WASH Officer

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. IRC has been working in Pakistan for over 30 years, and manages and delivers large, complex programs to meet the needs in health, education, protection, environmental health, and livelihoods for displaced, poor and disaster affected communities. IRC works in partnership with local government and non-governmental organizations and currently works in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. IRC Pakistan will be implementing an 18-month WASH and Health project funded by ECHO in Peshawar, Karachi, and Quetta. Job Overview/Summary: The Wash Officer will be responsible for the organization and managing ECHO water, sanitation, and hygiene activities, ensuring that activities are relevant, successfully implemented.

Major Responsibilities:

• Ensure the availability of accurate, complete, and up-to-date information required for effective WASH programme implementation and management.

• Participate in inter-sectoral collaboration with other programme colleagues, primarily Supply/ Procurement, Education, Health and Local Governance to identify priority needs and appropriate strategies, share information and provide advocacy on water and environmental sanitation.

• Organize and attend regular meetings with government counterparts, contractors, and other partners to analyze and evaluate designs, processes, facilities and outcomes to ensure achievement of objectives and attainment of sustainability and/or take corrective action when necessary to meet project objectives.

• Ensure effective communication and networking developed and maintained through partnership and collaboration with members of the development community, including NGOs, UN, and bilateral agencies.

• Prepare all procurement, contracting and construction management documentation. Enhance programme efficiency and effectiveness through evidence-based approach and implementation follow-up.

• Contribute to the development of training and orientation materials. Document results and lessons learned from WASH programme implementation to promote knowledge sharing with counterparts and WASH stakeholders.

• Ensure successful preparation and delivery of WASH technical outcomes during scoping, development, and implementation phases of WASH initiatives.

• Jointly with technical staff of implementing partners and field engineers, update detailed needs and resource assessments and revise designs of technical plans as necessary, considering practical aspects of implementation, long-term sustainable solutions, and relevant technical specifications and guidelines.

• Provide technical support to implementing partners MERF in the assessment and/or construction of Inclusive WASH infrastructures i.e. drawings, design and BOQ’s through field visit (where required) as per National/international codes/standards.

• Ensuring that the technical designs are fulfilling minimum requirements for safeguarding public health and safety of marginalized groups i.e. PLWD, TGs, elderly, chronically ill etc. Ensuring meaningful engagement and access to WASH services and facilities.

• Coordinate the activities of Health/WASH Partners, together with other UN agencies, governmental and non-governmental counterparts, and local authorities to ensure delivery of WASH services to beneficiaries.

• Advise and assist the IRC programme staff on the development of WASH aspects of the programme including planning, budgeting, and input to financial management of the programme.

• Provide guidance and support to field staff on all water, sanitation, hygiene promotion related issues, to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and impact soundness in their implementation.

• Report regularly on WASH activity implementation by all WASH sector partners, while maintaining accurate records of all relevant WASH performance indicators.

• Prepare regular sectorial reports and submit material for preparation of periodic project monitoring reports as required.

Key Working Relationships: Position Reports to: EH Coordinator Position directly supervises: Field Engineers Job Requirements: a)

Education:

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, and/or Public Health, or any other relevant field b)

Work Experience:

• Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in WASH project, preferably in NGO environment c) Demonstrated

Skills and Competencies:

• Sound knowledge of Technical Designs, BoQs and Estimations

• Profound cultural awareness and knowledge of Public Health issues

• Ability to exercise sound judgement and make decisions independently

• Ability to work effectively with field staff demonstrating integrity and respect

• Extremely flexible, and can cope with stressful situations

• Creativity and the ability to work with limited resources

• Highly effective written and verbal communications skills

• Strong planning, organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills Language

Skills: English, Urdu, and other local languages Others: Gender Equality and Diversity: IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment. Women, minorities, persons with disability (PWD) and transgender candidates are highly encouraged to apply.