Regional WASH Program Officer (applications of: Lebanese, Jordanians, & Tunisians will be considered)

Background

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, with 192 member National Societies. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our work is guided by seven fundamental principles; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organization established by and comprised of its member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. The Regional Office MENA in Beirut has a Health and WASH Unit led by the Regional Health Coordinator. The Regional WASH Program Officer (MENA) will report to the Regional WASH Advisor (MENA) as line manager and technically to the WASH Team Leader at the Secretariat in Geneva. The Regional WASH Program Officer (MENA) is a member of the Global WASH Team and supports the IFRC's global and regional programmatic vision for WASH and its translation into activities, programs and operations in close collaboration with NS’s, by providing technical advice, support and coordination in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene promotion throughout the resilience continuum (in emergency, recovery and development contexts). Specifically, the position will focus primarily on the especially on WASH engineering and ‘hardware’ aspects in support to MENA NS’s and in close collaboration with the Regional WASH Program Officer (software) already established.

Job Purpose

The Regional WASH Program Officer (MENA) is expected to contribute and support Regional and country-level programs and operations namely (1) delivery of all regional initiatives and activities covered by the WASH programs (water, sanitation, hygiene) with equal emphasis on both emergency and development efforts inclusive both rural and urban with a public health focus. Ensure sound and consistent coordination between the Regional Office Health and WASH Team with cluster and country offices, the National Societies/membership and the wider international and humanitarian network and to ensure linkages and integration in a resilience-based program approach (2) contribute to and backstop coordination of WASH support during emergencies and provide growth and quality assurance to developmental WASH efforts (3) as a member provide additional support to the Global WASH Team when appropriate.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Enable RCRC to be a global leading player in the WASH sector

• Contribute to and support the coordination of the work of RCRC at relevant country and regional levels and on occasion regional fora, in publications, conferences and meetings and ensure that relevant advocacy themes are well presented and to the positioning of the RCRC as a regional leader in all WASH aspects. both emergency and community-led developmental WASH.
• Contribute to national societies input in the development of regional policies, strategies, guidelines and tools as well as the integration of these standards into the work of RCRC to ensure sound and sustainable WASH programs and effective public health outcomes.
• Contribute to and support community-led WASH, both rural and urban, as a significant means of contributing towards the achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). and other relevant regional health development targets.
• Work closely, with other members of the Regional Health and WASH Team, with the Communications and Partnerships Teams at Regional, cluster and country-level contributing to ensuring appropriate visibility, resource mobilization and public awareness of the work of IFRC/RCRC.

Support National Societies in order to improve its WASH performance**

• Support the mapping of regional WASH programming in the MENA region, monitor progress and best practices and priority needs of National Societies especially in the context of developmental and emergency WASH and contribute to the provision of strategy and policy advice to National Societies.
• Contribute to the provision of leadership in the scaling up of WASH programs, especially in developmental and urban WASH, by National Societies in the MENA region.
• Contribute to providing specific technical support to ensure National Societies in the Region are able to effectively incorporate WASH within each stage of the emergency cycle and along the resilience continuum: strengthening of WASH as part of prevention; WASH disaster preparedness; water quality monitoring as part of community disease detection and early warning; emergency WASH response including full spectrum of public health-related WASH capacities and WASH during recovery aimed at ‘building back better’. Contribute to the four focus areas of WASH-related workstreams: WASH for development through expansion of GWSI and One WASH; WASH in disasters; WASH during public health emergencies and WASH in Urban Settings.

Contribute to and backstop coordination of WASH during emergencies

• As a priority focus upon Covid 19 Operation.

• Actively engage with and provide support to the Global WASH cluster where active in the Region.

• Contribute to and when required backstop the RCRC Regional WASH surge mechanisms and, as part of cross-organizational Emergency Support Team and in conjunction with partner and host National Societies, ensure that the right people with the right skills and equipment are able to be deployed to the right places at the right time to support National Societies WASH needs in the MENA region.

• Work closely with the emergency health team when backstopping any emergency so as to ensure WASH activities (including hygiene promotion) are directed at areas of highest needs and, particularly during infectious disease emergencies, WASH programs are supporting disease control and prevention of transmission in all relevant settings (clinical, home, environment etc.)

Contribute to Delivering quality in operations

• Ensure that tools, guidelines and projects are based on evidence, applicable international standards and follow a resilience-based health approach.
• Ensure that operational questions and challenges are addressed by operational research in partnership with different research institutions and other partners in the MENA region.
• Ensure that behavioural change components and training are following good standards and are aligned to department-wide approaches.

Contribute to an effective, high-quality IFRC team:

• Be accountable to the Regional Health Coordinator, and Regional WASH Advisor and the Global WASH Team Leader by providing regular progress reports on results against objectives.

• Be flexible in your work definition according to needs and targets and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within available resources.

• Be a pro-active team member fostering a customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, high performance and cost-effectiveness.

• Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the MENA Region and the with National Societies including and open and co-operative view to the actors in the relevant external environment.

• Manage aspects of the Regional WASH Budget under supervision.

Duties applicable to all staff

1. Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals
2. Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles
3. Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

Education

• University degree or diploma in WASH Engineering or similar. Required
• Relevant post-graduate degree in public health. Preferred

Experience

• At least 3 years working experience in the humanitarian or development sector, or a public or private entity with a focus on WASH Hardware. Required
• Demonstrated professional credibility in the sector and experience working in a country or regional level or cross-cultural environment. Preferred
• 2 years management and supervisory experience with an international organization at management level or a public utility company or government ministry. Required
• Experience working in an RC/RC National Society and/or Federation/ICRC. Preferred

Knowledge, skills and languages

• Knowledge of WASH Hardware and its relation to public health and experience in practically applying this knowledge into policy, programs and positioning. Required
• Program and project management. Required
• Results-oriented and demand-driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations. Preferred
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead within a matrix management structure and utilize talent and experience of team members in a productive way. Preferred
• Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive. Preferred
• Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners. Preferred
• Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organization. Required
• Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality. Required
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels. Required
• Ability to work within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment. Required
• fluently spoken and written English and Arabic. Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French). Preferred

Competencies and values

Values, Core Competencies, Managerial Competencies, Functional Competencies.

For those who are interested in this position, the application is only accepted through the following link:

https://www.ifrc.org/en/who-we-are/working-with-us/current-vacancies/job-description/?id=65835

Any application sent by email or applied by any other means will not be considered.