Yemen: WASH Advisor

Feb 7, 2022 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps seeks to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression around the world and has worked in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. In response to acute and increasing humanitarian needs in Yemen, Mercy Corps opened its office in 2010. Primary program interventions include water, sanitation and hygiene, cash transfers, food security, health and nutrition, and livelihood support. Strategies to enhance the resilience of communities to the harsh environmental and social conditions in the country cut across the portfolio.  Currently Mercy Corps Yemen (MCY) has four offices and approximately 100 staff.

General Position Summary

The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Advisor will be the lead technical person for all Mercy Corps Yemen resource mobilization, design and implementation and monitoring of innovative and impactful WASH interventions. The WASH Advisor will lead the consolidation and scale up of the WASH sector through program design, implementation, monitoring and reporting and building the capacity of teams. The WASH Advisor will lead in ensuring the compliance of the Mercy Corps Yemen WASH programming with Mercy Corps PM@MC, sector, and donor standards. The WASH Advisor will ensure the MCY programs and teams remain relevant and current with sector innovation and best practices. The WASH Advisor will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director. The Advisor will work with other sectors (Nutrition and Health, Cash and FSL) for integration and synergies to maximize the impact for programs. S/he will have close working relationships with Grants and Reporting Specialist, MEL Manager, CARM Manager, Technical Advisors, Program Managers, Security Manager, Finance Director and Operations Director. The WASH Advisor will lead the representation of Mercy Corps in negotiations and collaboration with sector authorities and interagency platforms on WASH.

Essential responsibilities

Strategy

  • Provide leadership in the development of a coherent strategy to implement innovative and quality WASH programming informed by the Yemen context in line with the Country strategies.
  • Develop strategic frameworks that demonstrate and promote WASH integration with other sector approaches in both humanitarian and transitional programming in Yemen.
  • Develop a strategy that harmonizes structures and practices for WASH interventions across Mercy Corps Yemen projects and programs.

Technical Leadership and Capacity Building

  • Develop and lead in implementing a WASH capacity building plan for the Mercy Corps Yemen Country team and partners including performance planning, on-job training, and coaching.
  • Lead the development and use of WASH intervention implementation frameworks, technical guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures, assessment, and data collection tools, targeting criteria and beneficiary selection criteria ensuring use and compliance with Mercy Corps, international, Ministry of Water and Environment and UNICEF standards.
  • Provide guidance for quality and timely implementation of WASH interventions against set program objectives, targets, and work plans
  • Coordinate resources and team skills effectively to ensure quality and harmonized implementation of WASH activities
  • Lead in designing and refining the WASH delivery approaches most appropriate to the Yemen context and sector standards.
  • Coordinate with and support other technical advisors for the inclusion of WASH to address needs across sectors including health, cash, and food security.
  • Conduct regular field visits to support and mentor WASH teams and activities
  • Support Program Managers in the recruitment of WASH staff

Resource Mobilization and Reporting

  • Actively and closely work and coordinate with the Grants and Reporting Specialist in identifying new opportunities for funding
  • Contribute to the retention and growth of existing WASH programming for MCY.
  • Actively design and draft WASH program concepts, proposals, and budgets.
  • Coordinate the timely preparation of quality WASH intervention reports to MC and donors.
  • Work collaboratively with MEL in the preparation of requisite internal and external reports including our contributions to regular interagency reporting.

Influence and Representation

  • Actively participate and coordinate representation of MCY in external UN, INGO and Government sector platforms including national and field hub-level WASH cluster and associated sub-groups that are set-up as required.
  • Represent Mercy Corps Yemen in sector processes coordinated through the Regional and Global Technical Support Unit on WASH programming.
  • Identify and build strategic relations with partners for implementation, research, and resource mobilization for WASH interventions in Yemen
  • Guide WASH teams on effective practices and approaches to field level coordination with other MCY sectors and partners.

Monitoring and Evaluation and Research

  • Lead the planning and proactive implementation of WASH sector assessments for timely availability of current and appropriate data as required in different phases of the program cycle and including proposal development
  • Lead the development and implementation of a learning strategy for WASH interventions contributing to the overall country learning strategy
  • Work closely with the MEL team and oversee the design and implementation of WASH monitoring and evaluation plan and development and use of adapted tools and processes
  • Provide technical support to program teams across sectors to ensure the collection of regular WASH data, its analysis, presentation, dissemination and filing in line with MC guidelines and donor requirements
  • Conduct regular monitoring program and project activities to assess progress, bottlenecks and changes in contexts and guide required decisions and adaptations.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility

Matrix technical supervision and support to WASH Coordinator.

Accountability

  • Reports Directly To: Deputy Country Director
  • Works Directly With: Program Managers, CARM Manager, MEL Manager, Finance Director, Operations Director and Regional and HQ Technical Support Unit.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • Minimum Bachelor’s degree and technical certifications hydrology, civil engineering, or hydrogeology with focus on WASH.
  • At least 5 years continuous experience with technical design and implementation of WASH programs in complex conflict and emergency contexts
  • Demonstrated field technical experience and knowledge of WASH infrastructure (including sanitation facilities and water networks and point design, construction, and rehabilitation) and software/training (including treatment, behaviour change communication and formation/strengthening WASH community structures).
  • Strong experience in the application of synergies between WASH hardware and software.
  • Experience with integrated water resource management programs will be a definite advantage
  • Proven experience with WASH sector global standards.
  • Demonstrated experience capacity strengthening of teams and partners in WASH programming.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and experience using integrated approaches and systems thinking.
  • Demonstrated experience contributing to WASH proposals with major donors including USG (USAID BHA/OFDA/FFP), FCDO/DFID, EU, ECHO, UN OCHA, and foundations.
  • Strong influencing and representation skills and establishing partnerships with multiple stakeholders in implementing WASH interventions.
  • Demonstrated competence in finding solutions to complex problems and delivering results
  • Strong communications skills with exceptional ability to articulate technical issues with colleagues at different capacity levels
  • Experience analysing WASH data and preparing high quality reports.
  • Excellent written and oral English language skills, Arabic will be an advantage
  • Ability to adapt and work effectively in a multi-cultural context

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have an ability to work independently, take initiative in tasks and self-learning, and be proactive in communications and development of professional relationships. S/he will be able to work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with demonstrated sensitivity to the people and issues in the country. Strict adherence to Mercy Corps security policies and procedure. Capacity to spark innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to programming and inspire groups to collaborate closely to design impactful high-quality programs. Desire and ability to learn and grown, both personally and professionally.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This is an unaccompanied position based in Aden and possibility of working from Sana'a, Yemen, and eligible for hardship and R&R breaks. Housing is in group housing. Security conditions in the country are variable, with a range of violence and insecurity, requiring close monitoring and vigilance. Conflict and corruption have also badly damaged the country's infrastructure. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other, though the road network is good, the security situation often precludes travel by road. There is a landline telephone system, a somewhat reliable cellular phone system and internet is available in the residences and offices. Candidates must be able to work in an environment with energy, transportation, and communication challenges. The position will require travel to the field sites in Mercy Corps Yemen's operational areas up to 50% of the time including travel to some locations that may be insecure or austere. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and as such staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.