Since December 2022, FutureWater has supported UNDP with technical expertise to ensure swift and effective implementation of a range of studies, including baseline catchment assessments, flood modeling, climate risk assessments of key agricultural supply chains, and prioritization of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures.
With the final year of the project underway, current activities focus on leveraging the key insights from the project and supporting the development of follow-up funding proposals for implementation-focused projects. As part of this endeavor, a number of meetings with key stakeholders, government institutions and development partners were organized from February 24 – 28, aiming to consolidate the main findings from the project and to move forward with the development of concrete ideas for follow-up work.
By integrating innovative technologies and the knowledge of key stakeholders from commune to national level, the project has generated a wealth of information and tools enabling improved risk and vulnerability assessment and advancing an integrated approach to water resources management. FutureWater will now focus its efforts on ensuring that these new insights will be the foundation of effective adaptation measures, benefiting the 3S and 4P population and their livelihoods. In parallel, we are developing an online story-map (coming soon!) showcasing the main findings and lessons learned from the project to a wider audience.
Impressions of field visits and stakeholder meetings in Stung Treng and Kratie Provinces, Cambodia.
0.8-1.0 FTE | Location: Wageningen, The Netherlands | Start date: TBD | Application deadline: 3 March 2025
About the Role
FutureWater is seeking an experienced Senior Hydrologist to support our expanding international project portfolio, particularly in Asia and Africa. In this role, you will work at the interface of consultancy and research, contributing both technically and strategically to our global initiatives.
You will be part of a dynamic and multidisciplinary team, working independently and collaboratively on high-impact projects in the fields of water resources and climate change. The position offers an excellent opportunity to lead innovative hydrological research and applications while managing international partnerships and project execution.
Key Responsibilities
Lead strategic initiatives and analytical work on (mountain) water resources and climate change within international projects.
Provide technical leadership in key areas of FutureWater expertise, such as the development and application of hydrological models and tools for geospatial analyses.
Act as an independent project manager, responsible for project planning, leadership of internal project teams, and coordination with clients and external partners (private sector, NGOs, and academia).
Drive project acquisition in your field of expertise and lead proposal development.
Act as a mentor and knowledge resource for junior and mid-level team members.
Required Qualifications
Master’s or PhD in Hydrology, Water Resources Management, or a related field.
Minimum 10 years of professional experience with increasing autonomy.
Extensive experience in spatial hydrological modeling.
Proven track record in project management and client communication in international projects.
Established network of relevant public and private organizations in the Netherlands and abroad.
Strong proficiency in Python and/or R.
Fluent in English (spoken and written).
Valid work permit for the Netherlands (already obtained).
About FutureWater
FutureWater is an international research and consulting organization dedicated to innovative water management solutions. We operate at global, national, and local levels, addressing challenges in water for food, irrigation, climate change adaptation, and river basin management. Our expertise spans quantitative analysis, simulation modeling, GIS, and satellite data interpretation, enabling data-driven decision-making.
We collaborate with a diverse range of clients and partners, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, national and local governments, river basin organizations, universities, and research institutions. With offices in Wageningen (Netherlands) and Cartagena (Spain), we combine global expertise with local insights to create impactful solutions.
Join FutureWater – Where Innovation Meets Impact
At FutureWater, we believe that a strong, dynamic, small and close-knit team is the key to success. Our mission to create a sustainable future is at the heart of everything we do. More than just a team of experts, we are a collective force united by a shared passion for safeguarding one of our planet’s most vital resources: water!
By joining FutureWater, you will have the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research and practical solutions in water management. You’ll be part of a close-knit, international community that values professional growth, well-being, and collaboration. We foster an environment where innovation thrives and where every team member feels valued. Our workplace culture is built on camaraderie, creativity, and continuous learning. We regularly organize team activities, an annual company outing of several days, Friday afternoon drinks, and daily joint lunches provided by the company.
Our company outings to Spain in 2023 (left) and to Terschelling in 2024 (right).
What We Offer
A competitive salary and excellent secondary benefits.
Flexible hybrid work arrangements and freedom to shape your work schedule.
A modern working environment with free daily lunch served.
The chance to travel around the world for our international projects, including full travel compensation.
A diverse and collaborative team with opportunities for professional growth.
Regular fun activities, such as our yearly company outing.
Potential for permanent employment based on performance.
Join us in shaping the future of sustainable water management! To apply, send your motivation letter and CV to jobs@futurewater.nl by Monday 3 March 2025. Selected candidates will be notified within a few days after the deadline.
The GEF / UNDP / ASEAN Project on Reducing Pollution and Preserving Environmental Flows in the East Asian Seas through the Implementation of Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) in the ASEAN Countries is a 5-year project (2023-2027) with the goal of establishing functional IRBM mechanisms in seven priority river basins / sub-basins / watersheds in six ASEAN Member States, to reduce pollution, sustain freshwater environmental flows and adapt to climate change vulnerabilities. The Project is designed to improve governance and management arrangements in IRBM and accelerate the required changes in the six AMS in support of national priorities, objectives and commitments to global sustainable development targets using the Source to Sea (S2S) framework. The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF), which serves as the Project Implementing Partner, hosts the Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU). It works in collaboration with National and Local Government Partners and River Basin Organizations.
Component 1 of the Project focuses on the conduct of a baseline assessment of the S2S management continuum with a targeted outcome of improving understanding of governance, socioeconomic, ecological conditions, gaps and needs of priority river basins / sub-basins and coastal areas. This will be achieved through the establishment of the State of River Basin (SORB) reporting system to consolidate information coming from administrative, social, economic and environmental sectors. As an input to the SORB baseline reporting, it is required to complete a comprehensive assessment of competing uses and users of water as a consequence of existing and future water uses and their implications on the water / energy / food / ecosystem (WEFE) security nexus in the priority river basins.
FutureWater is providing this assessment of the WEFE security nexus through review of existing knowledge and literature, stakeholder consultations, as well as tailoring and applying its REWEFe toolkit for nexus analysis to seven river basins in six countries of Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines and Viet Nam.
The recently published World Bank’s Drought Risk and Resilience Assessment Methodology (DRRA) is a framework for action to support governments proactively address drought risks. Drawing on international best practice in drought management, it outlines practical measures to build resilience at every stage of the drought cycle. With this tool, governments can create a community of stakeholders, target areas for action across sectors, optimize their resources and investments, and minimize future economic losses from drought.
The DRRA publication can be accessed through the World Bank website here. FutureWater is proud to have contributed to the DRRA methodology report by developing factsheets on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for enhancing drought resilience, highlighting opportunities, limitations and overall critical aspects of NbS in relation to drought risk reduction. These stand-alone factsheets are summarized in Appendix B of the DRRA report. In addition, the report builds on an inventory compiled by FutureWater of available tools for assessing the potential impact of NbS on drought risk, to inform decision makers and investors in different steps of the project development chain.
For further information about the work of FutureWater on NbS scoping, prioritizing and planning, please contact Gijs Simons.
To help transition from reactive to proactive drought management, and in the absence of a cross-sectoral coordinating mechanism around drought investment prioritization, the World Bank has put together a process for developing a Drought Risk and Resilience Assessment (DRRA). The DRRA methodology includes reference to Nature-based Solutions (NBS) as an option to make countries more resilient to droughts. However, how these types of interventions can increase efficiency of World Bank projects, how they can be identified, how impacts can be assessed, and which challenges need to be addressed to implement NBS is not yet addressed sufficiently. This knowledge gap will be addressed by (i) Development of factsheets of existing NBS interventions to reduce drought risks for water services for drink water supply, for agriculture, for energy or other economic sectors that depend on water, and (ii) Developing an inventory of existing tools to identify effective NBS for drought resilience and assess their potential impact.
Urban flood management in Laos is typically based on a limited, hard infrastructure approach. With the aim to shift this paradigm towards an integrated approach that enhances climate resilience, the project “Building resilience of urban populations with ecosystem-based solutions in Lao PDR” was approved by the Green Climate Fund Board in November 2019 with a GCF grant of US$10 million. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) serves as the Accredited Entity for the project. Activities are executed by the State of Lao PDR through the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) as well as UNEP. The project is implemented across five years (2020-2025) covering four provincial capitals in the country: Vientiane, Paksan, Savannakhet, and Pakse.
One component of the project involves technical and institutional capacity building to plan, design, implement and maintain integrated urban Ecosystems-based Adaptation (EbA) interventions for the reduction of climate change induced flooding. As a part of Integrated Climate-resilient Flood Management Strategy (ICFMS) development, the project conducts hydrological, hydraulic and climate risk assessments to inform climate change adaptation solutions for risk reduction in Vientiane, Paksan, Savannakhet and Pakse.
A consortium of FutureWater, Mekong Modelling Associates (MMA) and Lao Consulting Group (LCG) was contracted by MONRE to implement the related activities. FutureWater leads and coordinates this assignment and contributes remote sensing analyses with state-of-the-art innovative tools, climate risk assessments, and training activities. To ensure sustainability and effective technology transfer, the modelling and mapping infrastructure and trained staff will be hosted within MONRE and a knowledge hub that is established within the National University of Laos.
To achieve the objectives the project has a technical component and stakeholder engagement component. On the technical side, hydrological models will be updated and validated. Climate change scenarios will be used as inputs for the testing of adaptation strategies within the Limpopo Basin. The adaptation include traditional grey infrastructure and additionally nature based solutions. The benefits analysis of the adaptation measure will cover macro and micro socio-economical benefits.
The results of this study will then be used to inform the development of a first-generation Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Limpopo River Basin (LRB). Through this, the individual basin countries will agree on a set of transboundary development priorities for the basin, which will guide both transboundary and national investments in the future, through a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and National Action Plans (NAPs).
The latest Catch and Culture newsletter (pages 38-41), published by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, features the pilot results of a new methodology for mapping of salinity concentrations (SIM) in the Mekong Delta. The method relies solely on satellite imagery and was developed and applied by FutureWater to support the 2023 MRC State of the Basin Report (SoBR).
Results show that the average area affected by salinity levels of over 4 g/L displayed a clear increasing trend over the last 30 years. In the 2011 – 2022 dry seasons, such severely elevated levels occurred on average for an area of 4,663 km2 (close to 10% of the transboundary Mekong Delta), a figure three times higher than in 1991 – 2000 (1,506 km2). Salinity concentrations of this magnitude are known to negatively impact on agricultural production, human health, and biodiversity. Elevated salinity levels particularly occur along the coastline of the Lower Delta, on the Ca Mau Peninsula, and in the coastal zone of Kien Giang Province.
Maximum, elevated and severely elevated salinity concentrations (dry season 2021-2022)
There is an encouraging agreement between this new methodology and station measurements, which are only available for a limited number of sites in the Mekong Delta. Future applications of the SIM are expected to benefit from incorporating data from new satellite-based sensors and enhanced calibration and validation based on additional field measurements. More information about the project can be found here.
Utrecht University held the 13 Month SOS-Water General Assembly Meeting, which took place on the 17th and 18th of October. This two-day gathering included presentations on how work packages had been progressing and interesting discussions on how to move forward to meet the project’s objectives.
FutureWater actively participated in group discussions, guided by experts from EAWAG, Politecnico di Milano, and Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). The result was the development of a robust plan that will steer our collaborative project in the upcoming weeks and months.
FutureWater is responsible for several tasks under the work package that looks to improve upon existing Earth Observation technologies for monitoring the performance of water systems. New applications will be developed and tested in the context of the SOS-Water case study basins of the Mekong and Jucar rivers.
For more information about the project, visit the official website.
Group picture at Utrecht UniversityGijs Simons presenting updates on WP3
This project has received funding from European Union’s Horizon EUROPE Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement N° 101059264 (SOS-WATER).
The MRC’s State of the Basin Report (SOBR) is a flagship product of the organization and an integral part of the MRC’s strategic planning cycle. Compiled about every five years based on the available data and information, the report assesses conditions and trends within the basin and the impacts that development and use of water and related natural resources are having. The SOBR provides a statement of past trends and current conditions, and seeks to highlight and provide guidance to Member Countries on significant transboundary issues that require cooperation among basin countries to address. The SOBR 2023 is structured around the Mekong River Basin Indicator Framework, consisting of 5 dimensions: Environment, Social, Economic, Climate Change, and Cooperation.
As a longstanding collaborator of MRCS, FutureWater was engaged to support the development of the Economic and Climate Change chapters of the SOBR 2023 and perform the related activities of data analyses, advisory on data gaps and SOBR content, attractive presentation of key results, and communication with Member Countries and specialized MRCS staff to address their comments and suggestions.
