Coordinator, Regional WASH in Emergencies

Organizational Context The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.”

IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegations and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

Job Purpose The Regional Coordinator, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) in Emergencies contributes to the management and supervision of both multilateral and, where appropriate, bilateral programmes and WASH operations in Emergencies.

He/she will lead and coordinate regional WASH in Emergencies programs, ensuring effective integration with long-term development efforts through a resilience-based approach.

The role focuses on emergency response coordination, program quality, resource mobilization, and collaboration across regional, global, and partner networks. It also involves documenting lessons learned to enhance future emergency preparedness and response. The coordinator actively supports the global WASH Strategic Direction and contributes to the rollout, implementation and adaptation to Africa’s context.

Job Duties and Responsibilities Enable RCRC to be a global leading player in the WASH sector
• Contribute to and support the coordination of the work of RCRC at relevant regional and on occasion, international fora, in publications, conferences and meetings and ensure that relevant advocacy themes are well presented to position RCRC as a global leader in all WASH aspects.
• Contribute to National Societies’ input in the development and roll out of global policies, strategies, guidelines and tools as well as the integration of these standards into the work of RCRC to ensure sound and sustainable WASH programmes and effective public health outcomes.
• Contribute to the programmatic integration with other sectors, particularly health, nutrition, food security in response to emergencies
• Contribute to and support community-led WASH, both rural and urban health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Work closely with other members of the WASH Team, with other departments and units in the Africa contributing to ensuring appropriate visibility, resource mobilization and public awareness of the work of IFRC/RCRC.
• The Regional WASH in Emergencies Coordinator will participate as a key player in the Regional WASH Working group e.g. Regional Cholera Platform.

Support National Societies to improve WASH performance
• Working closely with other Africa Technical units within a framework of building community resilience, the position will contribute to providing specific technical support to ensure National Societies can effectively incorporate WASH within each stage of the emergency cycle and along the resilience continuum: strengthening of WASH as part of prevention; WASH disaster preparedness; water quality monitoring as part of community disease detection and early warning; emergency WASH response including full spectrum of public health-related WASH capacities and WASH during recovery aimed at ‘building back better’.
• Strengthen the capacities of National Societies in WASH preparedness and response through training, workshops, and technical assistance.
• Develop and disseminate WASH emergency response tools, guidelines, and best practices.
• Support National Societies in pre-positioning WASH emergency supplies and establishing response mechanisms
• Lead the mapping of Regional WASH programming, progress and best practices and priority needs of National Societies, especially in the context of developmental and emergency WASH and contribute to the provision of strategy and policy advice to National Societies.
• Provide leadership in the scaling up of WASH programmes, especially in developmental and urban WASH, by National Societies in the region.
• Contributes to the Capacity building of National Societies in collaboration with the National Society Development (NSD) Teams.

Support the coordination of WASH during emergencies
• Coordinate closely with the Africa Health, Disaster, Climate and Crises Teams, and particularly the Public Health in Emergency Coordinator, the Roving Operations Coordinator and the Regional WASH officer to ensure coherence, synergy and complementarity across the functions for enhanced support to Emergency response operations.
• Coordinate closely with colleagues at regional and global level covering thematic areas of cholera prevention and response and malaria control.
• With other Global WASH team members actively engage with and provide support to the Global WASH cluster.
• Contribute to and when required backstop the RCRC regional WASH surge mechanisms and ensure that the right people with the right skills and equipment are able to be deployed to the right places at the right time to support National Societies WASH needs in their region.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued) Contribute to delivering quality in programmes and operations
• Ensure that tools, guidelines and projects are based on evidence, and applicable international standards and follow a resilience-based health approach.
• Ensure that operational questions and challenges are addressed by operational research in partnership with different research institutions and other partners in their region.
• Ensure that behavioral change components and training are following good standards and are aligned to global wide guidelines and approaches.
• Promote and support the NSs to roll out the Branch WASH Intervention team approach and other WASH activities as early actions in Early Action Protocols for, floods, epidemics, and cholera.
• As part of quality enhancement programme, contribute to supporting National Societies to develop systems that allow a ‘seamless’ transition from health development to emergency response to recovery, build back better, and accelerated development.
• Ensure integration of quality Water and Sanitation interventions into the global flagships; Cholera/One WASH and Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness, the Pan Africa Initiatives; Tree Planting and Care, Food Insecurity and Hunger Crisis, Red Ready.

Contribute to an effective, high-quality IFRC team:
• Be accountable to the Regional Health and Care manager and the Global WASH Team Leader by providing regular progress reports on results against objectives and risk analysis as set out by established procedures in Africa.
• Be flexible in their work definition through adapting to changing program needs and targets within available resources.
• Be a pro-active team member fostering a customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, high performance and cost effectiveness.
• Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the Region, National Societies and Gva by including these and external actors in relevant meetings, coordination for a, CoPs among others.
• Manage the Regional WASH Budget while strengthening financial standards. Ensure regular reports on use of funds are provided, budget needs are met and reported upon in a timely and efficient manner.

Education • Advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in WASH, Engineering, or equivalent professional experience (Required)
• Relevant post-graduate degree in public health (Preferred)

Experience Required
• At least 7 years of working experience in the humanitarian or development sector, with a focus on WASH.
• Demonstrated professional credibility in the sector and experience working in an international or cross-cultural environment.
• 5 years of management and supervisory experience in a multicultural environment, with developing countries and/or with an international organisation at the management level
• Experience working in a RC/RC National Society and/or Federation/ICRC

Knowledge, Skills and Languages Required
• Knowledge of WASH and public health and experience in practically applying this knowledge into policy, programmes and positioning
• Programme and project management
• Results oriented and demand driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations.
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead within a matrix management structure and utilise talent and experience of team members in a productive way.
• Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive.
• Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners.
• Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation
• Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to work within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment.
• Fluent spoken and written English Preferred

Preferred

• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic)

Competencies, Values and Comments Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust