WASH Officer

UNICEF Syria is hiring a WASH Officer at the NO-B level to support the WASH programme in Damascus and the Southern governorates. The WASH Officer reports to the Chief of Field Office for general guidance and direction and to the Chief of WASH for technical reference. The officer is responsible for facilitating, coordinating and supervising the WASH program projects and initiatives in the Damascus field office covering Damascus and Southern governorates, including assessment, planning, design, implementation and monitoring of UNICEF WASH programs in Damascus and the South.

The WASH Officer is expected to maintain efficient communication and coordination with the relevant authorities and partners in Damascus and the South, including the water establishments, UN agencies, OCHA, national and international NGOs.

Functions, accountabilities, and related duties/ tasks: 

• Programme development and planning
• Research and analyze regional/national political, WASH, health, and social and economic development trends. Collect, analyze, verify and synthesize information to facilitate programme development, design and preparation.
• Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevance of information.
• Assist in the development/establishment of WASH-related outcome and output results, as well as related strategies, through analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials/documentations, complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support progress towards the WASH-related outcome and/or output results in the Country Programme.
• Prepare required documentations/materials to facilitate review and approval processes.

Programmer management, monitoring and delivery of results:

• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect/analyze/ share information on implementation issues, suggest solutions on routine programme implementation and alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level interventions and/or decision. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare minutes/reports on results for follow up action by higher management and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to enable timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare inputs for programme and donor reporting.

Technical and operational support for programme implementation:

• Undertake field visits and surveys, collect and share reports with partners/stakeholders. Report critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems to supervisor, for timely action.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in WASH, to support programme implementation.

Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response:

• Draft inputs for the preparation of WASH emergency preparedness, including the drafting of required supplies and services, long-term agreements, partnership agreements, and coordination mechanisms.
• Study and fully understand UNICEF’s procedures for responding in an emergency.
• Take up support roles in an emergency response and early recovery, as and when the need arises.

Networking and partnership building:

• Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve WASH output results.
• Draft communication and information materials for WASH programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for WASH.
• Participate in inter-agency meetings/events on WASH programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of WASH programmes/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF output results and implementation strategies with UNDAF development and planning processes.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Assist in the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH action research and innovation (technical or systems).
• Assist in the preparation of learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, to support overall WASH sector development.
• Assist in creating and delivering learning opportunities for UNICEF WASH staff, to ensure our sector capacity remains up to date with latest developments.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• University degree in one of the areas that are relevant to the work, preferred areas including but not limited to civil engineering, public health, environmental science, behavior change communication, water and sanitation engineering or any other area that is considered relevant to the responsibilities described in the vacancy announcement.
• Advance university degrees in areas relevant to this position will be an asset.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of three years of professional experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.
• Proven experience in conducting logistics’ systems analyses, quality monitoring, and capacity building in the WASH sector is an advantage.
• Experience working with government bodies, international organizations, local communities, UN, UNICEF, or relevant NGOs in Syria is an asset.
• Understanding of the WASH context in Damascus and the Southern area.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/580045