Save the Children WASH Field Coordinator Job in Meru, Kenya

Save the Children
 

Vacancy: WASH Field Coordinator
 

Position Code: WASH/MERU/0015
 

Team / Programme: Programmes

Location: Meru
 

Grade: 3

Post Type: National (12 Months)
 

Child Safeguarding: Level 3 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people.
 

Role Purpose: The Field Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day intervention operations, to include; management of two field trainers, stipend payments for healthcare workers, logistics support, data collection and intervention monitoring and quality control. 

The Field Coordinator will ensure that local government and healthcare staff are introduced to the study and agree to participate. 

 

The Field Coordinator will manage the identification of participating clinics and health extension staff and the training of those staff. Following training, the Field Coordinator will monitor healthcare workers’ delivery of the intervention while also providing financial and logistical support to participating health workers. The field coordinator will supervise two WASH Officers (both based in Igembe). 
 

Scope of Role: The intervention area is Igembe North and Igembe Central sub-counties in Meru County, Kenya. This is a rural area about 250 km northeast of Nairobi, Kenya. The intervention will take place at all government funded (public) antenatal care facilities in these areas. Travel distances and associated costs may guide our selection of clinics to include in this intervention.

The study will include the following arms:

• Clinic staff and health extension workers receive no intervention (control group)


• Intervention arm 1 – Clinic staff will be encouraged to use the handwashing promotion tools/materials on mothers when they come to the clinic for care


• Intervention arm 2 – Clinic staff and associated community health extension workers will be encouraged to use the handwashing promotion tools/materials when mothers come to the clinic for care and during ANC visits to the home


• Intervention arm 3 – Clinic staff and associated community health extension workers will be encouraged to use the handwashing promotion tools/materials when mothers come to the clinic for care and during ANC visits to the home. During the ANC visit, households will receive a handwashing station and soap for the home.


• The project will meet with the Supervising Administrator for each antenatal care facility to describe the intervention and to request participation in the study. In addition, the project will request the Administrator to allow antenatal care clinic staff to be trained to promote handwashing using a pre-specified set of tools, and to encourage staff to carry out the handwashing promotion to pregnant women. 

Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH. 

In 2012, as part of a global reorganization process, Save the Children combined the programmes of SC UK, SC Canada and SC Finland to create a single operation in Kenya. In Feb 2014, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merge their health and nutrition programmes with our own. 

Save the Children now has an operational presence in Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Turkana and Wajir and we work through partners in many other parts of the country. We employ nearly 300 staff and will have an operating annual budget in 2015 of approximately US$20-25 million.

Background: Handwashing is difficult for mothers of newborns to carry out, as indicated by several qualitative studies undertaken in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Kenya (http://www.mchip.net/node/3115).  

In a rural area in western Kenya and an urban area in Nairobi, mothers of newborns reported barriers to handwashing such as her perception of being too busy due to lack of assistance for housework and childcare, the lack of soap and water where she needs them (especially at night), a disabling environment created when decision makers of a household (e.g. husbands) do not prioritize handwashing, and a lack of information about how to wash hands to prevent illness in the neonate from health care workers (Kaimenyi, Mulindi et al 2014). 

Facilitators and motivators for handwashing included perceived vulnerability of newborn to infection and a benefit of handwashing to prevent illness (http://www.mchip.net/node/2986). A study among mothers of children less than five years old in Kenya found habit and a desire for cleanliness were associated with handwashing practices, but it is unclear how well these drivers may influence maternal handwashing behavior during the neonatal period (Aunger, Schmidt et al. 2010).

Prior studies have demonstrated that, among mothers and other primary caregivers of young children, handwashing at times of possible pathogen transmission needs improvement.  

A 2010 publication by Aunger and colleagues reports that caregivers were observed to wash hands with soap at 31% of toileting events, and 13% of events of serving food to or feeding a child. (Aunger, Schmidt et al. 2010)  Fixed locations for handwashing with soap are uncommon in many Kenyan homes, thereby potentially decreasing the convenience of handwashing behavior. (Kamm, Feikin et al. 2014) 

Development of a scalable, cost-effective intervention to promote handwashing with soap among mothers and caregivers of newborns has the potential to decrease neonatal mortality in Kenya. Addressing key motivators and barriers identified by Kenyan mothers and families can guide development of an acceptable, effective handwashing promotion intervention.
 

Reports to: WASH Technical
 

Staff directly reporting to this post: 2 WASH officers
 

Key Areas of Accountability:
 

Quality Programme, Implementation, Management and Reporting Programme

• Provide technical support to SCI staff, partners and government authorities on the planning, implementation and management of the MCSP HW study programmes and information gathering and compilation services


• Provide technical support in the development and implementation of annual work plans, procurement plans and spending plans in line with donor regulations.


• Provide technical support in the design and implementation of key intervention areas, namely but not limited to: ARMS 1 – 4, community aspects


• Ensuring that a coherent and consistent implementation strategy is developed, and that activities are implemented in accordance with this.


• Ensure that the implementation of the programme conforms to internationally accepted standards and national guidelines


• Provide guidance to field staff on the implementing MCSP Programmes on the integration of the HW component into the overall primary health care Programmes and curative services, starting with the identification of health care workers to receive hand washing promotion training and equipment’s.


• Key in the management of the study materials and equipment’s in liaison with the MoH, SCI, Consultants and other key partners


• In collaboration with the partners support the project assistants to introduce the hand washing promotion intervention to the county ministry of health and healthcare facility management and also field sites organization of logistics and staff movements.


• Together with Project Health Coordinators and CHTs, ensure proper communication, coordination and harmonization of tools with the different stakeholders involved in the study activities


• Provide technical leadership and support for conducting the surveys and the level of coverage and monitoring / assessments in all the project sites


• Support the Sub- county team in the roll out of the study in collaboration with the national and county health authorities.

Staff Management

• Ensure that appropriate qualified staffing levels are in place and provide regular support, supervision and implementation of other staff management processes including staff performance management. 


• Manage all human resources within SCI’s work in nutrition through a consultative and transparent team approach.


• Provide technical support and  supervision of the field staff and promote learning based on study programme objectives and activities and ensure documentation and sharing of learning with other sectors and Programmes


• Ensure that staff responsibilities are clearly defined and understood with performance objectives set against work plans and regularly monitored. 


• Ensure that staff requirements are identified and that staff are given every opportunity to increase their competencies, capacities and own personnel development


• Provide key intervention responsibilities and support to staff based on the implementation agenda


• Ensure effective involvement of staff in running the programme through participatory approach to planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and decision-making.


• Ensure that staff perform well and they are monitored in monthly basis to fulfil the indicators of the program


• Enforce SCI’s code of conduct in management of staff including human resources and accountability related issues.


• Be innovative in enhancing the study program quality.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Provide technical lead in the implementation and follow up of the study routine monitoring and supervision plan in liaison with the sub county health team; including joint monitoring plans.


• On a quarterly basis organize for review and update progress of the study program against set targets with key program staff.


• Support the conduction of surveys and train staff accordingly


• Take lead in guidance and documentation of best practices in the program; including case studies


• Coordinate the compilation of timely reports of the program.


• Routinely monitor study commodities like soap stock levels and provide commodity  requisition support


• Together with  health information officer maintain MCSP information data base


• Monitor the program expenditure against budgets and follow up on all pending payments


• Ensure the timely transmission of quality data from the health workers and health centres


• Work with WASH specialist to compile internal and external reports for submission.

Coordination and Representation

• To advocate with all partners on improving access to quality hand washing with soap for vulnerable populations through multi-sectorial and interagency coordination.


• To maintain and strengthen established links with NGOs, and other agencies including government ministries and agencies.


• Within delegated authority represent SCI and maintain working relationship with relevant host government ministries, UN agencies, International and local non-governmental health organizations  with a mandate to promote the hand washing agenda and  influence policies of Government, UN agencies and other humanitarian actors with regards to WASH.


• Represent SCI professionally by attending MCSP in WASH meetings/forums with partners, other NGOs and other agencies as required

Security

• Full adherence to SCI Kenya security procedures.


• Full adherence to SCI Kenya field communication protocols and standard operating procedures, informing fellow team members and the Program Coordinator immediately of any security incident.


• To behave at all times in a manner which positively promotes SCI and its work and actively maintaining SCI’s acceptance strategy in SCI operational areas.

Skills and Behaviours (our Values in Practice)
 

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values


• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate remedial actions when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same


• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others


• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters


• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength


• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions


• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates the highest levels of integrity

Experience

• A University degree or higher in Public health, communications or social sciences.


• 7 years’ work experience in Public Health, communications, or social sciences.


• 3 years’ experience managing a program budget.

Qualifications:

• Experience working on a randomized controlled trial or other research study


• Proficiency in English and Kiswahili with strong written and oral communication skills in each


• Technical expertise and experience in hygiene/hand washing promotion, behavior change communication, and health systems strengthening in developing countries.


• Experience conducting training of trainers for health care staff


• Experience in working with relevant GOK departments and especially the Ministry of health


• Familiar with the Kenyan community strategy approach


• Demonstrated effectiveness in managing and maintaining supply and equipment inventories across a decentralized environment


• Well-developed inter-personal and communication skills with an ability to: communicate effectively with others from different social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, adapt to different cultures and be a supportive member of a team


• Demonstrated experience of working effectively with a team of international staff to adapt to a variety of institutional structures and cultures


• Demonstrated experience managing staff remotely


• Must be willing to relocate in Igembe, Meru County for the duration of the position (12 months)


• Willingness to travel frequently (locally)

Desirable:    

• Work experience in Kenya


• Sensitivity to and ability to act appropriately in the local culture


• Flexibility, responsiveness, discipline and patience


• Experience working with a multinational and geographically separated team

How to Apply

Interested candidates are required to submit a CV and mandatory Cover letter to Kenya.jobapplications@savethechildren.org indicating the Position Code on the subject line by 27th May 2015.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.