Delegate, Regional Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Recruitment on a Rolling Basis)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192-member National Societies. The overall aim of  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.”  IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  IFRC also has country cluster delegations and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

Strategy 2030 is further positioning National Societies within the Universal Health Coverage Agenda, with a strong focus on community health and epidemic pandemic preparedness and response. Health, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), is a top crucial contribution from National Societies towards strengthening the resilience of communities in the face of protracted and severe crises and a changing climate among other risks in the region. The IFRC MENA approach 2022-2025 has well-articulated as well the need for enhanced support to the MENA National Societies in those related thematic areas.

The MENA Regional Office based in Beirut; Lebanon supports 17 National Societies in the region. The MENA Health, Disasters, Climate and Crises (HDCC) Unit within the MENA Regional Office and works with the unified regional plan as well as provides technical support & thematic quality assurance to country/country cluster delegations. Most of the National Societies in the MENA Region are heavily engaged in emergency health including pre-hospital care and medical services, MHPSS, community-based health and WASH interventions.

The MENA HDCC Unit has articulated its alignment with the IFRC global strategic priorities and the relevant enabling actions.

The Regional WASH Delegate (MENA) is expected to provide strategic and technical leadership, coordination, and management of MENA WASH files as part of the HDCC Unit to further contribute and support Regional and country-level programs and operations including:

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 of both rural and urban with a public health focus and ensuring sound and consistent coordination between the Regional Office with cluster and country delegations, the National Societies/membership and the wider international and humanitarian networks and to link and integrate WASH 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) provide additional support to the Global WASH Team when appropriate while contributing to resource mobilization and localization of WASH capacities in MENA.

The post holder will be also serving as an outreach technical surge capacity (up to 4 weeks per technical visit) to be deployed on short technical missions to country/cluster delegations to deliver specific WASH ToRs.

Provide technical support to National Societies to build further WASH capacity and performance

• Deliver 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
• Lead and contribute to the scaling up of WASH programmes, especially in developmental and urban WASH, by National Societies in the MENA
• Ensure provision of tailored 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’.
• Advise to advance MENA NSs contribution to the four focus areas of WASH related work streams: WASH for development through expansion of GWSI and One WASH; WASH in disasters; WASH during public health emergencies and WASH in Urban
• Lead and contribute to addressing specific challenges in MENA including Climate Change; Water Scarcity; Water Quality and the safe reuse or treatment of Wastewater.
• Plan and conduct various capacity-building exercises including trainings, webinars, and simulations to enhance MENA NSs societies capacity in different aspects of WASH sector.

Ensure that backstopping and coordination of WASH in emergencies is delivered

• Actively engage with and provide support to the WASH cluster where active in the
• Be available and when required to backstop the RCRC WASH element of the regional rapid response (surge) mechanisms and 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 their region.
• Work closely with the emergency health team and operations coordination team when backstopping any emergency to ensure WASH activities (including hygiene promotion) are integrated in emergency operations and directed at areas of highest needs and, particularly during infectious disease emergencies, epidemics, and pandemics where WASH programs are supporting disease control and prevention of transmission in all relevant settings (clinical, home, environment etc.)
• Design special tailored WASH messages to support MENA NSs response to different public health emergencies
• Lead the regional effort on strengthening capacities of MENA NSs on preparedness and response to potential diseases outbreaks in their communities.

Ensure that IFRC takes a leading role in contributing to delivering quality in WASH operations and programs

• Ensure that tools, guidelines, and projects are based on evidence, applicable international standards and follow a resilience-based health
• Ensure that operational questions and challenges are addressed by operational research in partnership with different research institutions and other partners in the MENA
• Ensure that behavioural change components and training are following good standards and are aligned to HDCC Unit wide
• Support scoping, monitoring, and evaluation missions to assess the progress the implementation of emergency and developmental WASH interventions in MENA region
• Ensure that all WASH related reporting requirements are submitted in most timely and efficient manner

Lead and further enable contributions to the RC\RC to be a leading Global and Regional player in the WASH sector

• Facilitate 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.
• Support national societies to 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 programmes and effective public health
• Contribute to and support community led WASH, both rural and urban, as a significant means of contributing towards achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other relevant regional health development
• Work closely, with other members of the Regional HDCC unit members, with the communications and Strategic engagement and partnerships Teams at the Regional, cluster and country level contributing to ensuring appropriate visibility, resource mobilization and public awareness of the work of IFRC/RCRC.

Lead the WASH component to contribute effectively to a high quality HDCC Unit and team

• Be accountable to the Health and care thematic lead by providing regular progress reports on results against
• Be flexible in their work definition according to needs and targets and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within available
• Be a pro-active team member fostering a customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, high performance, and cost
• Contribute effectively to Resource Mobilization.
• Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the HDCC Unit and MENA Region and the with National Societies including an open and co-operative view to the actors in the relevant external
• Manage the Regional WASH Budget while strengthening financial standards. Ensure regular reports on use of funds are provided, budget needs are met and reported upon in a timely and efficient manner.

• University degree or diploma in engineering, WASH, Public Health or equivalent professional experience - Required
• Relevant post graduate degree in public health -Preferred

• At least 7 years working experience in the humanitarian or development sector, with a focus on WASH   - Required
• Demonstrated professional credibility in the sector and experience working in an international or cross-cultural environment. - Required
• 5 years management and supervisory experience in a multicultural environment, with developing countries and/or with an international organisation at management level- Required 
• Experience working in a RC/RC National Society and/or Federation/ICRC - Preferred

• Knowledge of WASH and public health and experience in practically applying this knowledge into policy, programmes and positioning - Required 
• Programme and project management - Required 
• Results oriented and demand driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations. - Required 
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead within a matrix management structure and utilise talent and experience of team members in a productive way.- Required 
• Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive. - Required  
• Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners.- Required 
• Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation
• 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 

Languages 

• Fluently spoken and written English - Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic) - Preferred

• Professionalism,
• Accountability,
• Teamwork,
• Communication,
• Innovation,
• Professional Mastery

IFRC Ensures Equal Employment Opportunities