Chemonics International, Inc., is a US-based international development consulting company, operating in over 95 countries, that is implementing the USAID-funded Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project in Ethiopia.

Chemonics seeks a WASH Services Specialist for the USAID Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Activity. The purpose of this Activity will be to support accelerated access to safe, adequate, inclusive, and resilient WASH services targeting urban and peri-urban areas. The Activity will work to achieve this through four complementary objectives: 1) Enable and professionalize WASH service providers; 2) Foster markets for pro-poor and inclusive WASH services; 3) Strengthen WASH planning, budgeting, and service delivery oversight; and 4) Strengthen accountability among urban WASH sector actors.

The WASH Services Specialist will closely work with the regional government offices, utilities, municipalities, and city administrations. Based on utility and municipality assessments, they will access targeted technical assistance and organizational support from the technical WASH teams and assist in the design and implementation of targeted activities to strengthen the capacity of utilities and municipalities.

This position will report to WASH Service lead and will be based in Dessie, Ethiopia. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world as well as demonstrated capacity building expertise; experience supporting projects to achieve scale and objectives; and experience building relationships.

Responsibilities: 

• Oversee technical design and implementation of WASH services activities in Dessie/ Kombolcha city;
• Support capacity building interventions for utilities by working with the Senior Water Engineer and Senior Hygiene and Sanitation Expert to expand WASH services, citizen access and citizen satisfaction;
• Work with the WASH Governance Advisor to integrate city wide inclusive WASH into municipality planning and management
• In consultation with the Regional Team Director and the technical team, provide program leadership, strategy development, management, and oversight, and support technical direction for WASH service programming in Dessie/ Kombolcha city;
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with regional government counterparts, project stakeholders, community, private sector, and civil society;
• Provide technical assistance for the utility in day-to-day operation including solving challenges with operation and maintenance, Oversight and advice on the daily data recording at water sources and pumping stations, supporting in data recording, and maintaining, etc.
• Advice the utility on Environmental protection particularly on wastewater management, technical assistance capacity building interventions for utilities,
• Provide technical assistance for the utility in day-to-day operation including identifying the major cause of NRW and   introducing actions   to reduce NRW  and support the implementations  with the guidance of Senior water engineer , provide  training on O&M  for the utilities expert  jointly with Water supply engineer and other electromechanically experts
• Engage in different WASH clusters organized in the region and represent the Urban WASH in different platforms
• Ensure the use of appropriate management tools to plan, organize, and monitor costs and resources to achieve project objectives
• In consultation with the Regional Team Director, support the utilities and municipalities in work planning, budget, performance management, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic communications to ensure that all project assistance is technically sound and appropriate;
• Identify and mitigate potential issues and risks related to project implementation in a timely manner and drive appropriate programmatic adjustments;
• Other duties as assigned by the Regional Team Director.

About You

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in relevant field such as water supply engineering, sanitary engineering, water resources or an equivalent combination of education and work experience in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience for Bachler degree or 8 years for master’s degree of demonstrated experience in WASH   and/or international development on donor funded programs.
• Direct work experience with utility and urban wash is highly preferred.

Skills: 

• Strong ability to collaborate and build partnerships with host country governments, U.S. government agencies, donor agencies, international organizations, and the private sector
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity;
• Proficiency with software such as WaterCAD/WaterGEMS, EPANET, AutoCAD and Microsoft Project.
• Fluency in English with excellent oral and written communication skills required; proficiency in Amharic and Tigrigna is highly preferred.