The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. The IRC has been working in Ethiopia for over 15 years implementing emergency and resilience programming in the areas of WASH, education, livelihoods, reproductive health, gender-based violence, and child and youth protection and development. In 2017, IRC provides services to approximately 405,200 refugees in 20 camps and more than one million vulnerable Ethiopians in seven regions.
Position Summary
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a Consortium WASH Technical Lead to lead all water, sanitation, and hygiene activities of a three-year, $37 million program jointly funded by USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and Food for Peace (FFP). Under this program, the IRC as prime, in collaboration with two international NGO consortium partners, will provide emergency nutrition and WASH activities countrywide to support populations affected by slow or rapid onset emergencies. The objectives of the OFDA/FFP emergency program are to:
● Monitor the changing humanitarian situation and emerging issues in Ethiopia and support rapid emergency response interventions to address prioritized, targeted needs in Nutrition and WASH.
● Support the emergency nutrition needs of vulnerable populations through interventions to prevent and treat acute malnutrition and ensure a reliable continuum of care for acute malnutrition.
● Alleviate suffering and reduce water borne and diarrheal disease through emergency WASH programming by addressing situations where there is significantly increased WASH vulnerability beyond existing conditions through emergency WASH and WASH/Nutrition interventions.
The Consortium WASH Technical Lead will provide technical leadership to a consortium of INGOs and oversee all WASH activities of the program including developing tools and guidelines for WASH interventions based on international standards and IRC’s outcomes and evidence framework, training and coaching WASH technical staff in those standards and best practices, developing monitoring and evaluation plans with sound indicators, providing technical guidance and quality control of all WASH related monitoring data collection, analysis, and reporting across the project. The Consortium WASH Technical Lead will collaborate closely with the IRC WASH Coordinator and Emergency Response Coordinator and other members of IRC program teams and consortium partners’ WASH and nutrition staff in developing and implementing integrated WASH and nutrition interventions. She/he will report to the Emergency Program Director and will be a member of the Addis-based Program Management Unit, the central coordination and decision-making body for the project. The Consortium WASH Technical Lead will ensure that all WASH interventions by the consortium are in line with IRC, USAID and common international humanitarian standards and practices. She/he will represent the consortium in the WASH cluster and other relevant coordination bodies and may liaise with USAID, the Ethiopian Government, and other external experts on technical WASH questions as appropriate.
Duties and Responsibilities
Technical oversight and capacity building
· Advise consortium members on all technical aspects of project implementation, ensuring a unified and effective approach to achieving project impact through guidelines and tools for WASH staff to implement project activities consistently and effectively.
· Work closely with the Nutrition Technical Consortium Lead on developing tools and guidelines for integrated WASH and nutrition rapid response interventions and ensure their application across the consortium including sub-grantee organizations.
· Organize technical training for project staff as required to enable them to implement the project strategy and activities effectively.
· Provide appropriate, relevant on-the-job mentoring and identify capacity development needs and interest among WASH staff and other relevant consortium staff, helping to facilitate targeted capacity building in coordination with the IRC WASH Coordinator and support departments (for ex. human resources).
· Identify and collate evidence for effective context specific practices and support knowledge sharing and learning to improve existing practices and introduce new practices and/or ideas among project partners.
· Develop and incorporate innovative programming approaches in line with the IRC’s strategies, priorities, and organizational objectives.
· Work closely with IRC’s Partnership Unit in identifying qualified subgrantees for WASH interventions, assessing their capacity, reviewing their proposals and ensuring consortium approaches are implemented according to specifications.
· Ensure that effective engagement is maintained with communities and with local government partners, to ensure responsive and sustainable programming.
Project Implementation, Quality Control, and Oversight
· Ensure that project activities are performed and implemented effectively and efficiently, to high quality standards and on time, following consistent approaches.
· Monitor – and ensure WASH and other relevant consortium or subgrantee staff have the capacity and understand tools and timelines to monitor – spending and implementation against work, procurement, and spending plans, including monthly analysis of financial reports and budgets vs actuals; identify and flag issues in a timely fashion, working in collaboration with Grants, Finance, and Supply Chain teams as needed to jointly address them in accordance with donors’ rules and regulations.
· Provide senior EH staff across the consortium and subgrantee partners with the resources and support they need to effectively advise field teams, and to identify mistakes and initiate the required corrective actions.
· Ensure that robust systems are in place for the production and review of designs, budgets, bills of quantity, specifications, contract and tender documents for the production of effective and high quality structures and services.
· Effectively communicate, coordinate and negotiate with key personnel and departments within the consortium and IRC to identify, analyze and resolve bottlenecks and identify ways to optimize performance.
· In collaboration with Global Supply Chain staff ensure that tenders are prepared in accordance with the projects logistics requirements and that project inputs are procured in a timely fashion and according to specification.
Project monitoring
· Provide technical leadership for monitoring, evaluation and learning activities within the project aimed at ensuring responsive, evidence-based programming approaches, holding project staff accountable for data quality and working with accountability and learning staff as needed for support including staff capacity building needs.
· Work closely with the project M&E Coordinator to ensure all WASH indicators are relevant and necessary and that data collection tools are in place and disseminated to all relevant IRC and partner project teams.
· Develop detailed activity, budget plans and monitoring protocols for the project, and monitor progress against plans ensuring that objectives and indicators are achieved.
· Review monitoring data from the field on a monthly basis and follow up on issues raised.
· In collaboration with the M&E Coordinator, maintain regular contact with the field WASH staff through regular field visits to ensure that the WASH component of the project is carried out promptly and to the highest quality.
· Verify and validate WASH project implementation reports (Output tracker, WASH Matrix Activity, Monthly/quarter Reports, ad hoc reports, donors report, etc) from partners
· Provide data and analysis on WASH activity progress for quarterly and annual donor reports and ad hoc reports or presentations as needed.
Strategic Leadership, Coordination, and Representation
· Regularly re-assess the internal and external environment for WASH needs and interventions across the country;
· Actively participate in WASH cluster meetings and other relevant coordination forums and actively participate in decision-making on consortium emergency interventions;
· Maintain a positive and productive relationship with IRC Ethiopia regional/HQ-based technical advisors.
· Ensure effective program delivery through skilled teams and effective team structures – regularly assess appropriateness of team structure and identify and communicate the need or opportunity for program or management changes.
· Ensure that effective engagement is maintained across consortium technical teams; between the consortium/WASH team and operational departments (e.g. HR, Supply Chain, and Finance); with client communities and local government partners; and with donors;
· Promote responsive and sustainable programming, ensuring that donor, client, and partner accountability measures are in place across WASH programs in collaboration with emergency response and nutrition teams and the M&E Coordinator;
· In close collaboration with the IRC WASH Coordinator, build linkages/networks with WASH stakeholders in Ethiopia and share experience and lessons learned and facilitate strategic partnerships.
· Ensure appropriate representation by the consortium in various forums/meetings with client communities, government departments, international agencies, and other local partners;
· Assist in organizing and facilitating senior IRC, consortium partner or donor site visits.
· Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Health or similar field from a recognized university with at least four years of relevant work experience; or BSc. degree in Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Health or similar field, and a minimum of eight years of relevant work experience.
· Technically sound and having the technical capacity/knowledge to closely monitor project progress and advise on project adjustments as needed, including experience in hygiene promotion. BCC experience is a plus.
· Minimum of 4 years’ experience working in environmental health/WASH projects for international NGOs or organizations, preferably on WASH emergency rapid response projects.
· At least 4 years senior level management experience.
· Experience working abroad and/or with multi-cultural teams preferred.
· Significant, demonstrated project management experience at senior level.
· Knowledge of major donors’ rules and regulations, in particular U.S. Government donors.
· Strong grasp of grants management and reporting.
· Team player with demonstrated leadership and facilitation skills, with strong coordination, diplomacy and networking skills.
· Demonstrated experience in staff capacity building and mentoring.
· Excellent written and oral English skills.