managers from all over the world to explore how you can support them with project-related finance and accounting procedures. You are a responsible, diligent and open-minded team player. You have great attention to detail and a desire to get things done, supported by your excellent intercultural communication skills.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Book purchase invoices and bank transactions
• Prepare payments to creditors
• Maintain debtors and creditors journals 
• Oversee project accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems and ensuring compliance with appropriate Generally Accepted Accounting Principles standards and requirements 
• Conduct project administration,  timewriting system,  sales invoices, etc
• Assist in the preparation of monthly financial statements 
• Execute financial project audits 
• Keep project and programme managers informed about the financial status of their projects and programmes 
• Support (annual) financial planning, forecasting and reporting activities Provide organisation-wide support in the use of financial systems such as Exact Online, Rydoo and Clockwise

Key requirements:

• A relevant degree in financial administration, accounting, or related
• High proficiency in MS Excel & Google sheets (e.g., formulas, pivot tables, tables and graph production) 
• Excellent accounting software and administration skills (Exact Online)
• The ability to handle confidential information appropriately 
• The flexibility to work in an international environment and with different currencies 
• An accurate and systematic way of working 
• An open and approachable attitude 
• Excellent intercultural communication skills 
• Great eye for detail
• The ability to multi-task and operate via online tools, as part of a global team 
• Interest in the international development sector 
• Excellent command of English in both writing and speaking (French and/or Dutch is a bonus)

What we offer

• 1.0 FTE employment
• A unique chance to be part of our international Akvo community, with motivated and talented people whose diverse backgrounds converge to accomplish ambitious objectives
• Contribute to our mission: unlocking the power of data to boost sustainable development 
• Salary range: €3000-3900 Gross monthly salary for full time.

For this position, you must be in the Netherlands and already in the possession of a valid work permit. 

How to apply

Akvo works with a diverse and international team, and we are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion across our organisation. If you think you are the right person for this position, we highly encourage everyone to apply.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Simply click on the button below to send your motivation letter and resume in PDF to Karen Blanken by 1 July 2022. We aim to fill this position as soon as possible.