WASH Officer Jobs – International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Job Title:      WASH Officer
Organization: International
Rescue Committee (IRC)
Duty Station: Uganda
About Us:
The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and
livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and
gain control of their future. It was created by Albert Einstein more than 80
years and has been working in Uganda since 1998. It has particularly working in
the conflict zones where tens of thousands of people have been kills and over
1.6 million displaced. Following a peace agreement in 2006, Ugandans are
returning home and looking to rebuild their lives. The IRC is there to protect
women and children from violence and exploitation by fostering a safe
environment and encouraging education, and is supporting farmers and small
businesses, and helping communities promote peace and long-term development.
Job Summary: The WASH
Officer will be responsible for assisting in the project implementation,
coordination and monitoring including and reporting. The WASH Officer will work
closely with other IRC staff the existing WASH structures at district and
settlement level in implementing the project activities and. The incumbent will
be responsible for the planning, budgeting and direction of the WASH aspects of
the project. She/he will oversee construction of WASH infrastructure to ensure the
appropriate standards and quality are met. He/she will specifically be charged
with building the capacity of the project staff, and service users using the
established community participatory methods of hygiene and sanitation promotion
and general behavior change models.
Key Duties and
Responsibilities:  
Program Quality:
  • The incumbent will sensitize the community
    on the contribution and responsibility towards water sanitation and
    hygiene promotion activities and facilitate advocacy activities to solicit
    community support at all levels.
  • Ensure that there is formation and
    training of water users and sanitation committees and community based
    hygiene promotion workers e.g. VHTs (Village Health Team), Hygiene
    Promoters on sanitation and hygiene promotion.
  • Plan, budget and ensure effective
    implementation of hygiene and sanitation promotion activities as an
    integral part of the environmental health program.
  • Improve the capacity of the project,
    beneficiaries and other staff involved in sanitation and hygiene, conduct
    training in established participatory approaches and ensure their
    employment to improve program.
  • Regularly monitor hygiene and sanitation
    activities promotion activities and behavior change in the communities by
    facilitating baseline, Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) assessment
    and evaluate program impact.
  • Formulate strategies to improve community
    hygiene and sanitation practices based on assessment results.
  • Identify/adapt appropriate media, messages
    and IEC materials to promote the key aspects of hygiene behavior, in
    consultation with partner agencies active in this sector and the district.
  • Ensure that hygiene promotion activities
    are carried out in a participatory manner with the beneficiary
    communities, making optimal use of the existing promotion and community
    hygiene and sanitation promotion network.
  • Ensure timely procurement, requisition and
    distribution of hygiene promotion supplies.
  • Supervise the contractors assigned to
    build/rehabilitate IRC contracted work (e.g. boreholes, latrines, bath
    shelters, etc.) and report any issues or obstacles faced during
    construction and proposed solutions in accordance to IRC procurement
    policy.
  • Monitor and evaluate program delivery in
    IRC project areas, report program delivery progress to meet organization
    reporting needs and implement the IRC monitoring schedule adhering to MFA
    and the IRC strategy.
  • Support WASH staff to set and review HPM
    and water user committee training and supervise their work on ground.
  • Work with the WASH staff to ensure the
    HPMs (Hand Pump Mechanics) deliver services in regular maintenance and
    minor repairs of IRC supported water points.
  • Ensure adequate, safe and quality water
    supply for the refugee community at all times during the project
    implementation.
Program Implementation:
Effectively Communicating process, progress, and vision
  • Routinely exhibit progress towards project
    objectives and highlight challenges and gaps in internal monthly reports.
  • Ensure all reports are timely and concise
    as well as use relevant and specific data to demonstrate progress and
    explain challenges.
  • Ensure reports and information about the
    program is shared with supervisors and staff as well as other IRC
    departments and partners when appropriate to ensure cross sectional
    collaboration within the organization and other stakeholders
  • Ensure that all external (donor and other
    stakeholder) reporting requirements are met and that reports are timely,
    data specific, and of a high quality
Proactive Planning:
  • Plan overall implementation of project to
    meet objectives while balancing the efficient use of staffs time and
    finances. This includes developing and updating grant work plans,
    procurement plans, quarterly department plans, spending plans and staff
    work plans.
Systematic Monitoring & Evaluation:
  • Ensure that systems to monitor progress
    towards indicators are developed and incorporated in all activities
  • Ensure WASH staff understand their roles,
    responsibilities, and contribution to the monitoring systems and that
    their use of monitoring tools are accurate, routine, and done on time.
  • Ensure that systems are in place to
    monitor spending and manage grant budgets
  • Actively participate in conducting
    baseline KAP surveys and end of program assessments.
Strengthening local partnerships
  • Support local partners to develop realistic
    WASH project based on actual capacities and resources
  • Develop strategies with partners and staff
    to enhance local partner’s capacity to implement and monitor activities
    that meet specified objectives
  • Be available to support partners and
    trouble shoot challenges when they evolve.
Budget/Grants:
  • Judiciously manage the use of WASH program
    finances, supplies, and assets
  • Manage the budget ensuring expenses are
    appropriate and incurred according to schedule. .
  • Participate in proposal writing and budget
    development
  • Participate in the development of WASH
    program budgets and budget tracking tools in coordination with the Team.
  • Under the guidance of the Health Team
    Leader update the budget tracking tools.
  • Participate in monthly budget and spending
    reviews and projections. Ensure and maintain accurate use of budget lines
    according to donor regulations
Human Resources
  • Mentor and supervise WASH staff including
    monitoring of staff welfare and administrative status (performance
    evaluations, training plans, update job descriptions, ensure Mandatory
    Reporting Policies (MRPs) are understood and followed, staff meetings and
    well-being, etc.)
  • Ensure staff grievances are heard and
    addressed balancing the needs of the staff and IRC policies
  • Empower staff and promote accountability
    by appropriately delegating responsibilities according to staff’s capacity
  • Promote team work by sharing
    responsibilities among and diffusing superfluous power dynamics
  • Work in close collaboration with district
    WASH staff and settlement WASH sector, supervise community structures such
    as VHTs and WASH committees.
Coordination & Representation / Liaison:
  • Promote integration and coordination with
    the OPM, UNHCR, district, partners’ agencies and community leaders working
    in the WASH sector.
  • Attend relevant meetings to represent IRC.
  • Active and regular participation in
    internal (IRC) country coordination mechanisms, ensuring:
  • Communication and collaboration among
    country program sectors for integrated programming
  • Effective coordination between program and
    operations departments to facilitate quality, timely support to programs
  • Participate in WASH sector monthly
    coordination meetings of the settlement and District.
  • Represent IRC at relevant related health
    partnership and coordination meetings. Assist the Health Team Leader as
    deemed necessary.
     
Qualifications, Skills and
Experience:
  • The ideal candidate for the IRC WASH
    Officer job vacancy should hold a University degree in civil
    engineering/water/environmental management, or related discipline
    preferred
  • A minimum of three (3) years related WASH
    experience ideally in an NGO-development oriented setting.
  • Ability to manage project grants including
    budget preparation and management, monitoring and evaluation, and
    reporting Experience in logistics and budget management.
  • Working knowledge, skills and experience
    in participatory methods for community development e.g. PHAST and CHAST.
  • Group and adult facilitation skills and
    experience.
  • Broad knowledge and understanding of WASH
    programming in a refugee setting, desirable.
  • Excellent and demonstrated oral and
    written communication skills;
  • Excellent interpersonal and team building
    skills;
  • Experience supervising diverse staff in a
    complex, insecure emergency setting;
  • Experience in project design and proposal
    writing is preferred;
  • Ability to enhance good interpersonal
    relationship
  • Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel,
    Power point, Outlook and Outlook Express;
  • Ability to live and work under pressure in
    an unstable security environment;
  • Ability to do multiple tasks at the same
    time, ability to handle pressure well, ability to improvise, flexibility
  • Fluency in English is required
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send an updated
CVs and cover letters clearly indicating the position applied for as the
subject to: UA-IRCJobs@Rescue.org (The Human Resource and Administration
department, International Rescue Committee)
Deadline: 26th
January, 2017

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