Kenya: WASH COORDINATOR, Cluster Office-Eastern and Southern Africa

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organisation established by and comprised of its member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

The Federation is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional and country offices throughout the world. The Secretariat is led by the IFRC Secretary General and provides the central capacity of the International Federation to serve, connect, and represent National Societies. The Secretariat’s headquarters is organized in three main business groups:

(i) Partnerships, including Movement and Membership;

(ii) Programmes and Operations; and

(iii) Management Services.

The Programme Services Division is in turn organised in three Departments, each of them led by a Director. The department of Health & Care consists of 3 teams, of which Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is one. The WASH Coordinator, Cluster Office reports to the Regional WASH Coordinator or the Regional Health Coordinator as line manager and technically to the WASH Team Leader at the Secretariat in Geneva.

The WASH Coordinator, Cluster Office is a member of the Global WASH Team and supports the IFRC's programmatic vision for WASH and its translation into programmatic interventions, in close collaboration with NS’s, by providing technical advice, support and coordination to the Federation's programmes in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene promotion throughout the resilience continuum (in emergency, recovery and development contexts).

The IFRC Africa Regional Office is organized into 5 cluster offices and 8 Country offices. The Africa Regional office is led by a Regional Director while the Cluster Offices are led by the Heads of Country Cluster.

Job purpose

The WASH Coordinator Eastern and Southern Africa, Cluster Office is expected to contribute to the management and supervision of both multilateral and where appropriate bilateral programmes and operations namely (1) delivery of all global activities covered by the WASH programmes (water, sanitation, hygiene) with equal emphasis on both emergency and development efforts inclusive both rural and urban with a public health focus. Ensure sound and consistent coordination between Geneva Secretariat, the region, cluster offices and country offices, the National Societies membership and the wider international and humanitarian network and to ensure linkages and integration in a resilience based program approach (2) contribute to and backstop coordination of WASH support during emergencies and provide growth and quality assurance to developmental WASH efforts (3) as member provides additional support to the Global WASH Team.

Job duties and responsibilities

Enable RCRC to be a global leading player in the WASH sector

· Contribute to and support the coordination of the work of RCRC at relevant regional and on occasion international fora, in publications, conferences and meetings and ensure that relevant advocacy themes are well presented to position RCRC as a global leader in all WASH aspects.

· Contribute to national societies input in the development of global policies, strategies, guidelines and tools as well as the integration of these standards into the work of RCRC to ensure sound and sustainable WASH programmes and effective public health outcomes.

· Contribute to and support community led WASH, both rural and urban health related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

· Work closely, with other members of the WASH Team, with the Communications and Partnerships Teams at Regional and cluster office level contributing to ensuring appropriate visibility, resource mobilization and public awareness of the work of IFRC/RCRC.

Support National Societies in order to improve its WASH performance**

· Support the mapping of global WASH programming in their respective cluster office countries, monitor progress and best practices and priority needs of National Societies especially in the context of developmental and emergency WASH and contribute to the provision of strategy and policy advice to National Societies.

· Contribute to the provision of leadership in the scaling up of WASH programmes, especially in developmental and urban WASH, by National Societies in their cluster office countries.

· Contribute to providing specific technical support to ensure National Societies are able to effectively incorporate WASH within each stage of the emergency cycle and along the resilience continuum: strengthening of WASH as part of prevention; WASH disaster preparedness; water quality monitoring as part of community disease detection and early warning; emergency WASH response including full spectrum of public health related WASH capacities and WASH during recovery aimed at ‘building back better’. Contribute to the four cross organizational WASH related work streams: WASH for development through expansion of GWSI; WASH in disasters; WASH during public health emergencies and WASH in Urban Settings.

Contribute to and backstop coordination of WASH during emergencies

· With other Global WASH team members actively engage with and provide support to the Global WASH cluster

· Contribute to and when required backstop the RCRC global WASH surge mechanisms and ensure that the right people with the right skills and equipment are able to be deployed to the right places at the right time to support National Societies WASH needs in their cluster office countries.

· Work closely with emergency health team when backstopping any emergency so as to ensure WASH activities (including hygiene promotion) are directed at areas of highest needs and, particularly during infectious disease emergencies, WASH programs are supporting disease control and prevention of transmission in all relevant settings (clinical, home, environment etc.)

Contribute to Delivering quality in operations

· Ensure that tools, guidelines and projects are based on evidence, applicable international standards and follow a resilience based health approach.

· Ensure that operational questions and challenges are addressed by operational research in partnership with different research institutions and other partners in their cluster office countries.

· Ensure that behavioural change components and training are following good standards and are aligned to department wide approaches.

· As part of quality enhancement programme, contribute to supporting National Societies to develop systems that allow a ‘seamless’ transition from health development to emergency response to recovery, build back better and accelerated development.

Contribute to an effective, high quality IFRC team:

· Be accountable to the Regional WASH Coordinator (or Regional Health Coordinator) and the Global WASH Team Leader by providing regular progress reports on results against objectives and risk analysis.

· Be flexible in your work definition according to needs and targets and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within available resources.

· Be a pro-active team member fostering a customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, high performance and cost effectiveness.

· Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the Region and with National Societies including actors in the relevant external environment.

· Manage the Cluster Office WASH Budget while strengthening financial standards. Ensure regular reports on use of funds are provided, budget needs are met and reported upon in a timely and efficient manner.

Activities and focus specific to this post:

· Ensure RDRT and NDRT resources are managed and strengthened and provided with appropriate and regular training, equipment (such as emergency WASH Kits and other materials) and source funding for this component. Actively seek deployment opportunities. Monitor and assess quality and impact of RDRT/NDRT. Encourage where appropriate deployment of WASH related global surge such as FACT and ERU including surge HR.

· Oversee and manage existing GWSI commitments (both multilateral and bilateral) and contribute and plan further resource mobilisation for longer term projects with a view to greater integration with other health programming, DRR and climate SMART. Contribute to the growth of GWSI.

· Ensure donor specific reporting and information flow is timely and accurate and identify advocacy opportunities for both multilateral and bilateral programming to reflect IFRC WASH strategy.

· Identify opportunities in the cluster office supported countries for urban WASH and where appropriate WASH interventions with a public health focus.

· Maintain and encourage a free flow of information between IFRC and NS’s (both HNS and PNS) in the cluster supported countries and encourage both ad-hoc and planned meetings and workshops as appropriate to foster ‘working as a federation’ and collective knowledge sharing and partnership.

· Provide technical management to IFRC WASH Delegates or surge HR working in the countries supported by the cluster office. Contribute to their performance by regular interaction and support as well as appraisal and development.

· Contribute to research and development initiatives and activities including evaluations and reviews where appropriate in coordination with technical managers in the region and at Geneva levels.

Duties applicable to all staff

1.Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals

2.Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles

3.Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

Position Requirements

Education

University degree or diploma in engineering, WASH, Public Health or equivalent professional experience Relevant post graduate degree in public health

Experience

At least 5 years working experience in the humanitarian or development sector, with a focus on WASH Demonstrated professional credibility in the sector and experience working in an international or cross-cultural environment.

3 years management and supervisory experience in a multicultural environment, with developing countries and/or with an international organisation at management level

Experience working in a RC/RC National Society and/or Federation/ICRC

Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge of WASH and public health and experience in practically applying this knowledge into policy, programmes and positioning Programme and project management

Results oriented and demand driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations.

Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead within a matrix management structure and utilise talent and experience of team members in a productive way.

Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills. An ability to be proactive and persuasive.

Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners.

Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation

Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality

High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels.

Ability to work within a multi-cultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment.

Languages

Fluently spoken and written English

Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic)

Click on the link below to apply:-http://www.ifrc.org/en/who-we-are/working-with-us/current-vacancies/