WASH Advisor, FANSER at Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identify is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as part of our staff and as partner’s people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and commitment to serving those in need. Since 2000 CRS Zambia has been implementing a number of programmes to support vulnerable Zambians. Its recent programming areas include: nutrition, agriculture, food security, HIV/AIDS, WASH, financial inclusion, and early child development.

Background

The Food and Nutrition Security for Enhanced Resilience (FANSER) project is an initiative under GIZ for the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation. The project aims to improve the food and nutritional situation of people living in food-insecure households, especially women of reproductive age and children under the age of 2. Since 2015, CRS has been implementing FANSER in Eastern province, deploying integrated multi-sector interventions to reduce malnutrition and stunting in target communities. CRS is now planning an expansion of FANSER activities to two districts of Luapula province, Mwense and Kawambwa, with implementation slated to run from September 2019 to December 2021. Luapula has the second highest rate of child stunting (45%, including 17% severely stunted), wasting (6%) and underweight children (15%) of all provinces (ZDHS, 2018).  FANSER aims to build on its experience in Eastern province to meet the critical nutrition and food security needs in Luapula.

Position Summary

Based in Kawambwa, the WASH Advisor will provide sectoral leadership on WASH for FANSER projects operating across four districts in Eastern and Luapula provinces. The WASH Advisor will work closely with project leadership and technical leads for nutrition, savings, gender and agriculture from CRS and implementation partners, including donor/technical partner GIZ, in strategic planning and coordination to ensure strong synergies across the multi-sector nutrition initiative. S/he will be responsible for providing technical leadership on WASH interventions and technologies and adapting and embedding social and behavior change communications tools and activities related to WASH within the FANSER Care Group curriculum and activities. The WASH Advisor will also support program monitoring and evaluation activities as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide quality, technical leadership to project staff, field supervisors and agents to address WASH-related nutrition challenges in target communities of Eastern and Luapula provinces
• Ensure that WASH targets are met, specifically the increase and adoption of nutrition-sensitive hygiene behaviors at household level
• Regularly visit project sites or provide remote support to field staff and partners monitor and report on the quality of FANSER’s WASH related interventions
• Coordinate with implementing partners, field level providers and community volunteers to strengthen implementation nutrition-sensitive hygiene components of the project strategy and community-level WASH activities
• Oversee development or adaptation of training materials and resources, including training agendas, to ensure that trainings are properly planned and resourced, and integrate WASH with other nutrition, savings, gender and agriculture messaging
• Support Project Director, Program Manager, Nutrition Project Officer and partners to plan appropriate technical training strategies, training of trainers on FANSER curricula and tools, and oversee quality of cascaded trainings offered by partners under the program
• Ensure that timely training and lessons are being delivered in the field to intermediaries and beneficiaries
• Together with MEAL Manager, design tools to monitor the effectiveness of all WASH related trainings for intermediaries as well as project beneficiaries
• Adequately prepare for periodic technical reviews with FANSER partners (via meetings, report review, site visits) and GIZ to ensure that the direction is in line with the overall FANSER strategy, and support changes in program direction and focus, based on observations and data generated through monitoring and evaluation
• Help project and partner staff identify promising and best practices for shared learning
• Support preparation and review of donor reports prior to submission

Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in public health, rural development, development sciences, social sciences, civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources management, or a field that demonstrates relevance to WASH.
• A minimum of five years of experience implementing WASH programs and/or WASH components of large food security/multi-sector projects
• Proven technical leadership and communication skills especially working with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Demonstrated capacity to design and lead implementation of WASH activities, including training of trainers
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management system
• Demonstrated ability with project grants management, including project design, budget preparation, expenditure tracking, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting
• Ability to work both independently and in a team
• Excellent oral and written English skills required
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural team with a high level of respect for local culture.

Personal Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions
• Strong relationship management abilities
• Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally
• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Travel Required: 50%

Key Working Relationships

Supervisory: Technical supervision of partner staff

Internal: Project Director, Program Manager, Head of Programs, MEAL Coordinator, Project Officers

External: Implementing partners, donor, host country government agencies, donor agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations working in the field of food security and nutrition

Agency-wide Competencies: These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Note: By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviours related to the above safeguarding-related topics.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal Opportunity Employer

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