About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.  Now, and for the future. We help people overcome poverty and conflict. Working with communities, we leverage local logic to help people transform their lives. To grow more food, earn higher incomes and ultimately advocate for their needs. We see global challenges as an invitation to pioneer innovative, sustainable solutions. During our 34-year history, our work has improved more than 170 million lives in more than 115 countries around the world. Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

Position Title:   WASH Officer

 Duty Station:  Konso and Gode

 Open Position:  Two

 Program / Department Summary

As part of its humanitarian response program, Mercy Corps is anticipating USAID/BHA funded Humanitarian Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP) to respond to the immediate needs of vulnerable individuals in  the Somali, SNNP and Oromia regions to meet their immediate WASH, Livelihoods, Nutrition and Health requirements and basic needs to navigate through stresses and shocks.

 General Position Summary

Under the direction and management of program manager and program coordinator, the WASH officer will be responsible for providing technical advice and support management and project staff on implementation of WASH activities, deliver training and ensure quality programming. Lead, monitor and evaluate technical aspects of the WASH activities. Coordinate and network at a field level with local authorities, clusters and other NGOs, providing capacity building for field staff, championing best practice and contributing to the overall management of the country program. He/ She will also ensure that all capacity-building activities related to WASH activities are carried out in an effective and participatory manner.  He/ She will further ensure that all WASH activities are done in a context-sensitive manner, and holistically coordinated with other Mercy Corps projects including livelihoods, health and nutrition sectors and other stakeholders. In addition, he/she will contribute to the proper representation of Mercy Corps and establish strong linkage with government, UN agencies, and other key stakeholders.

Essential Job Responsibilities

·        Provide technical support to field level hygiene promotion officer on potential involvement in new WASH interventions and internal WASH capacity for implementation

·        Define appropriate policies, guidelines and protocols for the WASH activities of Mercy Corps’ in consultation with other field managers and in line with relevant government, Sphere and WHO guidelines

·        Carry out regular monitoring visits in conjunction with other staffs, ensuring that project objectives are met within the stated time-frames

·        Maintain an oversight of WASH NFI supplies and water quality standards ordered for the emergency WASH project, supporting the WASH and logistics staff in the coordination and quality control of WASH supplies

·        Whenever necessary (highly technical activities) prepare design document, bill of quantities, organizes a competitive bidding process with the procurement team to select the most qualified and cost-effective contractor

·        Ensures all emergency WASH activities are implemented in accordance with the Mercy Corps, donor and government guidelines and policies

·        Ensure appropriate design, construction and implementation of WASH facilities according to technical standards. Prepare drawings, Bill of Quantities and contract document; lead the bid evaluation and related contract administration components of the project

·        Ensures application of best-practices in the WASH interventions.  Ensures a coherent, community-based and market approach to emergency WASH services

·        Documents and disseminates success stories and lessons learned

·        Conducts participatory surveys, needs assessments, data and information collection as per the needs and schedules of the program

·        Guide program officers and team in, and support, joint community-based analysis and awareness-raising around resource conditions, and the interests and needs among multiple key stakeholders

·        Oversee processes in relation to community priorities and needs of Water schemes

·        Work closely with the other emergency technical and mobile team and field level advisors to support timely implementations of action plans

Strategy & Vision

●       Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

●       Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

●       Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

 Program Management

●       Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.

●       Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

●       Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.

●       Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts & oversee a training program for program partners.

●       Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as WASH, psychosocial and capacity building of partners.

●       Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.

●       Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

●       Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

●       Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

●       Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Team Management

●       Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.

●        Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.

●       Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.

●       Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

●       Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Finance & Compliance Management

●       Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.

●       Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation

●       Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.

●       Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

·        B. Sc degree in Hydraulic and or Water Resources Engineering, or related field. 5 years of experience in WASH projects including infrastructure development.

·        Key programmatic knowledge includes project formulation and design, SBCC, and project management

·        NGO/Private sector experience has a significant advantage

·        Excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, especially in a cross-cultural setting, required.

·        Ability to take direction, follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required.

Success Factors

·        Good organizational skills

·        Ability to analyze complex situations and to make recommendations for improvement of and contribute to overall program strategy

·        Experience in conducting training and workshops

·        Experience with monitoring and evaluation

·        Willingness and ability to perform fieldwork and travel to the most remote areas

·        Hard-working, honest, dedicated, ability to communicate clearly and effectively at all levels – with colleagues, government and military officials, community leaders and community members