Sierra Leone: Urban WASH Advisor

Aug 30, 2016 | GOAL
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GOAL has grown its existing WASH programme portfolio considerably since the onset of the EVD outbreak, to encompass WASH in health facilities as well as community based water and sanitation programming at rural and urban levels, including GOAL’s membership of the Freetown WASH Consortium (FWC). GOAL SL is currently expanding both its rural and urban WASH work to deliver post CLTS, CHC support, O&M, Sanitation Marketing, FSM and PPP, through proposals funded by DFID, BMGF and potentially the African Development Bank. Alongside this, GOAL is also responsible for the effective completion of Ebola response programming through wash rehabilitation and construction activities at health facilities through the Health Consortium.

Sierra Leone has one of the highest under-5 child mortality rates in the world, exacerbated by poor water and sanitation services. Freetown, the capital, has a population of 1.2 million people; a number that has doubled over the past 20 years. Over 60% live in extremely densely populated areas, often near the sea with limited WASH services and are exposed to health risks associated with inadequately managed waste that flows through the city. Over 90% are served by on site sanitation and over 50% of households share facilities with four households (on average) per latrine. An estimated 70,000m3 of raw faecal sludge is produced in Freetown each year; and approximately 17% is disposed inside the King tom dumpsite, which doubles as a solid and liquid waste dump. It is not known what happens to the remaining 83% but it is likely that much of it is dumped locally.

The Role:

Reporting to the WASH Co, the WASH advisor will support key members of the WASH team especially the Program Managers for Kenema Waste, the Freetown WASH Consortium (FWC) and Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) projects to deliver an ambitious set of projects and deliverables in Freetown and Kenema. The Urban WASH advisor will lead on overall coordination and follow up of technical and management issues related to the implementation of the FWC and FSM programmes, as well as provide guidance for the start-up of the Waste project in Kenema City. Activities the Urban WASH advisor will engage in will include but are not limited to:

Project development

  • Led on the technical development of all urban WASH proposals, ensuring that they are consistent with all relevant GOAL’s strategies
  • Finalise the completion of GOAL’s urban WASH strategy ensure it is in line with all relevant GOAL’s strategies and ensure its application.
  • Provide intensive support during project start-up to ensure teams are recruited with correct skills and experiences, correct systems are establish for project management and engagement with government partners is positive and comprehensive.

Project implementation

  • Troubleshooting specific issues related to effective implementation of WASH programming and design innovative and robust solutions which ensure project completion in line with obligation to all donor requirements.
  • Ensure all staff have clear and measurable performance objectives and capacity building plans for effective delivery of all project outputs.
  • Ensure effective communication and collaboration between GOAL and government partners to ensure project objectives are met.
  • Support on the identification of key areas for on-going capacity building of relevant departments of FCC/KCC for implementation in future programming
  • Provide strategic guidance and support to GOAL and KCC/FCC on lobbying the Ministry of Health – Department of Sanitation on the development and enforcement of relevant policies
  • Ensure all logistics, financial and HR processes are followed by program teams and ensure budgets are effectively spent and transparently managed.

Project learning

  • In partnership with the M&E department of GOAL ensure rigorous M&E systems are in place to effectively capture all data that is required to evaluate the activities and impacts of the projects.
  • Ensure documentation of all key activities to promote internal learning within GOAL globally and Sierra Leone’s urban WASH programming.
  • Ensure all learnings are used to improve program quality
  • Ensure learnings are disseminated within the WASH sector in Sierra Leone when relevant

Coordination

  • Represent GOAL at all TWG meeting within the FWC, at technical meetings with WHH and at any other technical meetings related to urban WASH.
  • Coordinate with FWC technical lead and ensure quality engagement by GOAL in the TWICs
  • Stay abreast of developments in the Urban WASH sector in Sierra Leone and inform the WASH Co where relevant.
  • Attend the external WASH coordination meetings as required and update WASH Coordinator.
  • Any other WASH programme related support to WASH teams in Freetown, Port Loko, Kenema, Bo, Bombali, Bonthe, as directed by WASH Co.

Staff management/HR

  • Coordinate and support the Urban WASH teams, ensuring that the individuals work effectively together to achieve the programme objectives.
  • Line manage Urban WASH managers (Freetown WASH Manager, Faecal Sludge Programme Manager (Freetown), Waste Systems Strengthen, including performance management and appraisals
  • Supervise recruitment of health staff in coordination with HR in Sierra Leone, London and Dublin.
  • Enhance technical and health management skills of the GOAL health team
  • Line management of a small team.

Person specification

Essential

  • Degree in a relevant subject area (e.g. behaviour change, architecture, urban planning, public health engineering or any related WASH qualification)
  • A minimum of 5 year’s professional experience improving WASH services in developing countries
  • Previous experience working with public sector agencies, particularly in developing countries
  • Excellent coordination skills, previous experience coordinating with NGO agencies, community stakeholders and local government
  • Excellent written English
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Flexible and adaptive approach to project management and oversight

Desirable

  • Knowledgably on urban sanitation, specifically FSM, public sanitation, sanitation marketing, etc.
  • Experience working on developing social marketing campaigns
  • Experience with private sector development, designing and implementing public private partnerships, market systems approaches
  • Experience working in consortium / partnership
  • Experience of living and working in Sierra Leone

Position: Urban WASH Advisor

Location: Freetown, with travel to field sites upon agreement

Reporting to: WASH Coordinator

Start Date: 1 October 2016

Contract Length: 2 Years