Organization: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (WASHNet).
Job title: Field Officer (x3)
Reports to: Program Manager
Duty station: Freetown, Sierra Leone (Flexible, with frequent travel to project sites)
Job type: Full-time (1-4 years)
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BACKGROUND:
Established in 2010, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (WASHNet) is the leading national alliance of civil society organizations (non-state actors) in Sierra Leone with the desire of joining existing platforms in addressing the critical barriers to achieving universal and sustainable sanitation and drinking water for all. These barriers include the low level of services to reach society’s most vulnerable groups, insufficient political prioritization, weak sector capacity to develop and implement effective plans and strategies, coupled with inadequate investments to place WASH at the heart of national programs and policies.
WASHNet is dedicated to advancing advocacy, and strengthening governance, coordination, and leadership for the wider water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector at local and central levels in Sierra Leone. In pursuit of these objectives, WASH-Net seeks to recruit three (3) Field Officers to support the implementation and coordination of its work across various districts but with duty stations in Freetown.
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With the supervision of the Program Manager, the Field Officers are responsible for the for the identification, design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the progress of WASH-Net’s interventions at the various levels in the targeted districts. She/he is responsible for day-to-day field management, supervision, and provision of regular technical support to the team. He/she works within the guidelines, policies and mission of the organization and will be accountable and responsible for specific projects as assigned by the Program Manager.
The post holder will be responsible for overall community mobilization and engagement, timely planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and review of the planned activities. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to adjust working hours accordingly.
In this exciting role s/he will work on a range of management issues as support to the WASH-Net’s wide range of programmatic and advocacy activities. As Field Officer, you will work along the following:
2. Responsibilities:
- Work closely with WASH-Net’s district structures, communities, local authorities, and stakeholders to facilitate in the assigned districts.
- provide technical assistance, training, and capacity-building support to community-based organizations, WASH Committees/Management Teams, and other relevant stakeholders on wash-related issues, including hygiene promotion, sanitation practices, and water resource management.
- Conduct regular monitoring visits to project sites to ensure compliance with project objectives, quality standards, and timelines.
- Facilitate community mobilization and sensitization campaigns to promote behavior change and foster community ownership and sustainability of wash interventions.
- Support the establishment and strengthening of wash governance structures, including water and sanitation committees, to enhance local leadership and coordination in wash initiatives.
- Collect and compile data and information on wash indicators, progress, challenges, and best practices for reporting and documentation purposes.
- Coordinate with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to promote synergy, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing in wash programming.
- Represent WASH-Net in meetings, workshops, and forums related to wash issues at the district and community levels.
- perform any other duties as assigned by the Program Manager or supervisor.
3. Qualifications:
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree in environmental health, public health, civil engineering, social sciences and at least 2 years relevant project management experiences in WASH related field in NGOs or similar organizations.
- Understanding of and experience in the project implementation techniques, participatory planning, implementation and monitoring basic practices.
- Experience in assessment, design and hygiene promotion tools
- Proven skills on managing changes, achieving results, ensuring quality, team building and capacity building.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including cultural sensitivity, assertiveness and negotiating skills.
- Ability and willingness to work in remote rural areas and under pressure as part of a professional team
- Demonstrated knowledge of WASH advocacy, approaches, and best practices, particularly in rural and peri-urban settings.
- Experience in developing and monitoring budgets
- Computer literate in word processing, excel packages and internet use
- An understanding of vulnerable populations and their protection and fulfilment in the development context.
- Spoken and written fluency in English and computer literacy (MS Office and email/internet)
Desireable
- (Knowledge of the area, socio-culture and local language where the post is located as an added advantage
- Demonstrated expertise in both hard and software implementation of WASH in emergency situation Experience in basic sanitation and hygiene promotion tools
- Experience in community mobilization, participatory approaches, and people-centered engagement techniques.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills.
- ability to work effectively in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
Contract and Remuneration:
These positions are full-time, 2-year contracts with a possibility of renewal based on performance and availability of funding. Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Application Process:
Interested candidates should submit a detailed CV, cover letter outlining their relevant experience and qualifications, and contact information for three professional references to info@wash-net.org, cc admin-finance@wash-net.org by latest 24th June 2024.
WOMEN ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY
Deadline for Applications: 24th June 2024
WASH-Net is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, or sexual orientation.
PLEASE NOTE: WASH-Net and encourages applications from qualified individuals, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Please ensure you are fully aware of the:
a) WASH-Net Core Values, and
b) Commitment to safeguarding: WASH-Net is committed to safeguarding the protection of beneficiaries, volunteers, staff and partners, and particularly vulnerable groups, including children. Therefore, we do not employ staff whose background we understand to be unsuitable for working with children and other vulnerable groups. WASH-Net staff are required to give the utmost respect to, and comply with the standard best practices.
