Programme Manager: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – Sierra Leone Full Time Mid level

Your purpose: The purpose of this position is to provide technical oversight and management to the Urban WASH programme. The WASH Manager will provide support on both hardware and software project components and ensure the programing is implemented in line with proposal and project plans. Whilst there is an internal team manager to track the budget and day-to-day field operations, the WASH Manager will provide oversight and lead on technical areas.

You will be responsible for:

Programme management

• Manage the technical aspect of the Urban WASH Project in Freetown giving support to the Concern WASH team and implementing partners during planning, designing and implementation of WASH Activities (including solid waste management).
• Play a leading role in Concern’s emergency response work in the WASH sector and assist the Programme Director in coordination of responses.
• Provide effective and efficient management of the project implementation in line with the project proposal and donor requirements and ensure timely production of and submission of project reports and budget revisions
• Capacity build the current WASH team on technical WASH interventions and software considerations.
• Lead in developing proposals, concept notes and budgets for WASH activities/projects
• Coordinate and work closely with other Project Managers and Coordinators throughout project planning, design implementation and monitoring and evaluation
• Participate in conducting joint assessments and planning responses together with other teams and follow up on the recommendations
• Promote and ensure appropriate participation and equitable access of beneficiaries and communities through appropriate mechanisms
• Propose innovative WASH approaches relevant to the context including climate change, water resource management, water quality, water security. etc.

Technical:

• Provide support and implement WASH projects with particular focus on engineering (water supply and sanitation) sustainability of WASH interventions, and links to Hygiene Promotion as well as solid waste management
• In conjunction with the Construction Coordinator, develop, document and roll out written protocols, operating procedures and training materials and ensure uniform methodology is applied
• Provide technical support and guidance to the engineers on preparing technical drawings and technical specifications for tenders
• In conjunction with WASH Field Manager, ensure review on barriers and enablers of behaviour change and adapt hygiene promotion methodologies and tools accordingly.

Coordination and Leadership:

• Participate proactively and contribute in relevant technical working group monthly meetings
• Share information on Concern activities and intervention and promote good relations and collaboration with other actors
• Take a leading role in interagency WASH and Emergency coordination fora and develop networks with relevant WASH actors
• Develop strategies and plans that contribute to raising the profile of Concern as an expert organization in the WASH sector

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Work closely with field teams on objectives, indicators and activities and develop clear monitoring frameworks for each project in collaboration with the M & E team
• Maintain an effective monitoring and planning system, which informs reporting and project design.
• Collaborate closely with the WASH consortium on peer reviews and annual reviews for the project
• Work with the team to identify and document project learning and success cases and disseminate learning.
• Ensure an up-to-date WASH database is maintained and manage all information related to WASH activities with M & E Officers.

Financial Management:

• Provide timely and accurate budgets and budget revisions for WASH programmes
• Manage the project budget and ensure expenditure is in line within agreed project plans and budget.
• Ensure that project expenditure is undertaken in line with finance policies and procedures, and that resources are optimally utilised.

Staff Management and Development:

• Direct line management of Construction Advisers, WASH Field Supervisors and the WASH Field Manager
• Participate in the recruitment of in-country WASH staff. This includes preparation of job requisitions and job descriptions.
• Establish clear performance objectives for each of the reporting staff and conduct formal Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs).
• Support the WASH team in identifying training needs and help them to design and facilitate appropriate training and follow up models.

Other:

• Ensure team members are aware of core Concern policies and procedures relevant to their work, and with the support of others, carry out regular briefings on these policies, including the P4, security management, accountability etc. Contribute to the implementation of these policies.
• Together with other project teams members, ensure HIV & AIDS, inequality and risk and vulnerability are analysed, mitigated against and responded to during the overall planning, implementation and management of the WASH programme and ensure that programing is reflective of the How Concern Understands Extreme Poverty policy.

Your skills and experience will include:

Essential:

• Qualifications in a discipline related to WASH, Civil Engineering and/or Environmental Health.
• 5 years or more in a similar role, ideally including Emergency and Urban programing
• Good capacity in community mobilization and knowledge of participatory approaches.
• Practical experience in construction of water and sanitation facilities (borehole drilling, hand dug wells, low cost sanitation etc.) sustainability of water points, training of WASH committees etc. and in participatory hygiene promotion methods in Urban settings
• Experience and knowledge of solid waste management in urban settings
• Proven success in implementing community based and led hygiene and sanitation behaviour change.
• Experience with water testing and analysis.
• Experience of working in emergencies
• Experience in report and proposal writing.
• Proven financial management skills.

We would also like:

• Understanding and experience of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approaches and programming
• Understanding and experience of the Common Humanitarian Standards (CHS)
• Understanding and experience of mainstreaming issues of gender equality, DRR & resilience, protection and safeguarding and HIV and AIDS into project planning and implementation.
• Experience of working in Consortia
• Proven influencing and negotiating skills with internal and external audiences, experience working in partnership with Governments would be an advantage.
• Ability to train local staff and to motivate and develop skills of others.
• Knowledge on using engineering software including AutoCad and GIS.

Tagged as: Concern