Sudan: WASH-E and Infrastructure Advisor

Aug 10, 2020 | Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee)
View Original

Formerly the American Refugee Committee, Alight is an international nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that has provided humanitarian assistance and training to millions of beneficiaries over the last 40 years.

The Role

Based in Khartoum, you’ll supervise a team of WASH and Infrastructure specialists and support WASH-E and Infrastructure Coordinators in East Darfur, South Darfur, Kassala and other potential sites, in achieving our goals. You’ll be guided by and receive support from the Country Program Manager. Simply put, your purpose will be to work with our teams to ensure co-creation and delivery of quality and meaningful WASH-E services to the people we serve in Sudan.

You’ll know you’re doing well if:

You use your design passion and technical skill in this newly created position, to help us design and deliver a new way of thinking about WASH, Renewable Energy (E) to power and Infrastructure to support services to our customers in Sudan.

We are changing the way WASH-E and Infrastructure is viewed and we need your help in creating and developing ideas to help save lives and help our communities beyond survival, in order to unleash their abundance and prosper.

Providing basic services just isn’t our style.  Our customers want more and you will co-create with an enthusiastic team that will support you with resources in order to achieve the infrastructure, energy, environmental and WASH needs and services demanded by the people we serve. 

The Team

Sudan WASH-E and infrastructure team consists of amazing men and women who have helped the people/communities and public facilities such as schools, clinics, markets and places of worship in South Darfur, East Darfur, and since lately in Kassala, to develop water and sanitation systems with dignified access for men and women, boys and girls, and people with special needs. Our drainage systems and footbridges have prevented the worst effects of the flash floods; our teams have built and upgraded dozens of clinics through the country using environmentally friendly materials and technologies such as solar power. Our hygiene and sanitation promotion specialists have promoted improved practices, helping save thousands of lives through campaigns aiming at prevention of the communicable disease outbreaks.

Much of your day will be spent at office and in the field with the members of these amazing teams and communities, discussing design, backstopping emergency program issues, or assessing needs and developing project proposals and BoQs. You’re not scared of having to change course and create structure and process out of ambiguity

Building a shared organization takes time and intention. We will always be becoming Alight, which means your work will evolve as well. For now, here’s how you could anticipate spending your time:

Area of Work 1: Be Human centered, Co-Create and always Start by Giving and Doing the Doable - 40% of time

  • People we serve dream of transforming their environments from the ones of scarcity to the ones of abundance. Always strive to be out there for them with your team, listening and learning how to meet their most immediate survival needs in WASH services and how to help them build/ re-build lives of dignity and purpose.
  • You are well aware that key services like health, education and livelihoods are facing numerous infrastructural challenges, such as the lack of well-designed health care spaces and classrooms, particularly in areas with large displaced populations. Helping our health, education and livelihoods teams to design these key community assets will be an important part of your job.
  • Do the Doable and Start by Giving: Our co-creation with people does not stop. This is the secret method to our” needs assessments” – they never stop. Some needs can be addressed immediately by small, quick impact donor projects or investments, or our own Changemaker 365 funds, or even the small adjustments of the existing services to meet the customer demand. Always strive to Do the Doable since our customers do not deserve to wait for their life-saving WASH-E and Infrastructure services, if we can do something about it until a more sustained service is established.
  • We are very meticulous about developing these sustainable services with our customers. Our WASH-E and Infrastructure Advisor in Sudan is the person that leads the design process in accordance with the donor guidelines (OFDA, UNHCR, UNICEF, OCHA, USAID, WB, etc.), SPHERE standards and other industry and professional standards.

Area of Work 2: Bravely Be better and Choose Optimism - 30% of time

  • Our customers deserve world class quality and meaningful services.   You recognize that the water supply in East and South Darfur and in East Sudan is a constant challenge due to limited coverage of the systems as well as the operation and maintenance challenges. Constant improvement of yield by sustainable pumping and mainlining water quality are our standard commitments.
  • E (as in WASH-E) stands for renewable energy coming from the sun and wind to power services such as communal lights, business, clinics, homes and schools. As a 21st century organization, Alight has made important strides to offer these services to communities that we serve. Your job will include working with our teams and partners to strengthen this amazing portfolio.
  • It’s going to be your job to make sure that the water and sanitation systems, health facilities, community structures and infrastructure are well executed and that our health and hygiene awareness campaigns are reaching the communities.

Area of Work 3: Find Others and Spark Joy - 20% of time

  • You’re not intimidated by co-creating with others such as local authorities, UN agencies, donors, investors and other teams/ NGOs to achieve these important objectives in WASH-E and infrastructure
  • Finding others such as amazing local and international partners is one of Alight’s strengths. We believe that the world is full of amazing people who want to help. Because our customers deserve a world class service and resources that are not always at our fingertips, we are eager to work with the amazing others to Do the Doable and Bravely be Better in serving our communities.
  • We share our lives with our customers, co-workers and partners. We believe in upholding human dignity in everything we do. At the same time, trying to spark joy and hope for the better future to come is what makes us human. Our water, environmental and spatial designs, our hygiene and healthy lifestyle promotional events, and our energy services should always help meet the needs and demand by customers, while at the same time seeking to Spark Joy by art, beautiful designs and performances.

New or Interesting Projects/Progressive Responsibilities – 10%

  • Lean into the things you love and spark your interest, within or outside your team. We need you to honor the work that you’ve committed to doing, but also know that when you are unleashed, so are we.

Anticipated travel - 50% within Sudan.

Qualifications

These are “must-haves” when you join Alight:

  • Open heart and open mind. You start by listening. You believe another person’s truth and it changes you. It unlocks your way of thinking in that moment, it opens your world.
  • Curiosity. You are always learning. You ask why and why again. You know that change (big and small) is constant, which means your curiosity to learn is matched with adaptability to evolve.
  • Trust. You believe that people do their best, are disciplined, and care about this as much as you do. You take responsibility for your part and know how to step back and give others the space to shine.

We’re also looking for the following technical competencies: (list technical qualifications)

  • You are an exceptional humanitarian with the strong background in WASH and infrastructure engineering and / or development, and a strong understanding of how these assets support the key community services such as water access, disease prevention, as well as crop irrigation and other livelihoods options.
  • You have a strong devotion to the people in need, including those affected by conflict and natural disasters, internally displaced persons and refugees, and others in need. You have a proven ability to problem solve and design as a member and leader of the teams.  You have an infectious enthusiasm for water, renewable energy and development of the community assets to help the people achieve better living conditions and prosperity.
  • This isn’t your first time.  As such, you’ve had seven years of experience as WASH and Infrastructure/ Shelter team lead and program designer for international organizations, NGOs, social or commercial businesses. You’ve already accomplished amazing water system designs and other key community infrastructure, as well as supported the health system engineering roles for these actors in Sudan and/ or elsewhere in the world.
  • Your academic background is in public health engineering and / or water engineering OR structural /infrastructural program design and management. You enjoy being involved in things you know and are curious to understand the aspects of the unknown related to your role. You are talented at managing expectations and your own time.  You love co-creating across teams and are personable, helpful and incredibly organized.
  • You work well with a lot of freedom and do you best work in a culture that does the doable with whatever resources we have.
  • You have a founders’ spirit, embrace ambiguity, are joyful to the people you serve and work beside. You deliver your work generously and take ownership of everything that lands in your lap.

These are the things we’re aiming to find. However, we’re open to being surprised. If you embody the spirt of Alight, care deeply about the cause, and if you bring something else that’s special, then please reach out

Benefits

  • Borderless Team of 2,500 staff worldwide that sees possibility, celebrates moments of abundance, shares new ideas, and strives to do a better thing every day.
  • Learning & Development – Access thousands of free online learning courses to take at your own pace and tailor to your professional goals.
  • Generous Leave Time – Between vacation days, personal leave days, and holidays, you have ample opportunity to take time off when you need it.