WASH Technical Advisor at Save the Children

GRADE: TBC CONTRACT LENGTH: 1 year with possibility of extension
Child Safeguarding:
Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Technical Advisor (WASH TA) takes overall responsibility of WASH in Afya Halisi project. Afya Halisi is a USAID funded five year project which aims to deliver quality, integrated services in the areas of family planning (FP), reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in the focus counties of Kitui, Migori, Kakamega and Kisumu.
Reporting to the Senior CS TA, the WASH TA will provide overall WASH technical support to Afya Halisi. The WASH TA will have a leading role in the planning and implementation of the WASH program including development of high quality annual work plans and the provision of high quality and timely technical support to the field teams. Although based in Kakamega, the post holder will provide support to the other Afya Halisi counties. He/she will play a leading role in capacity building of program teams, partners and other local actors in WASH. He/she will play a key representation role in front of donors and WASH partners and as necessary will participate in WASH forums. She/he will work with other project staff and field teams to support area level advocacy on WASH.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Afya Halisi Deputy Chief of Party
Indirect Report : WASH Technical Specialist, Save the Children
Staff reporting to this post:
Direct: WASH Service Delivery Officers

Country Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH. In 2012, as part of a global reorganization process, Save the Children combined the programmes of SC UK, SC Canada and SC Finland to create a single operation in Kenya. In Feb 2014, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merge their health and nutrition programmes with our own. Save the Children now has an operational presence in Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Turkana and Wajir and we work through partners in many other parts of the country. In total, we employ around 250 staff and had an operating annual budget in 2016 of approximately US$17.5million.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Programme quality and capacity building
  
  • Provide overall technical guidance and leadership for implementation of activities within the WASH technical area
  • Contribute to the capacity building of the project staff and MOH in WASH knowledge and skills
  • Review and analyze data for performance monitoring of the WASH program and utilize the data to take corrective actions
  • Provide leadership in writing of abstracts for conferences and manuscripts for publication
  • Provide guidance and support to county staff to coordinate and link initiatives of other partners in supporting health facilities in service delivery
  • Represent the project in national and county technical committees including TWGs and stakeholders meetings in relation to WASH programming
  • In collaboration with staff, prepare and track the progress of program and activity budgets
  • Contribute in the preparation quarterly and annual technical reports to the project and its funding agency
  • Work with Save the Children Technical Specialists to identify the technical support needs of the project and ensure this support is provided by the relevant advisors
  • Ensure that programme strategies support and demonstrate good practice in child safeguarding.
• Monitoring and evaluation
  
  • Provide support in the design, implementation and follow up of WASH routine monitoring and supervision plan in liaison with the CHMTs; including joint monitoring plans and mentoring
  • plans and ensure action points are followed and actioned.
  • Put systems in place to ensure WASH information required to monitor progress and impact indicators is collected, compiled and analysed appropriately.
  • Ensure all Save the Children and external monthly/quarterly and donor monitoring requirements are complied with.
  • On a quarterly basis organize for review and update progress of WASH program against set targets with key project staff and key CHMTs.
  • Participate in the design of baseline, mid-term and end of project evaluations for the WASH component in collaboration with other project partners
  • Take lead in guidance and documentation and ensure the active dissemination of project findings and lessons learned through the production of high quality materials and their effective dissemination to key stakeholders.
  • In coordination with MER team, maintain WASH information data base with all the relevant project data readily available.
  • Advocacy , coordination and representation
  • Regularly undertake liaison and advocacy with Government partners and officials in the project’s counties on project activities and related health/nutrition issues.
  • In liaison with the project’s management team, SCI Advocacy Technical Specialist and other project partners, support the County MOH to prioritize WASH needs for the county to be funded by county government and other actors and ensure these are provided for in relevant County plans strategies.
  • Internally liaise and coordinate with other sector SDOs (within Save the Children and beyond) to ensure coordination and holistic service delivery to targeted locations.
• Other
  
  • Ensure that programme strategies support and demonstrate good practice in child safeguarding.
  • Participate actively in project and Save the Children’s meetings, planning and review activities, providing enhanced insight into WASH programming.
  • Actively participate in key relevant internal meetings such as Programme Review Meetings, as required.
  • Participate in any donor visit to project(s) within the country office portfolio, as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience working on similar type of programming, especially on CLTS, WASH promotion at community level
• At least 5 years of professional management experience in public and private health programs
• Ability to combine technical leadership skills, communication skills and capacity to manage relationships with different stakeholders including County and National Government Staff.
• Able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills in collaborating with Health Staff at county level on issues related to implementation of WASH services at health facilities.
• Ability to manage projects, set priorities, and plans for the successful implementation of programs.
• Experience working with donor funding agencies and/or private sector foundations
• Excellent verbal, written communication and presentation skills.
• Computer literacy, particularly in the use of MS Office

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency
• Additional job responsibilities
• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children any form of abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Date of issue: 11th November 2017 Author: Lynn Kanyuuru