Assistant WASH Officer

Hardship LevelE (most hardship)

Family TypeNon Family with Residential Location

Family TypeNon Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay

Residential location (if applicable)

Addis Ababa,Eth Fed Dem Rep

GradeNOA

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer

ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment

Remote work acceptedNo

Target Start Date2023-08-01

Job Posting End DateJune 11, 2023

Standard Job DescriptionAssistant WASH Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Assistant WASH Officer assists in the provision of professional technical support and guidance on activities within the areas of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) in the locations within the Areas of Responsibility (AoR). The incumbent normally reports to the WASH Officer. S/he coordinates interventions with UNHCR's implementing partners in line with WASH Sector. In addition, the incumbent will be expected to work within multi-functional and interdisciplinary teams. The Assistant WASH Officer will support UNHCR, in coordination with the Government, to assess needs and coordinate the provision of WASH, and in particular, hygiene promotion services to Persons of Concern (PoC) to UNHCR. This will include coordination at site level with WASH partners in conjunction with the government authorities, and monitoring progress of hygiene promotion programme implementation to ensure that an adequate level of hygiene promotion service is provided at each site in accordance with the UNHCR WASH Manual and Technical Guidelines, and applicable UNHCR Standards and/or National Standards. S/he will follow a rights-based and community focused approach to programme design and implementation. The incumbent will follow the five principles for protection, accountability and WASH as outlined in UNHCR's WASH Manual. Where there is no senior WASH colleague in operation or the region, the incumbent should maintain regular communication with the WASH team in HQ for technical advice, information, and access to updated global tools and resources. In order to ensure wider reach out to the refugees and other persons of concern and ensure their close involvement in the delivery and management of the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) services, if not already in place, the incumbent will need to establish an appropriate consultative and monitoring framework which would draw the experience and expertise of a wide range of actors both internally and externally. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties Leadership and Coordination - Work to coordinate activities of WASH implementing partners, together with other UN agencies, governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other partners within the AoR to ensure delivery of WASH services to beneficiaries (PoC and host community) meets UNHCR and /or nationally recognised and most up-to-date standards and policies. - Where there are PoC living outside of camps/settlements, work with partners to ensure the enjoyment of the human right to water and sanitation by all PoC. - Work with senior WASH staff (or management) to engage government and partners, following the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), to unlock resources (humanitarian and development) for the design and construction of community-centred infrastructure, improved hygiene conditions, safe management of water and sanitation services and service provision upgrades in refugee hosting areas. - Work towards ensuring that all decision making regarding WASH services takes in to account the needs and capacities of PoC, and the solutions proposed by PoC. - Facilitate WASH coordination among partners, ensuring that inclusive and good practice coordination structures for all technical sectors covered are in place. - Assess gaps and overlaps in UNHCR funded WASH programmes and unmet needs, work to ensure that they are addressed, and the activities are oriented to addressing priority WASH issues. - Provide support to a multi-sector \"technical unit\" in the AoR, including sector functions covering site planning, shelter, health, nutrition, and environment. - Where relevant, provide support to national government(s) for inclusion of PoC within national SDG 6 development plans (Urban and Rural) and financing mechanisms and service delivery systems. - Contribute to key WASH strategic partnerships with development and humanitarian agencies to support inclusion of refugee WASH services within national systems and development financing mechanisms. - Engage with Urban WASH actors (GAUC, UCLG, UNHABITAT, Municipal Authorities, Utilities, and relevant government line ministries) for preparedness planning, inclusion in pro-poor tariffs, and provision of WASH services to PoC hosted in urban areas. WASH Strategy, Planning and Programme Support - Follow a WASH strategy which identifies the targets and approaches for water supply, excreta management, personal and environmental hygiene (including menstrual health), solid waste management, vector control, and institutional WASH facilities. - Under guidance of senior WASH staff (or management) jointly with WASH partners and other stakeholders, update detailed needs and resource assessments and revise designs and technical plans, taking into account practical aspects of implementation, long-term sustainable solutions, and relevant technical specifications and guidelines. - Advise and assist the UNHCR programme staff on the development of WASH aspects of the programme including planning, budgeting and input to financial management of the programme. - Involce PoC during planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of WASH services using an age, gender and diversity approach. - Work with senior WASH staff (or management) to ensure the WASH Strategy includes all UNHCR PoC, and considers at a minimum WASH access data collection, and advocacy for inclusion of all PoC (both in camp and out of camp) within national systems of WASH service provision Technical Assistance and Capacity Building - Plan and address adequately the needs of women, children, the elderly and people living with disabilities in planning and implementing WASH activities. - Provide input to the Operation to define the scope of UNHCR involvement, expressed in terms of overall and operational objectives during emergency, transition, and protracted phases. - Support the review and analysis of partner project proposals and budgetary submissions. - Use community-based approaches, including clear involvement of women, girls, boys, and men, elderly, persons with disabilities in the design of WASH related infrastructure, products, and services. - Provide technical assistance to UNHCR office(s) and programmes in the development, integration and mainstreaming of appropriate client-focused and cost effective WASH programmes. - Ensure development of information, education and communication materials through community consultations, collaborating with women, girls, boys, men, elderly, persons with disability, and other potentially marginalised groups. - Contribute to capacity strengthening activities of UNHCR and its implementing/operational partners to address key areas of WASH importance to PoC. - Contribute to building the capacity and competence of UNHCR's staff on both hardware and software components of WASH - Ensure community capacity building is carried out through multi-discipline teams working with women, girls, men, and boys of the community to train and empower them on WASH related aspects including: menstrual health, hygiene promotion, operation and maintenance, monitoring and reporting, and other topics. Monitoring, Evaluation and Quality Assurance - Monitor and evaluate WASH programmes within the AoR against standard UNHCR and SDG indicators to ensure that programmes are evidence-based and implemented in a comprehensive, client-focused, and cost effective manner. - Contribute to carrying out monitoring and evaluation following UNHCR's WASH monitoring system using standard resources for data collection, analysis and interpretation - Ensure that all data regarding the boreholes and WASH infrastructure is updated on UNHCR's GIS portal and relevant website(s). - Monitor the collection and recording of SDG 6 WASH access data in the WASH Monitoring System for all UNHCR PoC to enable comparative reporting against national averages, to ensure that refugees/IDPs are not being \"left behind\". - Collate WASH services access data (for both in-camp and out-of-camp PoC) to identify and promote inclusion of PoC within national SDG 6 development plans and financing mechanisms and service delivery systems. Reporting and Accountability - Work towards PoC¿s access to feedback and accountability mechanisms for the WASH services. - Contribute to the collating and analysis of data on the satisfaction of PoC with regards to WASH services. - Provide input to regular sectorial reports and submit material for preparation of periodic project monitoring reports as required. - Report regularly on WASH activity implementation by all WASH partners, while maintaining accurate records of all relevant performance indicators. - As requested, provide input to adequate reporting, timely updates and briefings to donor and management. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Agriculture Civil Engineering Environmental Sciences Hydrology Geology Natural Resources Management Public Health Rural Development Social Science Project management Construction Anthropology Urban planning Sociology Community Development Social work Social Developmnt Architecture Water resource /development Water/Sanitation Engineering or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified Relevant Job Experience Essential Proven expertise in the area of WASH including surveys, programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination. Desirable Knowledge and understanding of water and wastewater hydraulics and physical, chemical and biological properties; solid waste management practices, vector control and hygiene promotion/awareness raising strategies. Knowledge and understanding of relationship between water, wastewater, solid waste, vector control to public health indicators, and value of hygiene promotion/awareness raising and behaviour change methodologies. Functional Skills IT-Computer Literacy PR-Country Operations applying the Cluster Approach IT-Geographic Information Systems (GIS) PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards) CO-Reporting skills UN-UN/UNHCR Mandate and Global Strategic Priorities WA-WASH Assessment: Survey planning, implementation and oversight WA-WASH-related Technologies (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile Generic Job Description applies. Functional clearance is required for this position.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

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Desired languages

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

The Assistant WASH Officer assists in the provision of professional technical support and guidance on activities within the areas of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) in Alemwach refugee Settlement. The incumbent normally reports to the HOFO in Gondar. S/he coordinates interventions with UNHCR’s implementing partners in line with WASH Sector. In addition, the incumbent will be expected to work within multi-functional and interdisciplinary teams.

The Assistant WASH Officer will support UNHCR, in coordination with the Government, to assess needs and coordinate the provision of WASH, and in particular, hygiene promotion services to Persons of Concern (PoC) to UNHCR. This will include coordination at site level with WASH partners in conjunction with the government authorities, and monitoring progress of hygiene promotion programme implementation to ensure that an adequate level of hygiene promotion service is provided at each site in accordance with the UNHCR WASH Manual and Technical Guidelines, and applicable UNHCR Standards and/or National Standards.

S/he will follow a rights-based and community focused approach to programme design and implementation. The incumbent will follow the five principles for protection, accountability and WASH as outlined in UNHCR’s WASH Manual.

The incumbent should maintain regular communication with the WASH team in HQ for technical advice, information, and access to updated global tools and resources.

Living and Working Conditions:

Debark is categorized D duty station with six weeks R&R cycle. Debark a town in North Gondar Zone of Ethiopia’s Amhara Region is a new duty station whose creation was necessitated by the ongoing conflict in Northern Ethiopia. The town is located 830km from the capital Addis Ababa which takes more than 14 hours by road.

At the height of the conflict, the town was overrun by the forces opposing the government but now it has been taken back by the government and is a sanctuary to less than 100,000 Internally Displaced Persons residing in camps and within the host community in and around the town. At the time of writing, the front line is less than 80km from Debark town. By virtue of Debark being the biggest town before the front line, there is high presence of military personnel and military equipment within the town. Travelling North of the town by humanitarian agencies requires special clearance from the government.

The duty station is remote with minimum to no amenities available for international staff based at the location. There is no available suitable accommodation for staff and the only available hotel which has some minimum standards of amenities where staff are currently sleeping is frequented by military personnel, hence posing a risk to staff. It is recommended to establish a guest house for staff with basic amenities optimum for staff use and which will be developed to be MORSS compliant.

Restaurants and supermarkets with basic food and non-food items are not available at the duty station. The nearest town, where staff can access basic services is Gondar, located 98km South of Debark, otherwise for variety of items staff will have to travel to Addis Ababa the capital city. The banking system at the duty station is poor with almost all the transactions done using hard cash. There are no schools and suitable health facilities for staff and their dependents.

Debark town is served by the government water supply system, however the supply is erratic and often the tapes are dry. Power in Debark is connected from the main grid, but just like water the supply is not constant as there is frequent load shedding.

There are practically no sporting and recreation facilities in Debark.

Debark’s altitude is over 2,800m above main sea level, which makes it one of the coldest places with minimum recorded temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius and average of 18.5 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

Additional Qualifications

SkillsCO-Reporting skills, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Geographic Information Systems (GIS), PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards), PR-Country Operations applying the Cluster Approach, UN-UN/UNHCR Mandate and Global Strategic Priorities, WA-WASH Assessment: Survey planning, implementation and oversight, WA-WASH-related Technologies

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

CompetenciesAccountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Innovation & creativity, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration, Technological awareness

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Compendium

Additional InformationApplicants must be nationals of the country and be locally recruited within the country of their employment.
An eliminatory or complementary written test for shortlisted candidates may be conducted which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Functional clearanceThis position requires Functional Clearance