Home Vacancies WATER SUPPLY SERVICES SPECIALIST

WATER SUPPLY SERVICES SPECIALIST

Location: Gode, Ethiopia

Deadline: Nov 23, 2023

Job Description

Position:- WATER SUPPLY SERVICES SPECIALIST

Location:- Gode

Position Status: Full Time

Number of Position: One

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use.  Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations.

Program / Department Summary

With USAID support, Mercy Corps proposes to activate the RIPA-North Crisis Modifier to implement Crisis Modifier 3 (CM3), an 18-month initiative that will improve water security and livelihood outcomes for more than 14,200 households (85,200 individuals) in the Shabelle Zone of Somali Region. Through CM3, RIPA-North will directly contribute to the vision of the government of the Somali Regional State outlined in their Multi-Year Resilience Strategy (MYRS).

Essential Job Responsibilities

  1. Support Initial Service Model Assessments
  • Provide technical and logistical support to the consultant-led service model assessments (market sounding assessment and legal/regulatory analysis) aimed at determining the appropriate service model for the water treatment plant.
  1. Private Sector Engagement:
    • Collaborate with the RIPA CM3 team and relevant consultants to explore the potential of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for managing the WTP.
    • Support the preparation and capacity building of public agencies/officials to prepare and oversee a management contract.
    • As part of CM3’s initial market sounding assessment, provide technical insights into the feasibility and effectiveness of engaging a private operator to manage the water treatment facility.
  2. Capacity Building and Performance Enhancement:
    • Support the development and delivery of PPP training for public agencies/officials.
    • Assist in the technical and financial viability evaluation of potential WTP operators responsible for managing and maintaining the new infrastructure.
    • Assist the WTP operator, in partnership with the Water Security Lead and relevant consultants, to establish operational and financial systems, such as inventory and asset management, KPI-driven business plans, SOPs, maintenance schedules, billing and collection systems, continuity and safety plans, and monitoring reporting procedures.
    • Implement and coordinate capacity-building strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the WTP operator, ensuring long-term sustainability and efficient operations.
    • Document processes/approaches/strategies employed in institutional and capacity development interventions.
  3. Stakeholder Collaboration:
    • Collaborate with the Regional Water Bureau, zonal and woreda administrators, and other relevant stakeholders to align technical plans with local priorities and needs.
  • Coordinate with Mercy Corps, RIPA-North, and the RIPA CM3 team to ensure seamless integration of technical solutions and capacity-building efforts.
  • Other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor.

STRATEGY & VISION

  • Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
  • Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.
  • Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

  • Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
  • Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.
  • Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
  • Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts & oversee a training program for program partners.
  • Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting, and distribution.
  • Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
  • Ensure program implementation is on time, target, and within budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
  • Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
  • Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
  • Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

  • Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles, and assist with career development.
  • Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
  • Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular performance reviews.
  • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
  • Hire, orient, and lead team members as necessary.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

  • Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
  • Draft and/or review the scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

  • Collaborate with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure coordinated and effective implementation of water projects.
  • Represent Mercy Corps to all Platforms in the region and influence them.

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

  • Adherence to gender minimum standards
  • Allocate budget for GESI-related activities and staff capacity building on GESI.
  • Make sure GESI issues are properly reflected during program management.
  • Support the organization’s commitment to age and gender inclusive team building process
  • Promote an inclusive and equitable workplace culture
  • Support Staff Capacity Building by increasing staff knowledge of GEDSI.
  • Coordinate with the GEDSI Technical Team to Improve the gender-responsiveness of the program /Project MEAL
  • Increased commitment to Gender Equality Diversity and Social inclusion

Supervisory Responsibility

Project officers, assistants, and daily laborers or enumerators

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Water Security Manager

Technical Line Report to Senior Engineer, Team Lead

Works Directly with Water supply engineers, MSD team, CLA team, and Administration/operations team.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, and other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

 Knowledge and Experience

Education and Experience:

  • Minimum bachelor’s degree in organizational development, business management, finance, engineering, or a related field.
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in water supply services management, preferably in designing, operating, and maintaining water treatment plants or water utilities and distribution networks OR minimum of 5 years’ experience designing and implementing institutional/organizational development initiatives in the water or energy sector
  • Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in national, regional, or municipal institutions, development of sustainability plans, and policy development and reforms.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the latest developments in advancing good/best practices in water and WASH, governance, as well as sector engagement that reaches all stakeholders, including women, youth, the poor, and the very poor.
  • Knowledge of water treatment processes, water quality monitoring, and advanced technologies for efficient water management is a considerable advantage.
  • Strong project management skills, with the ability to plan, execute, and monitor initiatives to achieve project objectives.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
  • Experience in conducting training and capacity-building activities for technical staff.
  • Understanding of local regulatory frameworks, governance structures, and community dynamics related to water service delivery. Knowledge or experience with PPPs in energy or water sectors is highly desirable.

Success Factors

  • Fluent in English and local language for the location applied: Somali (capable in all require basic skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing);
  • Business minded, entrepreneurial, curious, great problem solving skills, unafraid to ask questions, and results motivated;
  • Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation and networking skills with a wide range of actors across geographical areas;
  • Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal-opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we meet through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

How to Apply

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically through this: LINK

Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.

“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting gender, equity and    diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower women and youth.”

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 23 November 2023/ 4:00 PM