Job Title: WATSAN Volunteer
Hiring Organization: International Rescue Committee
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: NGO
Job Type: Full Time
Salary: KES
Date Posted: 08/01/2024
The
International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian
crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and
power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the
call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international
humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50
countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim
control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity,
IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to
millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us
in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better
future.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst
humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered
by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives.
The IRC has been working in Kenya since 1992, providing crucial services across
the two refugee camps, Dadaab and Kakuma, and a number of counties (Garissa,
Turkana, West Pokot, Samburu, Kajiado, Lamu and Nairobi) implementing programs
in the sectors of health, nutrition, governance & rights, women’s
protection & empowerment, Economic Recovery and Development, as well as
providing emergency response through a network of field offices and a range of
institutional and community-based partnerships.
Job Purpose/Objective
The role
of volunteer-WATSAN is to support in the successful delivery of water supply
and sanitation interventions in the target areas while adhering to relevant
quality and technical standards. Additionally, this position will support
development of community capacity in water supply and sanitation operation,
maintenance, and management, participate in mobilization of WASH resources and
ensure implementation is done in close collaboration with program staff, the
local community, the Local authority, and other relevant agencies. The role
will also involve to a large-scale technical designs of various WASH
infrastructures, estimation of costs, support development of tender documents,
bid review and evaluations, and general construction contract management and
discharge in accordance with IRC and GoK acceptable standards and
specifications.
Main
Responsibilities
The
volunteer – WATSAN supports the team identify and assess the key needs of WASH
facilities and recommend an appropriate strategy to either construct,
rehabilitate or repair such facilities. She/he will ensure that an engagement
approach to working with communities and the local authorities, other partners
is employed, and all activities are carried out in a way that upholds IRC
values, is sensitive to community needs and promotes the full and equal
participation of women, men, children, youth, people living with disability and
other special interest groups. Primary responsibilities include:
Project
Planning and Design
- Participate in
needs assessment including Baseline surveys in WASH activities and
determining most technically appropriate water supply and sanitation
options.
- Design and
develop relevant specifications for WASH infrastructure including standard
operating procedures (SOPs), design reports, drawings, bills of
quantities, technical specifications.
- Participate in
the proposal development for potential water supply, sanitation, and
hygiene interventions.
- Undertake
Topographical Surveys and GIS activities, feasibility studies, water
resource mapping, EIA support.
- Ensure that
Projects/construction sites adhere to the laid out technical and quality
standards.
Project
Implementation
- Preparation of
tender documents including technical specifications, bill of quantities,
drawings, and terms of reference, variations and justifications.
- Supervise
construction, repair and rehabilitation of water supplies systems and
sanitation facilities in strict adherence to the designs, specification,
Kenya government regulations, WHO and the SPHERE standard.
- Working with the
WASH Officer – Hygiene Promotion facilitate training WMCs, other Community
structures (SMCs, CHWs, CHEWs, Youth Groups) and local authorities on
operation/maintenance, management, and sustainability of WASH
infrastructure.
- Build the
capacity of staff, CBOs, and Water Users Committees to effectively manage
WASH facilities.
Project
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Support in
supervision of WASH activities in strict consistency to IRC Kenya,
government Of Kenya regulations, the donor’s guideline, and the SPHERE
standards.
- Ensure timely
delivery of projects activities and successful completion of construction
works with submission of completion certificates to the Contractors.
- Ensure that up
to date project documents are in place including approved work plans, log
frame, detailed project implementation plan and financial forecasts
Documentation of lessons learnt and good practices.
- Support in the
development and implementation of water safety plans for the water supply
projects.
- Ensure laid down
SOPs, technical, health and safety standards are adhered to in all
projects.
Fundraising
and Networking
- Support in the
development of technically sound proposals and project designs.
- Uphold good
relations of project partners including the contractors, suppliers, site
committees and clients.
- Engage actively
in relevant clusters and networks.
Reporting
- Develop and
deliver in a timely manner progress reports, monthly, quarterly, semi-
annual and end of projects reports in accordance with donors’ and IRC
Kenya requirements.
- Support
development, monitoring and evaluation of WASH project indicators and
standards.
- Provide regular
update reports on water supply and sanitation activities and program
progress against work plan as maybe required.
- Maintain an up
to-date activity tracking tool (soft copies and hard copies) of all water
supply and sanitation infrastructure related activities.
- Actively
participate in inter-sectoral activities.
- Comfortable with
performing a range of tasks outside of their workstations, when needed.
- Support WASH
department in other tasks, roles and, responsibilities as may be assigned
to by the supervisor.
Minimum
Qualifications:
- Degree in Water
Engineering, Civil and structural Engineering, or related field.
- A minimum of one
experience working/programming in WASH, emergencies, relief, or
development.
Required
Experience & Competencies:
- Minimum of 2
year relevant work experience.
- Valid
Registration with a professional body.
- Strong skills in
civil design works and /or construction of water supply and sanitation
facilities essential.
- Demonstrated
skills in technical design and costing of civil engineering works related
to water supply and sanitation facilities.
- Experience in
people engagement approaches, participatory approaches.
- Excellent verbal
and written communication skills.
- Strong
interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective
working relations with a team.
- Ability to
conduct community needs assessment, project planning, implementation,
monitoring, and evaluation.
- Good computer
application skills (MS-Office, CAD, application software to engineering
designs)
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