CAR: Emergency WASH Program Manager

Jul 28, 2018 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Mercy Corps has been operational in the Central African Republic (CAR) since September 2007. With offices in Bangui, Bouar, and Bambari, Mercy Corps works to integrate short-term humanitarian assistance with programs to strengthen community resilience and support market-led economic development, with a crosscutting accent on governance and gender. Mercy Corps takes a sustainable approach to its programming, seeking to change behaviors and create institutions to foster long-term development in the sectors of protection and gender-based violence, governance, capacity building, social cohesion and early economic recovery. Funding comes from a range of donors including USAID, the European Commission, OFDA, UNHCR and private foundations. By addressing a number of overlapping and associated needs within a wide range of activities, Mercy Corps in CAR takes an integrated approach to ensure the greatest possible impact.

Under the Mercy Corps program Bambari & Ouaka WASH Improvement Endeavour (BOWIE), Mercy Corps will fortify and reinforce WASH services in Bambari and its surrounding areas by 1) constructing 10 latrine blocs in priority zones (e.g. school sites) 2) rehabilitating 20 water points, and 3) promoting improved hygiene practices relying on community gatekeepers to act as agents of change.

General Position Summary

The Emergency WASH Manager is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of emergency WASH interventions. The WASH Manager provides technical leadership and supervision to emergency WASH program staff and is responsible for overseeing program implementation and ensuring achievement of program objectives in compliance with both Mercy Corps and donor requirements. Monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting, and building the program management skills (including M&E, communication, financial management and reporting) of key national team members will also be essential responsibilities.

The WASH Manager is an effective communicator able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objective and to represent Mercy Corps in relevant humanitarian coordination and other key coordination mechanisms. S/he will be a strong technical leader and will have excellent planning and remote management skills.  S/he will contribute to program and strategy development for WASH and emergency programs in the whole country.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

  • Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
  • In coordination with management, set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.
  • Maintain strategic vision and provide the leadership to emergency WASH programs and program development.

PROGRAM AND TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT

  • Ensure the program is implemented in a coordinated way with other WASH programs and external actors, delivering assistance to the most vulnerable and using program capacity effectively.
  • Lead the development of detailed implementation plans, maintaining rapid response capacity, and ensure that program delivery meets Mercy Corps and donor requirements.
  • Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities, authorities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan (such as Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards).
  • Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective MEL systems to achieve the desired impact.
  • Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established targeting criteria and in line with gender, inclusion and protection mainstreaming best practices.
  • Ensure the program is implemented in accordance with Mercy Corps PM@MC.
  • Provide strong technical oversight and leadership to WASH teams, overseeing technical design, execution, and quality control of all WASH activities.
  • Ensure accurate and timely reporting of WASH activities, in accordance with Mercy Corps and donor requirements.

FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT

  • Collaborate and communicate with finance, procurement, logistics, HR and admin teams in an effective and inclusive way, ensuring WASH program planning is participatory of support departments.
  • Oversee and ensure that procurement and logistic planning is done in a routine and effective way, ensuring WASH goods/services meet specifications and are procured/delivered to field sites in a timely way.
  • Oversee and ensure effective and transparent use and documentation of financial resources by all staff in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
  • In collaboration with operations teams, oversee and ensure WASH asset and stock management.
  • Monitor adherence to grant and sub grants agreements, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations, including those of the government of RCA.
  • Manage the program budget, including tacking of program spending, financial obligations, and projected spend.

COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

  • Maintain effective coordination within and across Mercy Corps WASH portfolio.
  • Identify, build and manage partnerships on state and local levels with different stakeholders such as state and local government, civil society, UN agencies, peer INGOs, businesses and program participants.
  • Host and ensure logistic support for donor or other stakeholders field visits including donors, partners, and technical support visits.
  • Participate actively to coordination meetings with emergency stakeholders (OCHA, WASH and other relevant Clusters, CCM, humanitarian actors, government of RCA). This may include representing Mercy Corps for the regional WASH cluster
  • Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.

SECURITY

  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
  • Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

  • As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES

  • Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Programs Director

Works Directly With: Head of base, Program Development and Reporting Manager, WASH teams, Multisector  Returnees Program Manager, M&E Manager, Finance and Operations teams at Bambari and Bangui level

Knowledge and Experience

  • BA/S or engineering, management, international development or other relevant field. MAs preferred.
  • 3 years of management experience, managing emergency WASH programs in Africa or rural/peri-urban settings.
  • Experience with Cash for Work and durable WASH infrastructure required.
  • Experience or familiarity with behavior change communication a plus.
  • Established ability to manage and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles. Remote management experience is a plus.
  • Demonstrated flexibility, excellent communication, planning and problem solving skills required.
  • Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives.
  • Understanding of best practices for gender and protection mainstreaming in WASH programs required.
  • Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps and its interests to key stakeholders.
  • Experience working with host governments and national NGOs.
  • Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
  • Excellent oral and written French skills required. English is preferred.
  • Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
  • Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

Success Factors

The successful PM will combine exceptional management skills and strong technical management skills. S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in RCA. Prioritizing, planning, and effective communication across departments and with teams based remotely are essential to the role. S/he will be able to creatively problem-solve, juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines, and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected and sudden events impacting program operations. Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Bambari, CAR and it requires up to 25 % travel to the field

The Central African Republic is a nation of 4.6 million people, ranked as one of the poorest nations in the world, with an average life expectancy of only 49 years. Hospitals and access to medicines is very limited. Malaria is prevalent and it is estimated that 7-8% of the population may be HIV positive. Bambari is a regional town of the Ouaka Prefecture of about 41,000 inhabitants and is located in the east of the country and is divided north-south by the Ouaka River.  The city is relatively calm and safe, the population is hopeful for the future and economic and social activities are resuming.  However, criminality, mainly petty theft and robberies, constitutes the main cause of insecurity, and travel in some of the surrounding areas can be dangerous due to armed road bandits.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision.  Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.