WASH Officer – Kurmuk Woreda, Benishangul-Gumuz Region

Organizational Overview

Nexus Ethiopia is a national non-governmental and non-profit humanitarian organization established and registered as a National NGO under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation No. 1113/2019, with registration number 6225. Nexus Ethiopia is mandated to operate in all regions and city administrations of Ethiopia and works to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations through integrated humanitarian, development and peacebuilding interventions.

Nexus Ethiopia implements multi-sector programmes in WASH, health and nutrition, protection, education, emergency shelter/NFI, food security and livelihoods, peacebuilding and local actor capacity strengthening. The organization works closely with government institutions, communities, clusters, donors, UN agencies, INGOs and national partners to deliver accountable, inclusive and conflict-sensitive programming.

Project Background

In partnership with Premiere Urgence Internationale (PUI) and with funding support from SIDA, Nexus Ethiopia will implement the WASH component of the project entitled ‘Integrated Health, Nutrition, WASH and Protection Support to Conflict-Affected Population in Amhara and Benishangul-Gumuz Regions. The WASH intervention will be implemented in Kurmuk Woreda, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, targeting vulnerable host community members, internally displaced persons, returnees and other crisis-affected households.

The WASH component focuses on improving access to safe water, essential hygiene supplies, hygiene awareness and community-based WASH management. Key activities include distribution of need-based WASH NFIs to vulnerable households, rehabilitation of non-functional shallow water schemes, establishment and training of WASH Committees, training of community hygiene promoters and water bureau staff, hygiene promotion campaigns, and monitoring activities including PDM and KAP surveys.

Job Summary

The WASH Officer will be responsible for planning, coordinating, implementing, supervising, monitoring and reporting the WASH project activities in Kurmuk Woreda. The position holder will serve as the field-level technical focal person for water supply rehabilitation, WASH NFI distribution, hygiene promotion, WASHCO strengthening, community mobilization, government coordination and project documentation.

The WASH Officer will ensure that project activities are implemented according to approved work plans, budget, donor requirements, technical standards, government procedures and Nexus Ethiopia policies. The role requires strong technical knowledge of rural water supply systems, community-based WASH management, hygiene promotion, beneficiary accountability, safeguarding, PSEA, and coordination with water, health and local administration structures.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Planning, Implementation and Coordination

• Lead the day-to-day planning and implementation of WASH activities in Kurmuk Woreda in line with approved project documents, budget, DIP, procurement plan and donor compliance requirements.
• Prepare detailed weekly and monthly activity plans, procurement plans, field movement plans and implementation updates in coordination with Program, Operations, Finance, MEAL and Logistics teams.
• Coordinate project start-up activities, including field orientation, community entry, local authority engagement, beneficiary communication and activity scheduling.
• Ensure timely implementation of planned activities and proactively identify delays, bottlenecks, risks and required management support.
• Provide regular technical updates to the supervisor and contribute to project review meetings, kick-off meetings and coordination discussions.

2. Water Supply Rehabilitation and Technical Supervision

• Coordinate technical assessment, verification and prioritization of non-functional shallow water schemes in collaboration with the Woreda Water Office, community representatives and relevant technical teams.
• Supervise rehabilitation and quick repair works for shallow wells/hand pumps, including apron and drainage improvement, pump repair or replacement, well cleaning, disinfection, fencing and site protection measures.
• Review BoQs, technical specifications, site instructions, quality requirements and completion documentation related to water scheme rehabilitation.
• Monitor quality of construction/rehabilitation works, ensure value for money, verify completed works and support handover to WASHCOs and local authorities.
• Ensure water safety, environmental health and protection considerations are integrated in water scheme rehabilitation and community use.

3. WASH NFI Distribution, Hygiene Promotion and Community Mobilization

• Coordinate beneficiary targeting, verification, registration and distribution of WASH NFIs in collaboration with MEAL, community structures, local government and relevant committees.
• Ensure transparent, inclusive and protection-sensitive beneficiary selection, prioritizing women-headed households, persons with disabilities, older persons, IDPs, returnees and other vulnerable groups.
• Organize and supervise community hygiene promotion sessions on safe water handling, handwashing, menstrual hygiene management, sanitation, solid waste management and prevention of waterborne diseases.
• Support selection and training of community hygiene promoters, HEWs, HDA members and outreach workers, and ensure follow-up of hygiene messages at household and community level.
• Develop, adapt and use culturally appropriate IEC/BCC materials and practical demonstration methods to improve hygiene behavior change.

4. WASHCO Establishment, Capacity Building and Local Ownership

• Support establishment or strengthening of inclusive WASH Committees for rehabilitated water schemes, ensuring participation of women, persons with disabilities and community representatives.
• Facilitate WASHCO training on water scheme management, preventive maintenance, tariff/financial accountability, inclusive decision-making, conflict sensitivity and complaint handling.
• Coordinate capacity building for woreda water technicians on operation and maintenance, minor repair, water quality monitoring and community engagement.
• Promote sustainability by strengthening community ownership, routine maintenance practices and linkages between WASHCOs and local government technical offices.

5. Monitoring, Reporting, Documentation and Learning

• Collect, verify and submit accurate activity data, attendance sheets, beneficiary lists, distribution records, photos, case stories, monitoring checklists and other required documentation.
• Prepare quality weekly, monthly and ad hoc progress reports covering achievements, challenges, risks, lessons learned and next steps.
• Support MEAL activities including baseline/endline KAP surveys, post-distribution monitoring, beneficiary satisfaction checks, feedback analysis and learning documentation.
• Maintain organized hard and soft copy project files including procurement documents, BoQs, distribution records, training reports, monitoring records and government correspondence.
• Ensure sex, age and disability disaggregated data is collected where relevant and used for inclusive programming and reporting.

6. Coordination, Representation and Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent Nexus Ethiopia at woreda and field-level WASH, Health, ES/NFI and other relevant coordination meetings as delegated by the supervisor.
• Maintain strong working relationships with the Regional/Zone/Woreda Water Office, Health Office, Finance and Economic Development Office, local administration, community structures, WASHCOs, partners and PUI field team.
• Ensure project activities are aligned with government priorities, technical standards, cluster guidance and humanitarian principles.
• Facilitate joint monitoring visits, review meetings, field coordination and issue resolution with government and project stakeholders.
• Support visibility and communication requirements in accordance with donor and Nexus Ethiopia guidelines.

7. Compliance, Safeguarding, Accountability and Risk Management

• Ensure activities comply with Nexus Ethiopia policies, donor requirements, government regulations, procurement procedures, safeguarding standards and approved budget lines.
• Promote Accountability to Affected Populations by ensuring communities receive clear information on project objectives, targeting criteria, distribution schedules, complaint channels and project decisions.
• Ensure safe, confidential and timely handling community feedback and complaints in coordination with the MEAL and safeguarding focal people.
• Apply Do-No-Harm, conflict sensitivity, gender equality and social inclusion principles across all project activities.
• Actively promote and adhere to PSEA, child safeguarding, anti-fraud, anti-corruption and code of conduct standards.

Ethical Conduct, Safeguarding and PSEA

Nexus Ethiopia maintains a code of standards of conduct governing the performance of its employees and representatives. Employees shall not participate in the selection, award or administration of contracts where a real or perceived conflict of interest exists. Nexus Ethiopia employees, officers and agents shall not solicit or accept gratuities, favors or anything of monetary value from contractors, suppliers, beneficiaries or parties to sub-agreements.

The WASH Officer is expected to actively promote and comply with PSEA, child safeguarding, anti-fraud, anti-corruption, data protection and accountability standards within Nexus Ethiopia and among communities served by the project. Any safeguarding concern, fraud risk, conflict of interest or breach of ethical standards must be reported through the appropriate organizational channels.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in water supply and Sanitation Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Environmental Health, Environmental Science. A relevant master’s degree is an asset.
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in WASH programming, preferably in humanitarian, emergency or NGO settings.
• At least 2 years of practical experience in rural water supply rehabilitation, hand pump/shallow well maintenance, WASH NFI distribution, hygiene promotion or community-based WASH management.
• Experience preparing or reviewing BoQs, technical specifications, site supervision reports, water scheme handover documents and WASH activity reports.
• Experience working with WASHCOs, HEWs, HDA/community hygiene promoters, woreda water/health offices and local government structures.
• Experience in conflict-affected, displacement-affected, refugee/IDP or hard-to-reach areas is strongly preferred.
• Previous experience with donor-funded projects, INGOs, UN agencies or international humanitarian standards is an asset.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical knowledge of rural water supply systems, hand pumps, shallow wells, water safety, sanitation and hygiene promotion approaches.
• Strong planning, coordination, field supervision, problem-solving and reporting skills.
• Ability to coordinate with government offices, community structures, contractors, technical teams and humanitarian partners.
• Good understanding of Accountability to Affected Populations, safeguarding, PSEA, inclusion, conflict sensitivity and Do-No-Harm principles.
• Good computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; experience with Kobo/ODK or other digital data collection tools is an asset.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and Amharic. Knowledge of local languages used in Kurmuk/Benishangul-Gumuz is an added advantage.
• Ability to work under pressure, travel frequently to field sites, and deliver results within short implementation timelines.
• Demonstrated integrity, professionalism, cultural sensitivity and commitment to humanitarian principles.