Bangladesh: WASH Project Manager


Dec 14, 2020 | Solidarités International
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Solidarités International is a non-profit organization working in areas of conflict and natural disasters. Its main aim is to provide quick and effective support for people in life-threatening situations by meeting their vital needs: water, food and shelter.

SI opened its mission in Bangladesh at the end of 2007, following cyclone SIDR.

SI’s intervention and strategy in Bangladesh is to address primary needs of crisis affected people in terms of food security, livelihood (FSL), disaster risk reduction (DRR), water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) and shelter, by making use of an integrated disaster risk reduction approach and by taking into account the effects of climate change, whilst working in parallel on mid-long term resilience strategies.

SI operates through three core stages of intervention: rapid response mechanisms in the aftermath of a disaster or emergency // early recovery & transitional periods // development.

SI is focusing on 4 key strategic objectives:

  1. Responding to the most urgent needs of conflict and disaster affected populations;
  2. Strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities to recurrent shocks;
  3. Strengthening communities’ capacities to access resources;
  4. Reducing marginalization through inclusive programming.

To this end, SI Bangladesh focuses the crux of its work on the WaSH and FSL sectors with a cross cutting them of integrated protection and resilience.

Today, the mission has 4 bases, and 1 coordination office in Cox’s Bazar.

The Teknaf base

  • 5 expats (1 DFCP, 2 WaSH PMs, 1 Admin, 1 FCO)
  • 3 national managers (2 FSL PMs, 1 Logistics Manager)
  • 170 national staff
  • 1 GH / 1office

Currently, there are 5 different donors, with a total budget of around EUR 4,6M for the base.

To learn more about the Bangladesh mission, please click here

About the Job

General objective

The WaSH Program Manager is a management position that involves planning, management and monitoring of the WaSH Program, as well as the capacity building of staff, in the Teknaf locality. 

She/He is responsible for the overall management of the program, including Project management, Strategy/Project developmentLogistics and administration, Staff management, Reporting and Capitalization.

Main responsibilities

  • Project relevance, quality and design
  • Implementation and operational monitoring
  • Capitalization
  • Team / people management
  • Reporting / communication / representation

Management

The WaSH Zone 2 staff is composed of 30 people, including the WaSH PM, with various profiles such as:

  • 2 Activity Managers
  • 5 WaSH Supervisors
  • 6 Water Officers
  • 8 Sanitation Officers
  • 8 Hygiene Promotion Officers

The team is highly motivated and committed, and they are familiar with the local context.

Main challenges:

  • Prepare the nationalization of the position
  • Be involved and heard in official negotiations to get the local authorities on board with the project
  • Strengthen the capacity of private service providers to take ownership of the SI procurement process.

Priorities for the first months:

  • Proposal writing and tools/methodology development for field assessment.
  • Reporting tasks and focus on relation/communication with external stakeholders in the area of intervention
  • Strengthen the capacity of teams on technical and managerial aspects for Activity Managers

More about the program

The program targets the camps 24 & 25, and is funded by ECHO. The budget of the project is approx. EUR 332 000 Euros for the programmatic part.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) leads the consortium and is entirely responsible for the Health component, while SI is responsible for its WaSH components:

  • supply of drinking water to 14,000+ beneficiaries
  • implementation of Hygiene Promotion sessions in camps and in the host communities,
  • management of solid waste / excreta
  • rehabilitation of 2 Health Centers;

The combination between SI and IRC ‘s expertise will allow to implement an integrate WASH and Health intervention, thus contributing to improve the health of the refugees, as well as of the vulnerable host communities. It also aims at the mainstreaming of protection, through all components of the project, ensuring that the response is delivered in a safe, dignified and accessible manner, through a community-based approach.

Your Profile

Education

Master level in WASH and/or Engineering.

Experience

  • Previous experience as a WASH PM in an INGO is mandatory: at least 5 years of international experience, preferably in emergency and recovery contexts.
  • Previous experience with SI is a plus.
  • Experience in complex ethnic and/or religious contexts preferred, sensitive environments (post-conflict, conflict). IDP/refugee camp experience is an added value

Plus:

  • Experience in representation, negotiation, and external relations
  • Proven experience in team management and in training, capacity building.
  • Experience in development projects in semi-permanent settlements is a valued asset.

Specific skills and experience

  • Very good technical knowledge of WASH activities: in particular borehole drilling, rehabilitation of Water Points, Support to Water Point Management Committees (WMC), construction of latrines etc.
  • Experience in civil engineering: in particular, the dimensioning and choice of construction materials, concrete dosing, etc.
  • Experience in training and capacity building is mandatory
  • Very good writing and reporting skills
  • Knowledge of the specific issues to displaced/replaced populations.
  • Good understanding of community-based approaches.
  • Good knowledge of the Microsoft Office Pack (Word and Excel) as well as database management tools

People skills

  • Good organizational skills,
  • Rigor and methodology,
  • Flexibility
  • Able to work independently,
  • Communication and interpersonal skills,
  • Patience and perseverance,
  • Ability to handle a huge workload and work under pressure,
  • Team management skills

Language:

An excellent level of English is required.

SI will offer you

A salaried position


According to experience, starting from EUR 1980 gross per month (base salary of EUR 1800 + 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly)
+ a monthly Per Diem of USD 450 per month

SI covers accommodation costs and travel expenses between the expatriate's country of origin and the place of assignment.

Breaks

During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of 7 working days every 3 months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7 working days break at 3, 6 and 9 months (with USD 850 allocated by Solidarités – USD 1240 in case of international flight).

In addition to these, SI adds 1 additional rest day per month of work, i.e. 12 additional days off for a one-year contract.

Insurance package

Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which covers all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system, including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.

Living conditions

Teknaf office & GH are separated. The GH offers basic but very good living conditions (AC in every room, private space available, sport machine available).

There is an excellent atmosphere shared between expatriates.

In terms of social life, Teknaf is a bit limited (few local restaurants), but the longest beach in the world is very close from the Office and GH: swimming & running are possible, depending on the season and the time of the day. Some security restrictions are in place, especially at night.

It is possible to spend the week-ends in Cox’s Bazar, one of the most touristic cities of the country, hosting the majority of humanitarian actors.

/!\ please note that the COVID19 pandemic can impact people’s movements and that the government can decide to put some areas under temporary lockdowns.

Application Process

  • Please send us your CV and cover letter in English.
  • If you have already been technically validated on the position with SI, please mention it.
  • NB: the vacancy may close before the deadline.