POSITION TITLE: WATSAN OFFICER – TEMPORARY POSITION (BASED IN NAIROBI)
GENERAL CONTEXT
Médecins Sans Frontières is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.
MSF is a civil society initiative that brings together individuals committed to the assistance of other human beings in crisis. As such MSF is by choice an association. Each individual working with MSF does it out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.
The MSF movement is built around five operational directorates supported by MSF’s 21 sections, 24 associations and other offices together worldwide. MSF OCBA is one of those directorates.
The operations are implemented by field teams and the mission coordination teams; together with the organizational units based in Barcelona, Athens and decentralised in Nairobi, Dakar and Amman. The field operations are guided and supported by 5 Operational Cells, the Emergency Unit and other departments supporting operations.
CONTEXT AND GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE POST
Accountable hierarchical and functionally to the Watsan Technical Referent, the Watsan officer’s main objective is to help in the deployment and implementation of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene projects, subprojects, policies, strategies and procedures of the organization programmes in region covered by Nairobi office. The aim of this position is to facilitate and boost the field staff capacity in terms of Watsan and reach Watsan standards in our projects and interventions.
The Watsan officer by nature of the work will involve visits to the field, followed by backup work on these countries’ subprojects. Other work includes specific dossiers on subjects aligned with 2023 AP priorities, and eventually, responses to emergencies.
The responsibilities of the officer mostly lie within the East and Horn of Africa Region, but some circumstances might expand this support beyond the region. The Watsan officer, when not in the field, will support the Watsan Technical referent according to the specific needs.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND MAIN TASKS
- Support on the implementation and monitoring of Watsan field community subprojects/projects and strategies for the countries of his/her region. Assisting to the evaluation of the impact of the projects.
- Support on developing network and knowledge of the Watsan local actors (institutions, training centers, suppliers etc., as relevant) at Nairobi level
- Drafting synthetic visit reports.
1. Follow up of specific field projects & subprojects
- Support the teams on defining and implementing community Watsan project activities that respond to the communities needs and accompany our medical interventions.
- Ensure the Watsan community projects follow a People Centred approach, in which the community has highly been involved in the definition and the implementation of the project.
- Support the teams on defining the indicators to be followed and monitored in the community activities and how to be compiled and recorded.
- Compiling and analysing statistical and monitoring data of Watsan activities of the portfolio missions and guide the team accordingly, in order to capitalize upon the impact of the interventions.
- Ensure the use of Health Monitoring Information System (HMIS) to compile the indicators of the projects.
- Think on innovative ways of working and supporting the teams that bridge remove working in this security challenged areas.
- Train the teams on how to best follow and implement community Watsan projects.
2. Water provision and people dignity
- Contribute with the field teams on conducting Watsan assessments, Watsan data analyses and proposals (this could include the use of online platforms for assessments, like Solstice).
- Support the mission in the drafting of Watsan subprojects aligned with OCBA 2022 priorities (focus on water provision).
- Propose innovative solutions or add to the existing solutions of water provision in emergencies for different communities in the region (i. e. kits for hand pumps maintenance and repair…).
- Technical support for deploying water provision, and eventually, developing water provision lobby tool and follow up, in case of need.
3. Waste Management
- There is a growing interest and priority in the house to ensure proper management of hospital waste (hazardous waste and hospital waste (liquid/solid) as to minimize the environmental health impact our projects have and reducing in the coming years MSF carbon footprint. In these lines, the position will assist on:
- Skimming for regional solutions on hazardous waste management.
- Supporting the field teams to embrace waste management policies in the countries of visit.
- Punctually supporting on the implementation of wastewater treatment solutions.
4. Networking
- Nairobi is a humanitarian hub that gathers NGO’s, training and academic institutions and private compagnies closely related to the field of water and sanitation. Along with the Technical Referent, he/she will be boosting the creation of a network of contacts so our operations further benefit from possible partnerships and innovations present in the region.
5. Basics of the basics
- Our health facilities need to ensure proper water supply and segregation is followed and monitored consistently. The Watsan Officer might be required to follow up and assist the visited projects that this monitoring and follow up is done properly.
SELECTION CRITERIA
- Technical education related to water and sanitation.
- Capacity to understand and analyze the links between morbidities and Watsan conditions, and experience in specific programs that involve a link between Watsan related morbidities.
- At least 2 years of WASH experience in the field.
- Experience working at community level, with community engagement in terms of water and sanitation is a plus.
- Previous field experience with MSF in Watsan is a plus.
- Good understanding of computers and new technologies.
- Experience in training of staff.
- Good written and oral communications skills.
- Ability to set priorities and organize his/her own work.
- Fluent written and spoken English and French or/and Portuguese is an added asset.
- Ability to work in remote and stressful context with reduced amenities during field visits.
- Flexibility and ability to adjust to rapidly changing contexts and plans.
- Availability to travel in the region, in some remote areas and eventually beyond the region depending on the needs (up to 60%).
CONDITIONS
- Position based in MSF office in Nairobi, Kenya with up to 60% of travel.
- Contract duration: 1 year.
- Full-time job.
- Annual gross salary: level HQ-3A - KES 2,358,905 (divided into twelve monthly payments) + secondary benefits based on Eastern Africa Reward Policy.
- Practical working conditions while in the field are as per the MSF-OCBA guideline.
- Starting date: ASAP.
How to apply
To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter:
https://careers.msf-applications.org/job-invite/7925/
Closing date: April 12, 2023, 23:59 CET (Central European Time).
MSF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, race, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We are committed to achieving a balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. MSF provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference checks.
Médecins Sans Frontieres, as a responsible employer, under article 38 of “Ley de Integración Social del Minusválido de 1982 (LISMI)” invite those persons with a recognized disability and with an interest in the humanitarian area to apply for the above-mentioned position.