WASH Adviser at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children International is a 'dual mandate' organisation and as such equal priority will be given to both humanitarian and development work. This is the only way we will be able to ensure that some of the fundamental rights that we believe children have, such as survival, safety and constant access to protection and education can be guaranteed. As part of a commitment to work with children through humanitarian interventions Save the Children will support programmes in both sudden onset and chronic emergency situations.

The purpose of the Global Roster is to support the dual mandate by ensuring that high quality personnel are deployed at speed and scale when and where emergency strikes. Global Roster members will be deployed to an emergency where Save the Children is scaling up in order to provide immediate emergency expertise. Global Roster members may also be deployed to the second phase of large scale emergencies to support Country Programmes to continue to deliver quality programming.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: WASH Adviser

Locations: Abuja and Maiduguri
Job ID: #936166

Job Descriptions

• Level 3. The responsibilities of this post may require the post holder to have regular contact with children and young people. In the overseas context all posts are considered to be level 3.
• As part of these responsibilities the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis.
• The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy

Role

• The WASH Adviser will be expected to lead on sectoral assessment, programme design and master budgeting, coordination, and support fundraising, recruitment and procurement. In most circumstances, the post holder will be expected to mentor and/or capacity building existing country programme staff.

Main Responsibilities

Programme Support (typically will be for small or medium-sized emergencies):

• Lead on WASH technical assessments in coordination with other SC thematic areas and/or other external sector agencies, ensuring assessment findings are documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs.
• Working with the Deputy Team Leader - Programmes or Team Leader develop WASH sector response plans and master budgets and contribute to Save the Children's overall response strategy.
• Provide technical checking of WASH engineering designs and hygiene promotion programmes as necessary, and proactively promote high quality WASH technical approaches within country programmes.
• Working closely with the Deputy Team Leader - Programmes or Team Leader, support fundraising for the WASH sector, including development of high quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with donors’ technical Advisers.
• Prepare and oversee WASH programme implementation to ensure timely delivery of programme activities (for example, monitoring against logframes, individual performance management workplans).
• Prepare timely programme and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SC requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Working closely with the HR team, identify WASH staffing needs (both national and international) for emergency programmes, and ensure rapid recruitment, induction and training of new staff.
• Identify WASH programme supplies needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan.
• Working closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation team put in place a sector M & E plan, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and capacity build technical field staff in carrying out the work.
• Working closely with the Accountability lead put in place accountability activities for your thematic area, ensuring that feedback from all relevant stakeholders is considered in WASH programme design.
• To ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere Charter and Red Cross Code of Conduct.

Capacity Building:

• Identify learning and training opportunities for Save the Children staff and partners and work as a mentor and role model for less experienced staff.
• Oversee development of technical training material that will improve aspects of WASH work within Save the Children, at country level.

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and take a leadership role within Interagency Coordination forums, such as the WASH cluster, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. This may involve taking the lead in WASH cluster working groups at national level.
• Take steps to document lessons learned, from WASH programmes, for wider dissemination.
• In collaboration with senior programme staff, assist in advocacy activities that target decision-makers at all levels.
• In collaboration with SC WASH colleagues, feed in learning, experiences and evidence to relevant global advocacy objectives.
• To identify opportunities and material to contribute to WASH communications and media work, acting as a spokesperson when required.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Core Behaviours

Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles:

• Able to assess and analyse key issues in the humanitarian situation and formulate actions around them
• Actively engages in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation
• Leads on the development of an organisational response based on an understanding of the contexts

Achieving results effectively:

• Ensures beneficiary and partner feedback is incorporated into programme design, planning and learning
• Demonstrates flexibility to adapt plans and make decisions in rapidly changing environments
• Actively manages risk and takes action to reduce risk
• Makes changes to improve performance as a result of information received
• Documents lessons learned and applies them to future projects

Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships:

• Develops strategies for teams to work across traditional boundaries, working in diverse environments
• Establishes clear objectives with teams and individuals and monitors progress and performance
• Fosters collaborative, transparent and accountable relationships through partners
• Uses negotiation and conflict resolution skills to support positive outcomes

Operating safely and securely:

• Demonstrates an understanding of wider UN/NGO security coordination and how the organisation can benefit from, and contribute to, those mechanisms
• Undertakes effective risk assessments and develops contingency plans
• Takes appropriate, coordinated and consistent action to handle situations of personal risk and risk for others
• Reduces vulnerability by complying with safety and security protocols set by the organisation

Managing yourself in a pressured and changing environment:

• Helps team members to practise stress management through prioritisation of workloads and modelling of appropriate self care
• Remains focused on the objectives and goals in a rapidly changing environment
• Able to identify, and act on, low levels of resilience in others

Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others:

• Builds own awareness of the bigger global picture by using a broad range of sources to gather data
• Demonstrates managerial courage by confronting difficult situations and seeking resolution, and stating willingness to champion ideas
• Actively contributes to a team environment where team members feel able to contribute, champion or challenge decisions
• Takes responsibility for own development, and actively takes steps to better understand and address own strengths and weaknesses
• Openly talks about doing things differently, pushing the boundaries and ways of working
• Gives constructive feedback to enhance capabilities and responsibilities of team members for the purpose of his/her development
• Works to ensure that the workplace is inclusive and the talents of individuals are harnessed to achieve business success

Qualification and Experience

Essential:

• Prior experience of working within a senior management role within a complex country programme in an emergency response or fragile state
• Previous first phase emergency response experience
• Education to Master's level in Public Health, Water Engineering, or a related subject, or equivalent field experience
• Previous experience of managing a WASH team at national level
• Previous experience of WASH project management and programme coordination, implementing WASH programmes within donor constraints, on time and within budget
• Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on implementation capacity
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff in WASH technical skills
• Experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
• Experience of preparing successful funding proposals for donors
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• A high level of written and spoken English
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support

Desirable:

• Language skills in Hausa
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts
• Specific experience of designing and managing DFID ,ECHO…projects
• Specific experience of working in consortia projects.

Working Condition:

• All Global Roster members are available and ready to be deployed anywhere in the world at short notice.
• They will normally work unusual hours and are often working in stressful and insecure environments.

Application Closing Date
18th April, 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's and covering letter explaining why you are suitable to: [email protected] State position clearly in the subject field as applications without appropriate subject will be disqualified. Also, applications received after the above stated closing date will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.