Executive Director

Executive Director, SIWI 

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the world’s most respected water institutions at a defining time. Water sits at the heart of climate, food, energy, peace and human well-being, and the decisions taken in the coming years will shape how it is governed for decades. With a new strategy for 2026–2028 in place, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is looking for an Executive Director who can turn that ambition into lasting impact: building a strong and stable organization, mobilizing long-term support and bringing the world together around water, not least at World Water Week.

About SIWI 

For more than three decades, SIWI has helped shape how the world governs water. An independent nonprofit based in Stockholm and working globally, SIWI works to make water governance a foundation for stability, development and climate resilience.

With a team of around 35 people, SIWI has an influence beyond its size. It brings together actors who rarely meet elsewhere: governments, multilateral bodies, companies, researchers and communities, and pairs that convening power with trusted knowledge, policy advice and capacity development, so that dialogue leads to decisions.

SIWI is best known for World Water Week, which has grown since 1991 from a scientific symposium into the leading global conference on water, with participants from more than 180 countries. It also puts water at the heart of climate negotiations through the Water for Climate Pavilion, which it co-convenes with partners at the UN Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC COPs), and convenes and co-creates other platforms for dialogue, partnership and cooperation.

The Role 

SIWI is seeking a Stockholm-based Executive Director to lead the organization into its next phase with a newly approved three-year strategy for 2026 to 2028.

The Executive Director will be responsible for continuing the implementation of the strategy, strengthening organizational stability, and ensuring that SIWI continues to deliver relevant, high-quality work at the intersection of water, climate, development and cooperation. The role combines strategic leadership with operational follow-through, external representation and close collaboration with the Board, management team, employees, partners and stakeholders.

A central part of the role is to further develop SIWI’s partnerships and create long-term conditions for sustainable financing. This includes building trust-based relationships with donors, public institutions, multilateral organizations, foundations, the private sector and other partners who can contribute to SIWI’s mission.

The Executive Director reports to the Board and represents SIWI in national, regional and international settings.

Over the first years of the role, the Board’s priorities for the Executive Director are to strengthen SIWI’s organizational stability, secure sustainable long-term financing and bring renewed energy and vitality to World Water Week.

Requirements

Essential

• A strong track record in senior leadership, including working strategically with a board, building high-performing management teams and specialist organizations, translating strategy into tangible and sustainable results and fostering an inclusive, engaged and high-performing culture.
• A holistic understanding of key global sustainability challenges and international policy, including UN and EU water and climate processes, ideally with experience in water and/or climate policy, practice or governance.
• Financial and business acumen gained in nonprofit or similar organizations, with the ability to manage financial and operational information and make sound, pragmatic decisions that support growth and financial stability.
• Experience of fundraising and resource mobilization from a range of sources, such as bilateral and multilateral donors, philanthropy, the private sector and research funders, including proposal preparation and management, and the ability to open up new funding sources and methods.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills and an established national and/or international network, with experience developing strategic partnerships and convening diverse groups (governments, multilateral bodies, donors, civil society, the private sector, the research community and staff) by building trust, navigating competing interests and finding common ground.
• Experience attracting, developing and managing talented staff, and mobilizing additional expertise through secondments, university researchers and exchanges.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to represent SIWI in national, regional and global fora, and an understanding of strategic communications as a means to expand SIWI’s influence and impact.
• A university degree in a relevant field and excellent spoken and written English.

Desirable

• A master’s degree.
• Experience with knowledge-based organizations, such as universities, policy institutes, think tanks, government agencies or consulting companies with diverse external funding, including collaboration on joint research initiatives.
• An understanding of the Swedish, Nordic and European institutional context, including Swedish and EU employment processes.
• A good level of spoken and written Swedish.

Practical Information 

The Executive Director is expected to be based in Stockholm, Sweden.  

The recruitment process will take into account the candidate’s right to work in Sweden or the EU. SIWI does not offer dedicated relocation or housing support.

Application 

If you are motivated by the opportunity to lead a respected knowledge-based organization working at the intersection of water, climate, development and cooperation, we welcome your application.

The application consists of a CV and a cover letter. The application deadline is 27 October 2026. Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

For questions about the role, please contact Ebba Levin at ebba.levin@novare.se or Olivia Westh at olivia.westh@novare.se

SIWI offers a market-competitive salary in line with other leading Swedish nonprofit organizations.