WASH Officer

Country: Kenya

Organization: Peace Winds Japan

Closing date: 13 Jun 2022

Location of activity: IFO, Dagahaley and Hagadera refugee camps in Dadaab and Fafi sub counties, Garissa County.

Duration: 7 Months (June 2022-December 2022) with possibility of extension

Direct supervisor: WASH Coordinator

About Peace Winds Japan

Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) is a Japanese Non-Governmental Organization established in 1996. PWJ has been providing humanitarian and development assistance for people affected by forced displacement and natural disasters in more than 20 countries in the world.

PWJ launched its mission in Kenya in 2012 and has been implementing projects funded by UN agencies and the government of Japan in shelter, WASH, food security, livelihood and logistics support to improve health and living environments of refugees and host populations while promoting peaceful coexistence and self-reliance among the people affected by natural or human made disasters in and adjacent of Dadaab refugee complex, Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement.

PWJ is a UNHCR partner responsible for WASH, warehouse management, motor vehicle service unit, centralized fleet and fuel management for Dadaab Refugee Operations.

Purpose of the position

This position is central to the designing, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of WASH activities in Dadaab refugee complex. The WASH officer will be responsible for coaching, mentoring and supervising community-based refugee workers such as water supply monitors, hygiene promoters and repair team members to ensure that the water reticulation system is properly operated and maintained and that safe water is supplied to all households and institutions in the camp. S/he will be responsible for assessment of boreholes and provision of accurate data and interpretation of the same, collection of water samples and carrying out water analysis and incase of any issues report to the WASH coordinator for action. The officers will also be responsible for building capacities of key community own resource persons to facilitate and implement sanitation and hygiene promotion activities in the community and schools to improve key sanitation and hygiene practices including safe disposal of human and animal waste, safe handling of drinking water, hand hygiene, solid waste management and menstrual hygiene management. The WASH officers will be based in the compound in the camp and work closely with community-based refugee staff as well as field officers and technical staff members in WASH department. The staff is also expected to be responsible for the entire process of management of the activities

Roles and Responsibilities

Overall

1. Plan, coordinate, facilitate and create reports of WASH training and workshops for community-based WASH staff e.g. water supply monitors, hygiene promoters, teachers, WASH committee members among others.


2. Provide technical support and supervision to WASH community-based staff to empower them to fulfil their tasks and improve their performance


3. Coordinate with partners and stakeholders including UNHCR, county government, NGO and community partners to optimize WASH supports and resources in the project site through developing sounds relationship and synergies among the WASH programs in the region.


4. Maintain day to day communication with UNHCR and key WASH partners in order to implement WASH activities in harmonized, efficient and equitable manners.


5. Develop effective community engagement strategies and implement them with community-based WASH staff to promote community ownership in WASH related service delivery


6. Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH approaches, strategies and activities which fit in the context of the project site and in line with the directions of humanitarian assistance and guided by analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.


7. Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other) ,verify compliance with approved allocation/organization rules, regulations and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity.


8. When need arises, prepare design and BoQ for constructing WASH facilities in consultation with PWJ project and WASH engineers, conduct monitoring and supervision of the construction sites.

Operation and maintenance of the Water supply system

1. Conduct regular monitoring and inspection of the water reticulation system to ensure smooth and uninterrupted water supply


2. Conduct regular assessment of day to day boreholes operations for checking of signs for preventive maintenance


3. Develop sound working relationship and communication with the team of water supply monitors to obtain timely reporting and any information on anomality to identify and respond swiftly to any technical problems


4. Monitor documentation of the water supply operators, support them in improvement if necessary and transfer the data from their ledger books to Excel template to generate monthly report to share with UNHCR and partners and analyze the trend


5. Engage WASH communities and community leaders and support the tap stand monitors to ensure maintenance of the taps stands and reduce breakages and vandalism for sustainability of the infrastructure.


6. Work closely with technical unit (master plumbers, plant foremen and plant electricians) to ensure timely execution of planned duties to reduce interruptions during water supply hours.

Water Quality Control

1. Collect water samples from selected water sources and from points of its usage i.e boreholes,households,water taps,schools and health facility


2. Carry out physical and bacteriological analysis of drinking water for all the camps and water sources. Coordinate and manage lab testing.


3. Ensuring training of national staff, incentive staff and WASH committees in technical areas including water quality testing and/or building and maintaining quality water point structures.


4. Ensure SPHERE standards both qualitative and quantitative are considered for analysis of water quality and quantity.

Sanitation and Hygiene

1. Together with hygiene promoters, WASH committees and community leaders, conduct assessments to understand barriers and motivators for promoting key sanitation and hygiene practices and behaviors.


2. Develop effective social and behavioral change intervention strategies for promoting key sanitation and hygiene practices and behaviors based on identified barriers and motivators. Support hygiene promoters to carry out these strategies through regular hygiene promotion activities and community dialogues to engage communities to foster their initiatives to improve their sanitation and hygiene


3. Provide technical assistance for the community agents and beneficial communities on construction/installment of WASH related facilities e.g. toilet, hand washing facility, refuse-pit and dish rack, etc.


4. Coordinate with education partners and schools to implement School Led Total Sanitation(SLTS), star school awarding and any other activities to promote sanitation and hygiene among school going children


5. Conduct community awareness creation sessions on menstrual hygiene management. This includes dialogues with leaders including religious leaders and any other trusted persons in the community


6. Work together with incentive sanitation cleaners, market committees and any other groups and individual to remove the waste from the residential and communal spaces, dispose the waste and manage existing disposal site properly. Develop a strategy for sustainable solid waste management service for the future implementation


7. Develop sanitation marketing strategies with CBOs and private sectors for sanitation and hygiene and involve hygiene promoters in carrying out sanitation marketing activities.

Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation

1. Work with the health partners on how to interpret and use data/findings to guide targeted interventions and decision making


2. Work closely with the MEAL officer to conduct routine KAP surveys and latrine census.


3. Timely development of monthly, quarterly ,semi-annual and annual performance reports and highlighting success stories arising from the field


4. Represent the organization as required in inter-agency and government coordination meetings and liaise with other organizations working in the operational area where appropriate.


5. Carry out any other task as requested by the supervisor

Require Qualifications

Education and qualification

• Bachelor's degree in water engineering, public health/environmental health, analytical chemistry, biochemistry or microbiology from a recognized university


• Knowledge of SPHERE ,WHO and national quality standards


• Be a registered/licensed member of the relevant body


• Additional course or personal learning on community development, livelihood, project and business management is an asset


• Understanding of water pipeline designs, knowledge of ArcGis;Epanet,Autocad Civil-CAD and water modeling software is an asset

Relevant Experience

• Minimum 3 years relevant work experience in the area of WASH and at least 1 year in humanitarian setting.


• Experience in capacity building for community own resource persons or community based staff


• Experience in intervention projects with strong community involvement


• Experience in partner and stakeholder coordination


• Experience in designing and implementing social and behavior change communication

Skills and competencies

• Ability to observe and understand cultural and social contexts and reflect the understandings in programing


• Excellent analytical and report writing skills


• Strong community engagement and facilitation skill


• Ability to infuse positive energy to the team


• Attention to detail, keen at following procedures and meeting deadlines


• Ability to organize tasks simultaneously and prioritize work


• Strong verbal and written communication skills


• Strong interpersonal skills working with cross cultural and multi diverse teams


• Ability to build strong working relationships for partnerships


• Standards of Professional Conduct especially on integrity, service, and accountability

How to apply

This position is based in Dadaab and Fafi, Garissa County, Kenya.

We are looking to recruit Kenyan national candidates only. Interested and qualified candidates are invited to send a cover letter (1 page) and resume (2 pages) as one pdf document no later than 13th June, 2022 to: recruit@peace-winds.or.ke In your cover letter please reflect on your motivation for taking this post.

N/B Indicate the position you are applying for in the subject of the email. Shortlisting will be done on a rolling basis.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.