WASH Policy / Governance Manager

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 five years “leveraging Inclusive WASH for Empowerment in Pakistan (LIFE-Pakistan) project i.e. Water For Women Fund supported by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian government.

With an overall goal of gender equitable and socially inclusive WASH services for improved health conditions of marginalized groups, this project aims to directly improve the lives of 168,000 beneficiaries in 75 villages in three districts of KP, Pakistan.

The project will reach its goal through three pillars:

1. Inclusive community level WASH
2. Improved WASH governance
3. Strengthened decision making around WASH.

The project will focus on schools and health centers that serve communities, as well as community and household WASH. A process of participatory training and discussion will be utilized to strengthen women’s role in the community, and will be supported with life skills training and gender protection programming. Knowledge management and learning through ongoing monitoring, periodic evaluations and research will keep the project on track, provide evidence for advocacy for improving legislative environment, and draw learning for future programing.

Job Overview/Summary: The WASH Policy and Governance Manager will be a member of the LIFE-Pakistan project team, and responsible for WASH policy, advocacy, governance and liaison at provincial and district level.  The incumbent will coordinate with government counterparts, highlight environmental health priorities and related issues to respective authorities and capacitate them on tools and approaches e.g.  Citizen Voice and Action, PATS Plus, in order to priorities resolving these issues. This position will play a key role to ensure and maintain good working relationship with all stakeholders, bridging communities with government departments for developing successful guidelines, SOPs etc. in coordination with the Project Coordinator. The incumbent will also ensure that IRC project strategies are aligned together with government priorities, and sustainability mechanisms and outcomes are ensured.

Major Responsibilities:

·         To represent & introduce IRC’s LIFE-Pakistan project goals and objectives to Government line departments (DC, MCs/LG & RDD, PHED, P&D, Education and Health etc.) to ensure confidence building, participation in project activities.

·         To provide a forum for stakeholders to meet, identify, discuss, advocate and solve problems related to EH i.e. Inclusive WASH implementation across all sectors and develop an action plan to cope with these issues.

·         Prepare EH advocacy strategy in consultation with project staff and line supervisor.

·         Organize policy dialogues, advocacy and capacity building activities for project staff and stakeholders.

·         Ensure that adequate guidelines are in place to facilitate the production of effective and appropriate designs for community, school and health facilities development plans.

·         Contribute to the preparation of learning documents for knowledge management and publications related to Environmental health.

·         Contribute in KP water and sanitation policies implementation, KP Local Government Act (LGA 2013) and budget advocacy for low income and marginalized people's access to improved WASH facilities and services.

·         Ensure community, schools and health facilities development plans are endorsed by the relevant government department.

·         Support Project Coordinator in implementation and periodic review of IRC EH strategy.

Coordination:

·         Efficiently coordinate with all stakeholders (Government and non-Government) at Provincial, District and village level in consultation with Project Coordinator.

·         Work closely with Inclusive WASH Jirgas/Committees (IWJ), School Management Committee (SMC/PTC) and build their capacity in social mobilization to encourage affective community participation and ensure provision of government platform to these communities.

·         Ensure timely reporting of activities to Project Coordinator.

·         Ensure field visits to the EH project areas and to portray EH issues at community as well as government level in consultation with Project Coordinator.

·         Collect information and if necessary translate in local language on draft water and sanitation policy, LGA 2013 and practical WASH and GESI rights issues in the project areas and develop strategies for effective pro-marginalized advocacy.

·         Build capacity of IRC institutional partners as well as Village WASH Activists (VWAs) on Citizen Voice and Action (CVA), Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) and government policies related to inclusive WASH.

·          Analyze local market for sanitation marketing and to advocate for it on community and government as well as at market level.

·         Facilitate in organizing PSC, DCC and Conduct meetings with working groups of WASH, GESI, DRR etc. to identify the issues and inform the government (PDMA, LG & RDD, PHED, Education department etc.) through IRC management.

Monitoring:

·         Ensure that all project activities are continually monitored with reference to the relevant action plans, with reviews of progress and budget on a weekly/monthly basis following the submission of weekly/monthly field reports.

·         Monitor and evaluate program progress, impact and sustainability in collaboration with the MEL Manager, via periodic field visits. In particular, ensure that capacity building activities are adequate and effective.

Job Requirements:

a)      Education:

·         Master Degree in Life & Environmental Sciences or other relevant field, preferably with inclusive WASH specialization.

b)      Work Experience:

·         Minimum 5 years experience in EH project, preferably in an INGO environment

c)      Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

·         Strong technical design skills.

·         Previous experience in WASH policy and governance.

·         Highly effective written and verbal communications skills

·         Advocacy and lobbying experience

·         Strong project management, planning, organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills

Language Skills:

·         Must be fluent in Urdu & English languages.

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The IRC Core Values and Commitments;

·         The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

·         IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff is suitable to work with children and have the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.

o   Level of interaction with children: less frequent direct contact with children

·         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 candidates and persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.