Ethiopia: Environmental Health Coordinator

Scope

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) seeks an Environmental Health (EH) Coordinator for its Somali Region EH program, to be based in Jijiga Town. This position reports to the Addis Ababa-based EH Coordinator technically and to the Field Coordinator administratively. The Jijiga-based EH Coordinator is responsible for the coordination and implementation of all IRC-led water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programming in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, as well as field-level representation of the IRC Ethiopia EH program within IRC, project consortia, donors, and government partners.

IRC Ethiopia implements multi-sector development and humanitarian programming in Ethiopia's Somali Regional State. Currently the IRC's Somali Region program includes large multi-year projects entailing WASH funded by DFID and USAID. Such projects involve design, construction, and contract management activities of a reasonable level of complexity. The Jijiga-based EH Coordinator is responsible for overall project quality, ensuring that project activities are regularly monitored, completed within set project periods and budgets, and coordinated with other relevant IRC departments and government partners. She/he will also support the identification and design of new areas for program improvements and/or expansion, and contribute to resource mobilization towards achieving prioritized outcomes in the Somali Region, including strategic partnership development. The Jijiga-based EH Coordinator position directly manages at least two national EH Managers.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Project Implementation and Management

• Ensure timely preparation and review of project design, budgets, bills of quantities, specifications, and contract and tender documents for the implementation of effective and high quality water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.
• Ensure timely delivery of project outcomes to meet set milestones; activities under all WASH projects are implemented on time with consistent approaches based on best practices and international standards.
• Ensure that effective engagement is maintained with client communities and local government partners to promote responsive and sustainable programming.
• Ensure that each project has clear behavior change communication plans and tools to effectively bring about positive hygiene behavioral change.
• Ensure that community water management structures and community-level hygiene promoters, representative of different demographics in client communities, are identified and trained to effectively carry out their roles in the implementation and sustainability of WASH inputs and outputs.
• Monitor spending and implementation against work, procurement, and spending plans, including monthly analysis of financial reports; 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.
• Ensure that high priority procurement is monitored and prioritized in coordination with the Supply Chain department, and that tenders are prepared in accordance with IRC's supply chain requirements.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Lead needs assessments and contribute to development of proposal and budget for new EH projects at Somali Region.
• Undertake monitoring, evaluation and learning activities to ensure responsive, evidence-based programming approaches, holding project staff accountable for data quality and working with project and/or country program accountability and learning staff as needed for support including staff capacity building needs.
• Regularly assess project progress across the region and address delays appropriately and in a timely manner e.g. through EH staff deployments, resource mobilization, and performance management mechanisms, engaging other departments and the senior management team as appropriate.
• Ensure that quantitative and qualitative assessments are planned, reviewed, analyzed and reported.
• Prepare monthly project reports incorporating activity and financial progress for all EH projects in Somali region;
• Prepare quarterly donor and government reports in collaboration with Grant Unit and EH Coordinator based in Addis.

Management and Capacity building

• Ensure that the EH team at Somali region has the required skills and motivation to fulfill its objectives through robust recruitment and performance management; Provide ongoing mentoring and institute a systematic, targeted capacity building program to enhance staff skills.
• Ensure annual objectives are set and reviewed for EH staff, in line with the performance management manual and in collaboration with supervisor and the human resources department.
• Review and evaluate direct reports' performance on a regular basis.

Coordination and Representation

• Build linkages/networks with WASH stakeholders in the region to share knowledge and experience and facilitate strategic partnerships.
• Represent the IRC program in various forums/meetings to local client communities, government departments, international agencies, local partners and donors as required.
• Maintain regular, effective communication with EH technical team.
• Assist in organizing and facilitating donor and partner site visits as needed.

Miscellaneous

• At the request of the Country Program EH Coordinator/Deputy Director take responsibility for miscellaneous tasks or projects not falling under responsibilities underlined in this job description.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Masters degree in civil engineering from a recognized university with at least four years of relevant work experience; or BSc. degree in civil engineering or similar field (preferably with water specialization), and a minimum of eight years of relevant work experience.
• Technically sound and having the technical capacity/knowledge to advise on project adjustments as needed.
• Minimum of 4 years experience working in environmental health/WASH projects overseas.
• Experience with in an international NGO in a similar role.
• Significant, demonstrated project management experience.
• Knowledge of major donors' rules and regulations
• Excellent English writing skills.
• Hygiene promotion project management experience.
• BCC and formative assessment experience is a plus.
• Experience with performance/milestone-based contracts and other contract funding mechanisms is a plus.

Personal specifications:

• Effective communication, inter-personal, and diplomacy skills.
• Ability to work well and adapt under pressure, and willingness to work long work hours as needed.
• Comfort and flexibility to work in an insecure and remote environment.
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

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