WASH Officer (Hygiene Promotion) at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Job Title: WASH Officer (Hygiene Promotion)

Background

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has had an operational presence in Nigeria since 2015 and has experience working in 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the BAY states. DRC provides life-saving assistance and protection to vulnerable, conflict-affected populations including IDPs, returnees, and host communities in the sectors of armed violence reduction, livelihoods, nutrition and food security, protection, shelter and non-food items (NFI) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

The operational context in northeastern Nigeria remains challenging, as the ongoing conflict impedes conflict-affected communities’ access to what limited basic services are available, as well as DRC and other humanitarians’ access to persons of concern.

Purpose

The WASH Officer (Hygiene Promotion) is responsible for ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the planning, implementation, and follow-up of hygiene promotion activities implemented by DRC. This role requires close collaboration with internal and external actors to enhance hygiene promotion efforts. The WASH Officer will coordinate with WASH counterparts in other locations to implement commonly funded projects, ensuring effective stakeholder engagement for efficient project delivery. The role focuses on promoting behavior change and community participation to achieve sustainable impact. Additionally, the WASH Officer will oversee quality control during implementation and manage the day-to-day activities of community-based hygiene promoters to ensure the smooth, safe, and efficient operation of WASH activities in line with established procedures.

Duties and Responsibilities:

General Programming & Operations

• Facilitate the formation of community structures in hygiene promotion and strengthening of the existing structures such as WASH Committees through training, sensitization workshops and other hygiene promotion awareness campaigns.
• Design, develop and implement appropriate HP mobilization strategies for DRC’s WASH projects.
• Develop hygiene promotion plans for multi-funded projects.
• Ensure efficient and Effective program implementation while following the budget and work plan. 
• Participate in preparing monthly/quarterly/annual highlights/ reports and proposals and budgets for donors.   
• Mobilization of beneficiary communities to maintain the established/rehabilitated/protected water sources. 
• Lead the WASH team in carrying out monitoring and evaluation exercises.  

Coordination and representation 

• Ensure integration of WASH software activities with other DRC sectors.
• Coordinate with Shelter, Protection, HMA and WASH counterparts in other locations in the implementation of commonly funded projects.
• Ensure good representation and reputation of the WASH (Hygiene promotion) sector at all levels.
• Actively participate in internal coordination meetings
• Collaborate with relevant Internal and External technical experts on WASH software issues.
• Represent DRC at Hygiene promotion technical working group meetings and other relevant technical coordination meetings.
• Maintain a local operational communications network and good relations with local and government authorities.

Project Development:

• Contribute to developing project plans and budgets for funding
• Contribute to the development of the projects’ M&E tools
• Ensure quality control during the implementation of WASH activities in accordance with Sphere and National standards.
• Prepare WASH weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports to relevant authorities as per need

Logistics / Finance:

• Support the WASH TL (Public Health) and Manager to monitor financial commitments and expenditures against budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-ups.
• Plan and coordinate proactively logistics and movements of staff from and to different operational areas.
• Support and Initiate procurements and ensure their execution.
• Ensure distribution plans are prepared and shared with logistics in a timely manner.
• Contribute to grants management of all WASH projects through management of day-to-day project expenditures.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Support in developing and implementing the project monitoring and evaluation plan, and timely submission of reports and other document requirements.
• Provide feedback on project implementation modality, assist in achieving maximum efficiency in project delivery, and inform the development/update of DRC’s WASH strategy in Nigeria.

Logistics

• Support the WASH TL in developing a procurement plan at the start of the project cycle to forecast procurement needs.
• Under delegation from the WASH TL, coordinate with the supply chain to facilitate procurement of supplies and services
• Support in ensuring adequate stock of critical supplies at all times, particularly factoring in seasonal access limitations (wet season).

Other

• The responsibilities listed in the JD are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Experience and technical competencies:

Essential:

• At least 2 years experience in planning, implementing and evaluating hygiene promotion projects.
• Thorough knowledge of Hygiene Promotion Approaches, training of trainers and facilitating menstrual hygiene sessions for women and girls.
• Thorough knowledge of SPHERE and WASH in emergencies standards.
• Good IT skills (especially MS Office).

Desirable:

• Project Planning and Management is an added advantage
• Experience working in emergency response with NGOs, preferably in a humanitarian context.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree or HND in Environment Health Science, Biological Sciences, Public Health or any other behavioural science degree from a recognized institution.
• Degree or HND in any field or equivalent field with relevant work experience.

We offer

• Contract length:  6 months with the possibility of extension
• Level: NM – H, Step 0
• Start date: October 2024

General Regulations:

• The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework
• Employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization
• Employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period
• Employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization
• Employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is on 2nd of October 2024. Therefore qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION” It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Website:

Official Job Website: https://job.drc.ngo/