Environmental Health Officer (6 Positions)

Position: – Environmental Health Officer

Reports to: Roving Mobile Health Team Leader

Category: Health and Nutrition

Work Location: North Wollo and North Shewa Zones of  Amhara Region, Central and North Western Zones of  Tigray Region, West Wollega Zone of Oromia Region, and Contested Areas 1 and 2

Career Level: Mid-Level (2+ – 5 years’ experience)

Project Duration: 9 months

Employment Type: Contract

Salary: As per the organization salary scale

Required Number: 6

About ASDEPO:

Action for Social Development and Environmental Protection Organization (ASDEPO) is an Ethiopian indigenous, “Civil Society Organization” established in 2014. ASDEPO is mandated to operate in all regional states of the country and is engaged indifferent thematic program areas of intervention namely: Humanitarian Response, Education, Health/HIV and AIDS/RH, Women and Youth Economic Empowerment, Gender Based Violence and Child Protection, Migration/Human Trafficking, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash), NTD’s Climate Change, Agriculture, Environmental Protection and Training in Gambella, Oromiya, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, SNNPR and Somali Region.

Job Purpose

Environmental Health Officer will be an integral member of the Mobile Health and Nutrition Team (MHNT), responsible for identifying and addressing environmental health risks that may affect the health and nutritional status of vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities. The Officer will support the integration of environmental health, hygiene promotion, disease prevention, infection prevention and control (IPC), and community health activities into MHNT services. The position will work closely with health, nutrition, WASH, community outreach, and government health and WASH  teams to ensure comprehensive and quality services to the target population.

Key Responsibilities

A. Environmental Health Assessment and Disease Prevention

• Conduct rapid environmental health assessments during MHNT outreach visits and identify key environmental health risks affecting communities.
• Identify risks related to unsafe water, poor sanitation, waste disposal, overcrowding, vectors, food hygiene, and other environmental conditions.
• Provide practical recommendations to communities and the MHNT for reducing identified health risks.
• Support prevention and control of environmentally related diseases and public-health risks, particularly during outbreaks and emergencies.
• Participate in environmental health risk assessment and response activities during disease outbreaks and other emergencies.

B. Hygiene Promotion and Community Health

• Integrate hygiene and environmental health messages into routine MHNT health and nutrition outreach activities.
• Conduct community awareness sessions on hand hygiene, safe water handling, sanitation, food hygiene, waste management, and disease prevention.
• Work with community health workers, volunteers, leaders, and health extension workers to promote positive hygiene and environmental health practices.
• Ensure health and hygiene messages are culturally appropriate and responsive to the needs of vulnerable groups.

C. Infection Prevention and Control

• Support the MHNT team to maintain appropriate environmental hygiene and IPC standards at mobile service delivery sites.
• Monitor basic hand hygiene, cleanliness, waste segregation, and safe disposal practices during MHNT operations.
• Identify and report IPC gaps and recommend immediate corrective actions.
• Support orientation and awareness of MHNT staff and community health workers on basic IPC measures.

D. Environmental Health Surveillance and Referral

• Monitor and report environmental health conditions that may contribute to disease outbreaks or deterioration of community health.
• Support community-level identification and reporting of unusual disease patterns and environmental health risks.
• Coordinate referral of significant environmental health concerns to appropriate WASH, health, government, or other responsible actors.
• Participate in outbreak preparedness, response, and community mobilization activities as required.

E. Coordination, Monitoring and Reporting

• Work closely with MHNT health and nutrition staff to ensure environmental health considerations are integrated into service delivery.
• Coordinate with relevant government health offices, health extension workers, community structures, and other partners.
• Maintain accurate records of environmental health assessments, awareness activities, identified risks, and actions taken.
• Contribute to MHNT weekly/monthly reports and project reporting.
• Support collection and reporting of environmental health-related indicators and data.

Safeguarding and Accountability

The post holder is expected to uphold ASDEPO’s safeguarding and protection standards, including child safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, non-discrimination, confidentiality, accountability to affected populations and the principle of do no harm. The Officer must immediately report suspected or observed safeguarding or serious protection concerns through ASDEPO’s established reporting mechanisms.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental health or a related field.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in humanitarian, emergency, mobile health, refugee/IDP, or hard-to-reach settings.
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary health and nutrition team is highly desirable.
• Good understanding of environmental health, hygiene promotion, disease prevention, IPC, and community-based public health.
• Experience in community mobilization, health education, and outbreak response is an advantage.
• Good report-writing, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to remote and hard-to-reach locations.

Language Requirement

• Knowledge/proficiency in the local language(s) spoken in the assigned MHNT operational area is mandatory.
• Working proficiency in English is desirable.

Core Competencies

• Strong community engagement and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary MHNT.
• Good assessment, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently under challenging field conditions.
• Strong organizational, reporting, and documentation skills.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles, safeguarding, PSEA, accountability, and Do No Harm.