Job Description

Scope:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Environmental Health (EH) Coordinator is responsible for the overall coordination, technical oversight, and quality implementation of IRC water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programming in target local communities throughout Ethiopia. She/he provides strategic leadership in project design, programming decisions, partnership development, and ensuring program objectives are met. The IRC’s local community WASH portfolio includes humanitarian and long-term resilience programming supported by various donors and funding streams; this includes large multi-year projects entailing WASH through contracting mechanisms under DFID and USAID. IRC Ethiopia’s EH projects involve design, construction, and contract management activities of a reasonably level of complexity. The Position holder supervise a diverse technical team in Addis and across various field sites to ensure that project activities are regularly monitored, completed within set project periods and budgets, and coordinated with other relevant IRC departments and partners. This includes close coordination with Emergency Rapid Response (ERR) staff on technical components of WASH responses by IRC and its partners. She/he will also support the identification and design of new areas for program improvements and/or expansion, and chip in to resource mobilization towards achieving prioritized outcomes in the Ethiopia Country Program. Addis-level (and field-level as required) representation of the IRC Ethiopia EH program within IRC, project consortia, donors, and government partners is also a critical role of the EH Coordinator. The EH Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director for Programs and directly leads five or above staffs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Strategic Leadership, Program Coordination, and Representation

• Regularly re-assess the internal and external environment for the EH sector in Ethiopia, the region, and in IRC as an organization.
• Maintain a positive and productive relationship with IRC Ethiopia regional/HQ-based technical advisors.
• Support senior management and the overall country program in the delivery of IRC Ethiopia’s strategies and priorities.
• Identify and communicate the need or opportunity for key program or management changes, including adjustment to team structures, operational systems, etc.
• Ensure that effective engagement is maintained across IRC technical teams; between EH and operational departments (e.g. HR, Supply Chain, and Finance); with client communities and local government partners; and with traditional and/or strategic donors.
• Promote responsive and sustainable programming, ensuring donor, client, and partner accountability measures are in place across EH programs.
• Build linkages/networks with WASH stakeholders in Ethiopia to build and share 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.
• Assist in organizing and facilitating donor and partner site visits as needed.
• Attend and actively participate in WASH cluster and other relevant WASH coordination meetings.

Resource Mobilization and Capacity Building

• Ensure needs assessments are carried out and lead proposal and budget development for new and continuation projects in all components of the EH portfolio, including support to Assistant Coordinators and Managers to ensure their capacity to develop quality proposals; review the final draft of all proposals.
• Develop and incorporate innovative programming approaches in line with the IRC’s strategies, priorities, and organizational objectives.
• Ensure EH staff provide timely inputs of high quality to the Grants Unit in the preparation of donor and any internal reports, as well as project proposals and concept notes.
• Ensure that all IRC project proposals are aligned with the Country Program’s strategy, are based on evidence of need in targeted client communities, are realistic in scope and scale, and are appropriately budgeted.
• Identify strategic partnerships and opportunities to leverage the combined capacity of IRC and other organizations towards common EH objectives.
• Ensure that the IRC EH team has the required skills and motivation to fulfill its objectives through robust recruitment and performance management.
• Provide appropriate, relevant on-the-job mentoring and identify capacity development needs and interest among EH staff, helping to facilitate targeted capacity building in coordination with HR and senior management.

Quality Control and Oversight

• Support the design of and lead monitoring, evaluation and learning activities aimed 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.
• Monitor – and ensure EH management staff have the capacity and understand tools and timelines to 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.
• Provide senior EH staff with the resources and support they need to effectively advise field teams, and to identify mistakes and initiate the required corrective actions.
• Ensure that robust systems are in place for the production and review of designs, budgets, bills of quantity, specifications, contract and tender documents for the production of effective and high quality structures and services.
• Regularly assess progress across the EH program and address delays through EH staff deployments, resource mobilization, and performance management mechanisms, engaging other departments and the senior management team as appropriate.
• Effectively communicate, coordinate and negotiate with key personnel and departments within IRC to identify, analyze and resolve bottlenecks and identify ways to optimize performance.

Miscellaneous

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

Job Requirements

Requirements/Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Health or similar field from a recognized university with at least four years of relevant work experience; or BSc. degree in Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Health or similar field, and a minimum of Six 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, including senior level management.
• Strong technical design skills and experience writing funding proposals.
• Knowledge of major donors’ rules and regulations, including USAID, OFDA, ECHO, DFID.
• Strong grasp on grants management processes and requirements.
• Excellent written and oral English skills are mandatory.
• Proven leadership and facilitation skills, with strong coordination, and networking skills.
• Demonstrated experience in staff capacity building and mentoring.
• Hygiene promotion project management experience.
• BCC and formative assessment experience is a plus.
• Experience working in WASH emergency rapid response is a plus.
• Experience with performance/milestone-based contracts and other contract funding mechanisms is a plus.

Personal specifications:

• Effective communication, inter-personal, problem-solving, 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.
• Flexible and creative
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.

How to Apply

Candidates who meet the above qualifications; please send your CV and application letter through IRC career site.

External

Internal

Your application letter/cover letter must include the following information.

·        Name of the position you have applied for

·        Date of application

·        Summary of your qualifications and experience

·        Motivation/objective of why you have applied for the job

·        Please include at least 2 references from current and former supervisors.

             Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

Standards of Professional Conduct: 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 carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.