Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor (WASH) - USAID - IBTCI - The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Washington, DC, United States
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor (WASH) - USAID - IBTCI - The Democratic Republic of the Congo VACANT POST - BASIC INFORMATION
Organisation:
IBTCI
Location:
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Reference Number (optional):
3913
Job Title: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor ( WASH )
Department/Location: DRC Kinshasa / USAID Office of Health
Reports To: IBTCI ISPI Project Manager
Type: Consultancy - 235 days full time
Clearance Required : Facilities Access, applied for once hired
Overview: USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) 2020-2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) is: A More Peaceful and Prosperous DRC with Improved Opportunities for Communities and Individuals to Thrive. This high-level goal encapsulates USAID’s long-term vision of a DRC where all communities and people are empowered to move their country closer to self-reliance. Throughout this period, USAID will partner with individuals, communities, and institutions and increase their ability to generate and achieve locally-led solutions. However, significant obstacles, including pervasive corruption, weak and ineffective state institutions, extreme poverty, an extractives-dependent economy, and ongoing conflict and instability may affect the Mission’s ability to achieve this goal. These daunting challenges arise from a lack of capacity and weak government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (GDRC) commitment at national and sub-national levels.
The Water for the World Act of 2014 builds on the Water for the Poor Act of 2005, which made water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) a U.S. foreign policy priority, instructing the United States Government (USG) to focus programming and resources in priority countries that have both the greatest sector needs and opportunities for impact. The USAID Water and Development Plan under the U.S. Government Global Water Strategy articulates the Agency’s approach to increase the availability and sustainable management of safe water and sanitation for the underserved and most vulnerable. Congress has consistently appropriated funds under the water directive to increase sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation and improve hygiene. It is anticipated that funding for water, sanitation and hygiene activities will be sustained for the coming years.
A dedicated WASH team manages this work at USAID/DRC. On behalf of the USAID/DRC team, IBTCI seeks a WASH Advisor to provide programmatic and technical guidance in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and/or water security. The incumbent will serve as an Activity Manager and provide advice to activities led by Implementing Partners (IPs) under Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, and/or Grants. The incumbent will work collaboratively with other staff in the USAID Kinshasa office, government counterparts, and other development partners to support a coordinated, strategic approach to WASH and water security programming.
Responsibilities
Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:
Advisory and Technical Services
Provide technical guidance on WASH and water security interventions, including providing guidance in the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of WASH and water security programs.
Apply evidence-based guidelines, approaches, and tools to support Mission’s WASH and water security programming.
Through regular communication with sector stakeholders and USAID/Washington, as well as reading and reviewing emerging literature, stay abreast of new developments and findings in the national and global WASH and water security landscape, and advise accordingly on how policies, strategies, and technical guidelines can most effectively be incorporated to enable the Mission to maintain fidelity and relevance in its WASH and water security programs.
Provide technical guidance to other agencies implementing the USG Global Water Strategy, technical counterparts in government, and to other national stakeholders to advance USAID
strategic objectives for WASH and water security.
Provide on-going technical assistance to USAID local partners to ensure that activities are evidence-based and responsive to local needs.
Work closely with other staff in USAID to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral layering, sequencing and integrating (as appropriate) and leveraging of resources across the different program components.
Project Management
Serve as Activity Manager on designated WASH and water security programs.
Participate in project/activity design, including drafting and obtaining approval for concept
papers, writing scopes of work, evaluating applications/proposals, and starting up new projects and activities related to WASH and water security.
Work with IPs to develop strategic work plans with realistic and measurable targets to support effective implementation of the Mission’s WASH and water security portfolio.
Review annual work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, quarterly reports and other key documents of assigned activities, making recommendations to the COR or AOR on the progress and quality of such project documents.
Monitor program resources allocated for WASH and water security activities to ensure that they are being used rationally and that there are no cost overruns.
Compile, analyze, and disseminate, on a regular basis, to USAID mission staff and USAID/Washington, as well as government counterparts, progress in achieving sector objectives together with commentary on issues and recommended solutions.
Project Monitoring and Evaluation
Regularly analyze and interpret WASH and water security data to generate key results and trends to assist the Mission maintain a needs-responsive WASH and water security program with proven achievement across USAID standard indicators.
Contribute to data quality assessments to ensure the quality and reliability of project data.
Participate in site visits to USAID supported activities to assess the quality of implementation against contract or agreement objectives and to provide guidance to implementing partners on emerging approaches.
Monitor project activities and make recommendations to resolve implementation obstacles to ensure judicious use of USG funds and effective implementation of WASH and water security interventions. Contribute to and participate in WASH- and water security-related program evaluations to document and scale up proven best practices.
Other Coordination and Support
Contribute to key annual planning and reporting documents including the Operational Plan, Performance Plan and Report, among others.
Prepare reports and responses to a wide range of requirements including responding to requests for information from USAID/Washington and Congress.
Ensure that USAID successes, best practices and approaches are shared widely with partner country officials, private sector, civil society, and other donors.
Attend national, regional, and international meetings that relate to WASH and water security.
NOTE: The consultant will not perform other inherently governmental functions or duties (e.g. will not serve as AOR/COR or supervise staff), but rather will advise, mentor, and facilitate as appropriate on the performance of inherently governmental functions on the part of the Office or Mission.
Develop technical guidance on WASH and water security programs for use by mission personnel and implementing partners.
Monthly reports of activities performed during the work period, as agreed upon by position supervisor and WASH advisor.
Complete site visit reports and presentations for knowledge management and transfer.
Compile meeting minutes approximately 1–4 times per week and maintain file and activity management and organization.
Prepare briefing papers, presentations and assist with site preparations for visits by delegations of high-level USG officials.
Maintain satisfactory performance as reviewed by supervisors.
Qualifications
Prior Work Experience
Minimum three (3) years of demonstrated management experience in urban and rural water supply, sanitation, and hygiene improvement in DRC or in similar context.
Experience with Water Utility Strengthening frameworks and current trends.
Knowledge of the current DRC Institutional framework including State owned enterprises (SOE) reforms and their implications.
The position requires a combination of managerial, technical, design and analytical abilities combined with the demonstrated ability to manage resources, programs, and people.
Experience in analyzing sector data and translating into practice.
Level III fluency in English, both written and spoken, is required. Language competence may be tested.
Skills and Abilities:
Ability to present information, analyses, and recommendations in clear written and oral formats.
Ability to independently conceive, plan, organize, manage, and evaluate important, diverse, and complex work projects, to drive high-level performance and outcomes of WASH and water security projects.
Demonstrated ability to apply policy directives to activity design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Excellent analytical, technical and project management skills to review and provide substantive feedback on concept papers, proposals, program descriptions/scopes of
work, performance reports, and other technical and programmatic documents.
Ability to respond professionally and adjust in fluid situations in order to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities and time pressures.
Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to work effectively with people at all levels, from senior officials to support staff, in a culturally diverse environment, accepting divergent points of view and help find consensus to achieve team goals.
Excellent computer skills including in Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing, including the ability to help others and to learn new programs quickly.
Ability to travel to regions and districts within the host country, up to 20% of the time.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental, mechanical, agricultural, or related engineering field.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
5+ years of management experience in urban and rural water supply, sanitation, and hygiene improvement.
Previous experience with USAID WASH program implementation in the DRC.
Experience working and collaborating with U.S. government agencies and private sector organizations, including officials with international organizations, foreign and domestic government officials, and development partners.
Working Environment: Work is typically performed in an office environment.
Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.
Supervisory Responsibility: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.
Travel: May include travel to fragile and/or conflict-prone zones.
Work Authorization: Candidate must be authorized to work in the DRC.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Your Classifieds or Associates Order and Payment Cart The Communication Initiative's Market Place for International Development supports organisations and individuals in the network to market opportunities and services from which they will directly benefit. All other parts of The CI platforms are of course completely free and open. Please click below for Market Place processes and opportunities that could be of interest to you and your organisation ... or email Victoria Martin .
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
#J-18808-Ljbffr