Associate WASH Officer

The Associate WASH Officer provides professional technical support and guidance on Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) activities within the Areas of Responsibility. The role supports sustainable WASH programme implementation, coordination with government and partners, capacity building, monitoring, and reporting to ensure adequate hygiene promotion and WASH services for refugees and host communities.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of sustainable WASH responses and inclusion of refugees in national/local WASH systems in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Maintain communication with sector staff in emergencies to monitor response and raise issues.
• Contribute to development, updates and reporting of joint appeals and refugee response plans.
• Support review and update of WASH contingency plans for epidemics and population movements.
• Facilitate multi-sector team support including settlement planning, shelter, energy, climate, finance, protection, livelihoods and health.
• Support collection and analysis of WASH and climate action data in TIMS.
• Support definition of UNHCR involvement scope during emergency, transition and protracted phases.
• Review and analyze partner project proposals and budgets.
• Use community-based approaches involving diverse groups in WASH infrastructure and service design.
• Contribute to technical assistance and mainstreaming of client-focused, cost-effective WASH programmes.
• Ensure development of IEC materials through community consultations.
• Facilitate capacity strengthening of UNHCR and partners on WASH.
• Ensure community capacity building on menstrual health, hygiene promotion, operation and maintenance, monitoring and reporting.
• Support monitoring of WASH programmes against UNHCR and SDG indicators.
• Ensure monitoring and quality assurance using UNHCR’s WASH monitoring system and TIMS.
• Monitor collection and recording of SDG 6 WASH access data for comparative reporting.
• Collate WASH service access data to promote inclusion within national SDG 6 plans and financing.
• Foster access to feedback and accountability mechanisms for WASH services.
• Draft sectorial reports and contribute to project monitoring reports.
• Provide input for donor and management reporting and briefings.
• Contribute to global/regional collaborations with WASH stakeholders.
• Support advocacy for inclusion of forcibly displaced people in WASH development plans.
• Support alignment of WASH activities with UNHCR manuals, emergency handbook and GCR principles.
• Advise on alignment of humanitarian WASH programs with national/local standards.
• Support maintenance and application of WASH strategy covering water supply, excreta management, hygiene, solid waste, vector control and institutional facilities.
• Update needs and resource assessments and revise technical plans with partners.
• Advise UNHCR programme staff on WASH planning, budgeting and financial management.
• Work with partners to ensure human right to water and sanitation for people outside settlements.
• Address gaps and overlaps in UNHCR funded WASH programmes and unmet needs.
• Report regularly on WASH activity implementation and maintain performance records.
• Support coordination of WASH implementing partners and other agencies to meet standards and policies.
• Facilitate inclusive and good practice coordination structures at national and field levels.
• Support national governments for inclusion of refugees in SDG 6 plans and financing.
• Build strategic partnerships with development and humanitarian agencies for refugee WASH inclusion.
• Engage with WASH actors for preparedness planning, tariff inclusion and service provision.
• Support risk identification and management in WASH functional area.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Requirements

• 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
• Degree in Civil Engineering, Hydrology, Water Resources Development, Public Health Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water/Sanitation Engineering, or other relevant field.
• Certificates and/or Licenses in Geographic Information Systems (essential).
• Proven expertise in WASH including surveys, programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation, data management and coordination.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast changing environment while handling competing priorities.
• Good interpersonal, written and spoken communication and data analysis skills and capacity to interact with diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.
• Good computer skills.
• Desirable knowledge of water and wastewater hydraulics and physical, chemical and biological properties; solid waste management practices, vector control and hygiene promotion/awareness raising strategies.
• Desirable knowledge of relationship between water, wastewater, solid waste, vector control to public health indicators, and value of hygiene promotion/awareness raising and behaviour change methodologies.
• Field level experience in leading transitions to local/national service providers in WASH or energy, including development of transition plans and budgets, stakeholder coordination and development of users’ associations/committees/cooperatives.

Skills

• WASH Programme Management
• WASH Monitoring and Evaluation
• Data Management
• Geographic Information System
• Survey Design
• Water Resources Development
• Public Health Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Water and Wastewater Hydraulics
• Waste Management
• Vector Control
• Hygiene Promotion
• Behaviour Change Methodologies
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Transition Planning
• Budget Development
• Users Association Development
• Computer Skills
• Data Analysis

Languages

English