WASH Senior Officer at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

• Mercy Corps is looking for a strong WASH Senior Officer who will be responsible for the day to day planning, implementation, and monitoring of the WASH component in Gwoza and Damboa.
• S/he will work closely with all Project and Support staff and ensure a high level of integration and communication across all sectors.
• The WASH Senior Officer must ensure the smooth implementation of program objectives according to approved work plan, adherence to budgets, and within a level of quality that can be measured through M&E interventions.

Essential Job Functions

• Under the guidance of Field Manager and WASH Coordinator, supervise the implementation of the program in the field, and provide input into design and improvement of WASH infrastructure in targeted areas.
• Oversee the implementation of all WASH sector activities and administration of the team in respective field location
• Develop activity work plans, manage day-to-day activity implementation, conduct quality control visits and submit timely program update;
• With technical guidance from the WASH Program Advisor, design and oversee technical and social WASH assessment tools;
• Analyze assessment data and develop appropriate messaging related to water, sanitation and hygiene behaviors in targeted communities;
• Prepare detailed project designs, estimates and drawings as required, including lists of materials, labor, and technical specifications;
• In collaboration with the WASH Program Advisor, WASH Coordinator, Humanitarian Program Manager (OFDA) assist the procurement team to prepare tender documents, review the technical profiles of contractors, and ensure materials procured meet required quality standards;
• Ensure the use of construction supervision check lists for each site to document progress and quality standards;
• Conduct regular monitoring at WASH infrastructure project sites;
• Promote community involvement and ownership in all water and sanitation activities and infrastructure projects and advise on hand-over protocols and activities;
• In collaboration with the WASH Program Coordinator, perform final inspection of completed WASH infrastructure projects, and ensure that technical, safety and environmental standards have been met;
• Establish and maintain effective program reporting, document filing, and monitoring and evaluation systems (to track, analyze and report on results) for both internal and external use;
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate;
• Ensure program filing system is in place, adheres to internal and donor regulation and filing is regularly maintained;
• Adhere to all MC policies related to security, operations and transport/ logistics information related to programming.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
• to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Accountability:

• Supervisory Responsibility: Program Officers and Assistants
• Reports Directly To: Field Managers with dotted line to WASH Coordinator, WASH Advisor and Humanitarian Program Manager (OFDA)
• Works Directly With: All program teams, Operations, and MC beneficiaries.

Knowledge and Experience

• Degree or HND in Civil, Water Engineering or Community/Public/Environmental Health Sciences.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience plus 1 year or more in supervision or team leadership position, preferably with an international NGO.
• Excellent skills and experience in the assessment and supervision of WASH and rural projects
• Proven ability to lead a team of professionals in the field of expertise in order to successfully achieve the objectives of the project.
• Experience in water supply systems; boreholes, pumping, basic hydraulics, etc is required.
• Creativity in program implementation with a demonstrated pattern of logical thinking. Sincere commitment to ensuring gender sensitivity in WASH activities is required.
• Knowledge of humanitarian principles and its application to program implementation is highly required.
• Computer literacy with good knowledge of Office applications and database is required.
• Knowledge and ability to use other engineering software is a plus
• A focus on team building and staff capacity building.
• A strong team player, Outgoing personality with good communication and training skills
• Ability to communicate in English, Hausa and relevant location specific language.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.
• Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• The position will be based in Gwoza and Damboa, Borno State, Nigeria. Access to good medical services in the field is limited.