WASH Advocacy Advisor at Green Habitat Initiative (GHI)

Employment Type: Contract, Full-Time
Tenure: 8 months (Until end of Dec 2022)
Commencement Date: Immediately

Description

• The WASH Advocacy Advisor will work with stakeholders from local and state governments, rural communities, schools, health centres, etc. to build capacity, influence opinion and facilitate change in the productive and sustainable use of WASH facilities.
• This includes working with key opinion leaders such as administration officials, technical department heads, WASH technical officers, community leaders and members (including females), school teachers, pupils, health workers, etc. to build consensus within the target regions on developing new solutions for sustainability of WASH services.
• The WASH Advocacy Advisor provides leadership in identifying priority concerns and opportunities for advocacy, while strengthening the integration of advocacy and community engagement into our programmes, raising visibility and influence, and guiding advocacy.
• Overall leadership, coordination and strategic direction to our advocacy will be provided by the WASH Advocacy Advisor.
• The WASH Advocacy Advisor will work with project team members to structure and deliver a comprehensive advocacy and community engagement programme.
• The successful candidate will demonstrate her/his capacity to constructively engage local government, communities, pupils, etc. and to facilitate a community led process to achieve increased access and sustainable access to WASH services.

Responsibilities

• Engage and maintain effective relationships with community stakeholders to shape opinions and develop buy-in from local leadership on I-WASH sustainability approaches.
• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction to community advocacy campaigns, providing guidance and structure for effective planning and quality assurance, while ensuring activities are and appear to be community driven.
• Keep opinion leaders (including administration officials, technical department heads, WASH technical officers, community leaders and members (including females), school teachers, pupils, health workers, etc.) engaged and aware of program successes and activities through regular, informative communications.
• Conduct ­­­­periodic multi-stakeholder meetings in order to build consensus within target regions on developing new solutions to water challenges they face.
• Maintain active engagement with other local partners, including local and international NGOs, implementing partners, and other development sector stakeholders.
• Ensure that cross-cutting themes such as safe programming, and climate change are effectively integrated into community campaigns.
• Facilitate and document lessons learned and best practices generated by community-run activities, and organize learning and sharing opportunities between project-based and external stakeholders on a regular basis as appropriate.
• Use problem-solving and consensus-building skills to promote coordination among diverse interests and institutions.
• Strengthen and support community platforms to provide the building blocks to support sustainability of WASH services. Furthermore, the strengthening of these platforms is part of a longer-term process to help communities develop the attitude to provide and sustain access to needed WASH services
• Develop a role-playing script and direct drama in communities and schools that showcase I-WASH objectives.
• Promote sanitation marketing and community led total sanitation (CLTS) in the communities.
• Proffer innovative ways of engaging with communities, schools and health centres to achieve I-WASH goals.

Qualifications

• A B.Sc Degree in Communication and Journalism or any other related field.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in community and stakeholder engagement and mobilization.
• Experience conducting Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and Sanitation Marketing (SanMark) Programs.
• Experience conducting drama/role-playing programs with communities and school children.
• Demonstrable experience of successfully achieving advocacy objectives, in the context of an NGO influencing agenda.
• Demonstrable experience of designing and delivering successful advocacy strategies.
• Ability to conceptualize ideas clearly and concisely in written and oral form, innovative, plan and execute ideas is required.
• Demonstrated experience with capacity building of local organizations and community leaders to support their design and implementation of community driven advocacy campaigns.
• Knowledge and prior application of participatory methodologies.
• Strong leadership, analytical and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly assess priorities and effectively manage a variety of activities at a time while paying appropriate attention to detail.
• Fluency in English and Hausa Languages are required.
• Be computer-savvy. GHI uses different computer and digital programs to execute our activities.
• Ability to learn quickly is essential.