Project Officer - Hygiene Promotion at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work are accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

CRS has been supporting program activities in Nigeria for over 30 years and has long-standing relationships with Church and non-Church partners and communities throughout the country. The Nigeria country program has a diverse funding base with projects in health, nutrition, food security and agricultural livelihoods, microfinance (SILC), emergency response and peacebuilding. CRS/Nigeria currently has over 210 national and 8 international staff. With an FY22 annual budget of over USD $100 million, coupled with strong donor interest in supporting CRS’ work in the country, significant growth opportunities exist for the CP. The CP has been supporting emergency activities in the NE states since 2015 with offices in Damaturu, Maiduguri and Yola.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Officer - Hygiene Promotion

Job ID: 22000040
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Type: Full-time
Shift: Standard
Schedule: Regular
Job Level: Day Job
Travel: Yes, 50 % of the Time
Job: Program Management
Employee Status: Individual Contributor

Job Summary

• The Hygiene Promotion Officer will form part of the Hygiene Promotion and Community Mobilization Team in the delivery of support IDPs in Borno State.
• The Hygiene Promotion Officer will work with locally recruited Community Mobilisers to lead the delivery of hygiene promotion messaging and create hygiene behavior change.
• The Hygiene Promotion Officer will also capitalize on their community mobilization role to support shelter/WASH infrastructure sensitization and messaging.
• In light of the high vulnerabilities of CRS’ targeted populations, including high level of reported trauma, and significant number of child and female-headed HHs, it is anticipated that this Hygiene Promotion Role will also include a focus on Protection and Gender Mainstreaming across Shelter, WASH and NFI programs.

Roles and Key Responsibilities
Hygiene Promotion & Community Mobilization:

• Help the Hygiene Promotion PM in planning and implementing out needs assessments, baseline studies and conduct hygiene promotion sessions and House Hold visits.
• Plan activities all field activities in communities that reduces WASH-related health risks by training and supervising Community Mobilizers
• Create, train, mobilize and monitor, along with Community Mobilizers, community basic service management committees such as latrine cleaning committees, water management committees, and environmental cleaning committees.
• Under the technical supervision of the Hygiene Promotion PM launch community led cleaning campaigns and identify waste collection points for MOFASA to collect and dispose in land fill.
• Set up monitoring systems for Community Mobilizers for daily inspection of community latrines, drainage and solid waste collection points.
• Conduct weekly public Hygiene Promotion sessions in all target communities in coordination with Partner Staff.
• Plan and conduct child-to-child hygiene sessions every two weeks with children to raise hygiene and heath awareness.
• Distribute Aquatabs, or equivalent, and train households and Community Mobilizers on proper and safe usage. Monitor residual chlorine levels in House Hold water storage units.
• On a weekly basis, coordinate with the Field Engineers to communicate any identified WASH infrastructure gaps or repairs of existing systems.
• Carry out mobilization of key community stakeholders including protection committees, youths, women, men and host communities to participate in community awareness events and meetings
• Liaise with community leaders and other sectors and agencies working locally in order to coordinate within the WASH sector and between sectors such as health, nutrition and shelter.
• Organize community mobiliser data collected, prepare regular activity reports and submit as requested to the Hygiene Promotion PM.
• Lead/support NFI distributions as requested.
• Identify and highlight opportunities for Protection, safeguarding and Gender mainstreaming in the proposed Shelter and WASH activities and follow up to ensure, protection principles are integrated during activity design and implementation.

Reporting:

• Compile and submit timely weekly activity reports and monthly progress reports. Advise management about issues affecting project implementation, or key local issues affecting future project developments.
• Elaborate, compile, and maintain database of protection referrals.
• Elaborate, compile, and maintain key protection and gender resources library.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Hygiene Promotion Program Manager, Community Liaison Officer, Field Engineers, Infrastructure Program Manager, HLP Officer, Administration Officers, Protection Officers, MEAL team.
• External: Local Partner Staff (Including CMs and Pos, Vendors, Community Stakeholders, WASH Partners.
• Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Basic Qualifications

• A minimum of Degree and should have knowledge of one or more of the following: public health, health or Hygiene Promotion, community development, education, or community water supply and sanitation.
• 4 to 6 years of practical experience in relevant community development, health, WASH, or similar programs with demonstrated experience in a Gender, Protection or Community Mobilizer role, preferably with an international NGO.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Must possess ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability and desire to work well with diverse employees and customers in a cooperative and friendly manner.

Required Languages:

• English, Hausa, Kanuri preferred.

Travel:

• Must be willing and able to travel up to 50 %.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship.

Application Closing Date
2nd March, 2022.