WASH Program Manager Country Office: Ethiopia

Work Base: [Wollega-Gimbi]

Availability: As Soon As Possible

Salary Scale: EMS - 09 level 01  $1407

Length of Contract: 1 Year, with high probability of extension

insurance - (Life, Group Personal Accident and Medical Insurances are covered upon the organization policies).Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger-USA is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. We save the lives of malnourished children and we enable entire communities to be free from hunger. With more than 8,000 staff in over 50 countries, our programs reached 17 million people in 2019.

About the Country Program in Ethiopia

Action Against Hunger has been operational in Ethiopia since 1984 responding to both chronic and acute needs through a multi-sectoral strategy where nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support activities are integrated to have a meaningful impact on people’s resilience. Action Against Hunger currently operates in 5 different regions (Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, and Gambella) with a portfolio of 20m USD/year of emergency, resilience building, research, and innovation programs. We have a country team of around 600 staff in 17 regional and satellite offices. Our main donors in Ethiopia in 2020/2021 are BHA, ECHO, Europaid, UNHCR, UNICEF, GFFO, BPRM, SIDA, EHF, WFP, CIAA, and others.

I. Position Summary

The post holder is responsible to ensure Action Against Hunger (AAH) Ethiopia’s mission Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Shelter and non-food items (ES-NFI) projects are incorporated in all WASH & ES-NFI standard requirements. Also, ensure WASH planning and interventions to affected communities and institutes are according to quality standards and with humanities principles. WASH Programme Manager (WASH PM) will also work closely with AAH’s base and capital level WASH and Humanitarian response team at capital and field team, partners and other department staffs at all levels. He/she will also serve as a focal point for regional and local coordination platforms and consortiums both for WASH and ESNFI clusters on the behalf of the AAH.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Objective 1:- Contribute to the implementation of AAH Policies, positioning and strategies in the mission.

• Ensuring planed WASH projects implementations are taking account: WASH strategy, key internal and external factors, stakeholders, AAH charter, 2021 strategic framework, policies (WaSH and other relevant sector), national strategies and other specific legal framework enforced by the donor/department.

• Support implementation of AAH WASH responses at the bases and regions: in coordination with field coordinator, base staffs, and in line with organization rules, standards, procedures and agreed implementation plans and budgets.

Objective 2:-Contribute to formulation/ development of WaSH and ES-NFI projects

• Support and ensure WASH & ES_NFI projects are strategically planed based on humanitarian context/ needs analysis of the intervention areas; aligned with WASH &ES-NFI Clusters, other relevant humanitarian actors and Do No Harm principles.

• Support WASH & ES-NFI activities through providing inputs for or draft technical inputs to proposals (proposal narratives, budget and LFA).

• Initiate and contributing to the develop of Hygiene and Sanitation (H&S) tools and approaches. Ensure implementation of H&S activities are properly implemented. Also ensuring those efforts are creating enabling environments to achieve behavioral change and practices at targeted interventions.

• Closely follow up demanding and dynamic situation at ground at AAH operational areas / woredas related to newly emerging WASH and ES-NFI related needs. Input to strategic priorities, response plans and coordinate the implementation according to guidance given by relevant bodies.

Objective 3: Ensure quality and standard of projects implementation, monitoring, and reporting

• Develop locally appropriate  technical guidelines for the implementation of WASH & ES_NFI projects.

• Supervise the  implementation of WASH project  following quality monitoring plans, apply and use  AAH’s tools (APR, DIP, Budget follow up …)

• Contribute to and promote monthly budget follow up and monthly budget forecast of the projects.

• Undertake WASH feasibility study, design of Water supply, Sanitation and Shelter activities- Bill of quantities (BOQ), specification, and drawing, prepare DIP, and tender document for contracted-out projects.

• Prepare and review technical specifications details (including materials specification, cost break down) and provide technical supports to the Base level WASH and ES-NFI activities.

• Prepare, compile and submit monthly APRs (activity progress report) for WASH responses.

• Contribute and review projects’ reports including donor report, government quarter report, monthly AAH report, contextual assessment report, KAP analysis, terminal report, and share to relevant staffs.

Objective 4: Contribute to projects quality implementation; monitoring and evaluation (internal and external) of projects’ effectiveness /impact.

• Conduct WASH related need assessments, produce related reports and share the reports timely for feedback and enrichment.

• Contribute to WASH assessments, monitoring and evaluations, and implementing recommendation coming out from monitoring and evaluations processes.

• Ensure participatory assement, supervision and monitoring of WASH projects are in-place jointly with relevant stakeholders at field levels.

• Prepare WASH activity-mapping database (including update construction progress update, GPS location for relevant facilities) and share the database as needed.

•  Ensure and follow up WASH related projects are properly prepared, codded, collected, analyzed, reported, and documented.

• Prepare various WASH related success and case stories in collaboration with base MEAL.

• Takes part actively in recruitment and training of WASH staffs at all levels.

Objective 5:- Contribute to the overall coordination and management of the implementation of WASH and ES_NFI responses of the AAH.

• Contribute the development of emergency WASH &ES-NFI plans and strategies.

• Do close follow up of emerging WASH & ES-NFI needs on the ground and coordinate for response planning and implementation.

• Develop distribution plan including targeting methodology, beneficiary criteria, registration, program location, kit content, distribution methodology and data collection / monitoring, following the AAH distribution and targeting guidelines and program priorities.

• Represent AAH in different regional, zonal, woreda WASH related meeting and also humanitarian coordination platforms and share relevant data with partner organizations and coordination bodies to ensure a harmonized and well–planned response in the sector.

• Ensuring base level WaSH staffs are advised and supported to achieve results and program objectives are met.

Objective 6: Ensure representation of AAH at national and local coordination platforms with other stakeholders 

• Coordinate and ensure harmonization of AAH WaSH responses at base office with other stakeholders working in same intervention areas. Also, ensure no effort duplications are there with other partners during WaSH responses in the intervention areas/ woreda.

• Represent AAH regularly on various relevant meetings, promotes partnership with government local and international NGO’s also with targeted communities at the intervention woredas and Zone. 

• Representing AAH participate in regional & Zonal joint WaSH assessments, surveillances, and taskforce meetings and forward feedbacks on time.

Duty station

• Gimbi Town , West Wollega  ZONE  of Oromiya region , Ethiopia

Fiscal Responsibility

• Budget holder for WASH and ES-NFI projects at base level.

 Supervisory Responsibilities

• Base WASH and ES-NFI Teams

Gender Equality Commitments  

• Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.

• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.

• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status. 

• Value and respect all cultures. 

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required.

• Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases. 

Job Requirements

Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• BSc degree in Engineering or equivalent in the field related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Water resources Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering with a minimum of 6-years working experience.

• Essential to have Engineering background and with strong Emergency WASH response experience. 

Required Skills & Competencies 

• Familiar with WASH and ES-NFI emergency responses, with Sanitation and hygiene promotion tools (CLTSH, SLTSH, PHAST, CHAST, WASH’EM, sanitation marketing,)

• Knowledge of engineering software’s like AutoCAD, Water CAD, EPHANET….

• Able apply skills on water, sanitation and hygiene projects management (public health, engineering….)

• Flexibility, accountability, dedication & responsiveness within areas of responsibilities,

• Significant understanding and experience of donor requirements and donor reporting ,

• interpersonal skill (team management, demonstrated communication skill, reporting, autonomy, organizational skill, staff development,

• decision making and planning, delegation of work, management of staffs, team building, · 

• Willingness for mobility and immediate relocation.

• Demonstrated experience in working in hard to reach areas productively, working in different cultural set ups and knowledge of the socio economic profiles of different regions of the country.

• Knowledge of the standards of WASH and ES-NF items.

• Ability to understand the cultural context of the community and use that culture as an input for organizing the work,). 

How to Apply

If you are interested, please send your application composed of none returnable CV, a Covering Letter with “WASH Program Manager-Wollega” written in the subject line, , and three references, online using THIS LINK

NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be communicated and the selection process includes a technical test and an interview.