Specialist, WASH Governance and Safeguarding

Position Title: Specialist, WASH Governance and Safeguarding

Department/Program: Transform WASH

Level: TBD 

Reports to: Regional Area Office Lead (Oppressional) Lead – WASH Infrastructure projects (Technical) 

Based in: Chiro (Oromia), Wolayita Sodo (South Ethiopia), Somali (Jigjiga) and Afar (Mile)

Required number: Four

Duration of contract: Temporary- Until April 30, 2025 

Remuneration: As per organization pay scale 

Vacancy posted date: October 21, 2024

Application Deadline: November 1, 2024

Who we are?

We’re Population Services International (PSI), the world’s leading non?profit social marketing organization. We work to make it easier for people in the developing world to lead healthier lives and plan the families they desire by marketing affordable products and services that range from mosquito nets to contraceptives to HIV testing. We are a $560m enterprise based in Washington, DC, operating in the private and public sectors in more than 65 countries.

Join us!

There are over 9,000 “PSI’ers” around the world. It’s a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds - from the medical industry to the music business - all with unique skills we bring to the job. 

PSI/Ethiopia wants to reimagine healthcare, put the consumer at the center, and whenever possible, bring quality care to the front door.  We achieve health impact in Ethiopia by working with both government and private partners and harvesting technology innovation to bring quality care closer to communities, schools, and homes.   We empower consumers by including them in the design of healthcare solutions, offering them more healthcare choices, and helping them to have a voice in influencing national priorities.  We work with all market actors in the health system to understand their needs, designing and delivering solutions so that market systems can sustainably serve consumers for the long term, helping to support the Government of Ethiopia in achieving Universal Health Coverage. 

We are looking for an experienced Specialist -WASH Governance and Safeguarding to help the PSI/Ethiopia WASH team adhere to standards of technical competence and quality in capacitating and managing of Irrigation Water User Association (IWUA), Water User Association (WUA) and Private Local Service Provider (PLSP) on water supply and small-scale irrigation construction and rehabilitation projects. Projects. Specialist -WASH– Governance & Safeguarding should have strong advising, communication, supervisory skills, and the ability to create innovative ideas through implementing the projects in selected drought and conflict affected communities in Ethiopia.

Job summary

As Specialist -WASH Governance and Safeguarding he/she will engage in the successful social organizational and safeguarding project activities implementation, monitoring, and evaluation using a project management cycle to meet its intended objectives through increased use of water facilities construction projects, WASH products and services.

Specialist -WASH Governance and Safeguarding will use his/her capacity to implement TRANSFORM WASH to the quality requirement of donor/USAID; consortium lead/PSI; and other members using PSI track record of delivering high-quality WASH products in other similar projects.

Sounds like you? Read on! 

Key responsibilities

• Accompanies the feasibility study and validates site recommendations from a socio-organizational perspective

• Coordinates and ensures the quality of the social-organizational improvement plan in selected sites in the intervention woredas.

• Facilitating trainings and Strengthens capacity of IWUA, WUA, PLSP in collaboration with relevant regional, zonal and woreda water bureaus, departments and offices 

• Supports and promotes female leadership in IWUA, WUA, PLSP

• Responsible for respective regional implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WASH sector capacity, governance & management strengthening activities.

• Implement and supervise WASH governance and capacity building activities for the sub-national government structure in the region under planned results 

• Provide system strengthening advice to government staffs and coaching for results

• Responsible for ensuring effective coordination with relevant GOE bureaus/offices, NGOs, and other USAID funded WASH activities.

• Closely work with regional, zonal and woreda WASH teams, especially with regional, zonal and woreda water bureaus, departments and offices to ensure the functionality and sustainability of water and SSI facilities 

Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation

• Inform socio-organizational knowledge agenda to immediate line supervisor, in line with the direction set by the TRANSFORM: WASH project implementation modalities and donor requirement/USAID.

• Support the development of case studies and feed to the WASH infrastructure Project Lead/regional office lead to disseminate to a larger audience/stakeholder including GoE, USAID, consortium members, and other NGOs working in water facilities construction projects /WASH sector.

• Capture lessons learned, stimulate internal and external knowledge exchange, and suggest ways how to translate this into practice to the WASH infrastructure Project Lead/ regional office lead.

• Conduct regular review meetings with the WASH team and other stakeholders to track the progress of the construction activities. 

• Provide corrective technical feedback, and assure quality results under effective, sustained community management.  

• Closely work with WASH teams and implementing partners to establish good relationship and achieve better results.

What are we looking for? Qualifications:

• BSc/ BA degree with Social/Environmental background, development studies, socio-logiest or social studies or public health.

• A minimum of four (4) year with a master or six (6) years’ experience with a first degree in relevant discipline 

• With strong experience in organization and management of water and small scale water irrigation facilities/ projects works (drinking water supply and irrigation, ideally also some WASH), experience and Capacity development

• Knowledge of the working language where the jobholder is based is a mandatory

• Proven knowledge and experience in undertaking activities aimed at water and irrigation facility construction, rehabilitation, and upgrading project implementation 

• Strong communication skill (Strong interpersonal written and oral communication skills is required.)

• The ability to detect problems, recognize important information, and link various data to trace potential causes and look for relevant details.

• Positive record of interaction with USAID and other project stakeholders is a major plus. 

• Significant work and supervisory experience (resulting in sustained operation and success) in the WUA, IWUA and PLSP teams per projects 

• Demonstrated excellence in technical quality assurance and improvement, with ability to document processes and operationalize action tracking systems in a digestible way with clear updates to management and staffs

Competencies

• Coaching

• Problem Analysis

• Focus on Quality

• Result Oriented

• Persuasiveness

What would get us excited?

• Proven ability to work collaboratively with teams.

• Strong writing and presentation skills, particularly related to technical and WASH-related topics.

• Previous experience in doing similar work in a development and emergency context.

• Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory, proficiency in local language is a plus.

• Experience working in drought and conflict-affected area is a plus

How To Apply

Are you intrigued? Apply!

By following our 3 steps application process:

1. Fill out the mandatory application form using the following link: Online Application Form. It will only take 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Send your CV and application letter to recruitment@psiet.org clearly mark “Application for Specialist, WASH Governance and Safeguarding Position” in the subject line.

3. Check your email and make sure you receive an automatic response acknowledging receipt of your CV. If you don’t receive the automatic response, check again your subject line and if needed, re-submit your CV and application letter with the correct subject.

Application deadline is November 1, 2024. We’ll call or e-mail you back if there is a good fit on both sides.

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.