Senior Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion/PLA Officer

Background:

The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery, and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Job overview:

Under the supervision of Field Manager and Senior Sanitation and Hygiene promotion Manager as well as with the technical support of EH Addis and Hawassa Unit, the Senior SHP/PLA Officer will lead the team, coordinate, and provide technical mentorship for SHP/PLA officers, SHP/PLA assistants and EHAs in woredas and at community level. They are also encouraged to have good follow up with officers, assistants, and facilitators. Continuously supervise EH soft component activities in different villages of intervention kebeles to increase the coverage and for promoting desired sanitation and hygienic behavior change. Ensure positive relationship with government sector offices at regional, zonal and woreda levels for getting better support from them.

Major Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and serve as the focal point for all activities related to EH/WASH soft components and PLA in charity water project.
• Organize community action plan from all officers and make analysis on the current progress of hygiene and sanitation and design a strategy with the rest of the team to bring much progress within short time.
• Take an active role in periodic supervision and monitoring of progress in implementing community action plan on hygiene and sanitation and provide follow up and technical support for improvement.
• Working closely with officers and assistants responsible to woreda level implementation, facilitate refresher trainings for schoolteachers who are member of school WASH clubs in coordination with the team. Collaborate senior sanitation and hygiene promotion manager (SSHPM) for any support on this and other areas.
• Conduct regular follow-up of school hygiene interventions and give constructive feedback, advice and required support required.
• Build good linkage with school community for their active involvement in their school WASH activities, support preparation of their annual action plan and its implementation for project activities in schools.
• Train, coordinate and support, and provide appropriate material support for menstrual hygiene management (MHM) groups in schools and kebeles as appropriate.
• Assist EH team in Addis, Hawassa by sharing the status of household latrine and hand washing facilities construction and get feedback from technical team for further improvement.
• Play leading role to conduct EH assessments and surveys at the start, midline, end and after the implementation and support the data collection, data entry, analysis and reporting with entire team.
• Facilitate in the selection, designing, pre-testing, production and dissemination of appropriate materials for effective program with input from relevant staff.
• Coordinate and lead SHP/PLA teams for making periodic meeting and integration of PLA groups with WMCs on regular bases and evaluate the progress for giving further advice for HP/PLA team. Ensure autonomous function of the water associations/WMCs in coordinating the water schemes properly.
• Develop field level monitoring tools for supervising the progress of activities in consultation with SSHPM, SEHM and EH team and share their team for use.
• Ensure good progress on soil and water conservation activities by closely working with woreda steering committees.
• Ensure proper hand over of water schemes to the water committee and respective Woreda water offices by making regular effort with HP/PLA officers, EH Officer and EH assistants.
• Ensure proper implementation and documentation of activities with continuous discussion with EHM, MEAL team and EH Addis for further inputs.

Reporting and documentation:

• Ensure accurate compilation of monthly reports of the intervention woredas and share it to EHM and MEAL team timely.
• Organize and ensure the documentation of every PLA process and capacity building activities with respective team. Make sure the PLA groups maintain proper documentation of the PLA process at their respective areas.
• Facilitate in documenting health related data and keep records on activities
• Facilitate in coordinating WASH trainings and experience sharing workshops for the government partners and other NGOs.
• Participate in other environmental health activities as assigned by the supervisors.

Coordination and working relationship:

• Maintain strong working relationship with respective IRC staff and partners. Coordinate and connect with IRC staff on the ground, the water team and HP team,
• Handle the proper utilization of the allocated budget under the project and Cooperate with IRC’s supply chain and finance for effective implementation of the intended activities as per log frame of the proposal.
• Identify the capacity support needed to partner (health, water, education and other relevant), develop institutional capacity amongst partner organizations.
• Work closely with regional WASH sectors and others to harmonies approaches and enhance IRC partnership.
• Participate in WASH related events representing the IRC