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Job Description: Effective Date: February 2022 Karongi WASH Program Officer |
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ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Water For People is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that works with people and partners to develop innovative and long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in the developing countries. The organization strives to continually improve, to experiment with promising new ideas, and to leverage resources to multiply its impact. Water For People is currently operating in 9 countries including Rwanda where Water For People is currently supporting WASH in the Districts of Rulindo, Kicukiro, Gicumbi, and Karongi.
BACKGROUND AND POSITION SUMMARY
The Karongi WASH Program Officer reports to the Senior Water and Sanitation Engineer. He is responsible for managing all technical aspects of the Program, including participation to the Country’s strategic plans, annual operating and budget plans, monitoring of the plans, fundraising, communication, and reporting. The Program Officer provides necessary support to program staff as well as local partners to ensure that program objectives are achieved in due time.
He will be responsible for the daily implementation, monitoring, and regular consultation with program partners on WASH program components. The WASH Officer will work closely with all Country Program staff, facilitating them for any meetings, field trips, and consultations pertaining to Karongi WASH Program, to ensure that the Country Program work plan for Karongi is successfully implemented.
Major responsibilities and duties:
1. Participation to country Program Strategic and Operational planning
- Work with Country Program staff to develop country strategic plans in line with Water For People’s overall strategy and policy objectives;
- Contribute to Water For People’s overall program and policy discussions;
- Participate to sanitation strategic planning;
- Undertake any sector review and/or thematic research in preparation of the next programming cycle;
- Participate to the elaboration of annual operating plans in line with pre-allocated budget.
2. Specific programmatic duties:
- Supervise the review of detailed engineering (water and sanitation) designs in collaboration with program partners ‘technical team as needed;
- In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, support the district in the elaboration and implementation of its full life cycle WASH Plan, and in its effort to strengthen capacities of the District WASH Board and its decentralized entities, water private operators, local entrepreneurs in sanitation and hygiene, etc. to ensure full and reliable WASH services;
- In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, work with water private operators to gain a better knowledge on water service reliability and water business viability;
- In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, work with Sanitation Business service providers to increase the viability of their business for both liquid and solid waste management;
- Assist the district procurement committee in developing bidding documents following Rwanda Procurement guidelines and support for Tender Evaluation as deemed necessary;
- Support the district procurement officer with contract management and recommendation for payments;
- Thoroughly document program progress, success, and challenges, and contribute to Water For People’s learning agenda by disseminating results to Rwanda’s water and sanitation sector;
- Assist Water For People—Rwanda’s Program team in the preparation of reports as they pertain to the Karongi WASH Program.
- In collaboration with the relevant country program staff, advocate for the implementation of similar programs in Rwanda, i.e., programs that involve all sector stakeholders to reach full and sustainable access to water and/or sanitation in a geographic area;
- Strengthen relationships with partner organizations, the local private sector, NGOs, government agencies, donors, bilateral and multilateral agencies supporting the Karongi WASH Program;
- Ensure that the partners and projects related to the Karongi WASH Program are visited regularly by program technical team, and that partners are provided with the technical and managerial advice, training, and support that enables them to implement projects;
- Assist with adequate and prompt disbursements of funds as needed for the Karongi WASH Program;
- Support District to organize and invite Karongi WASH Steering Committee meetings and WASH Board meetings;
- Ensure that materials employed by contractors, approved by project supervising companies comply with accepted quality standards before they are used for the project.
3. Program finance and advocacy
- Contribute to proper financial management of the Karongi WASH Program and Water For People—Rwanda by ensuring that administration and finances related to the program follow the country’s procedures;
- Participate in financial reviews, external and internal audits as they pertain to the Karongi WASH Program;
- Ensure that the Karongi WASH Program is kept within its budget allocation;
- Review donor’s financial report, and provide input;
- Contribute to the representation of Water For People in Rwanda, and represent the Karongi WASH Program in front of the local government authorities, donors, water and sanitation organizations.
- Attend different coordination meetings called by the government, Water Sector Working Group, and other partners as it relates to Karongi WASH Program and/or Water For People-Rwanda Program when required;
- Ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations of Rwanda, the Karongi WASH Program Implementation Manual , and report any irregularities to the direct supervisor;
- Ensure full participation of program partners and stakeholders throughout the program planning cycle.
- Monitor the Karongi WASH Program progress against plan;
- In collaboration with the relevant country program and district staff, facilitate annual service level monitoring exercises.
4. Grants management related duties:
- Manage and develop all aspects of donor account management by developing and implementing strategies to maximize the giving potential of donors, while adhering with the grant management process;
- Maximize partners’ relationships by becoming deeply familiar with donor’s requirements and partners ‘commitments to the program;
- Connecting and facilitating relationships between donors and helping donors connect more deeply to WFP through various opportunities;
- Leverage the activity of Business Development, Global Programs, and Finance staff as appropriate and comply with the grant management process and expectations
- Drive and support the grant management process, working with donor relationship managers, as appropriate for your role;
- Provide all required data to finance team on time and ensure accurate expenditure reporting in donor required format;
- Track revenue and expenditures against grant budget on a monthly basis.
- Perform any other lawful duties deemed necessary by the direct supervisor or Water For People Management.
5. Minimum Job Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Hydraulic, Civil Engineering, Environmental Sciences or any related fields with at least 4 years of experience in water and sanitation project management or bachelor’s degree in Water and Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Sciences with at least 8 years of professional experience in water and sanitation project management.
- At least 5 years of experience in the construction of WASH infrastructure in rural contexts, including the construction of water supply systems, improved toilets, installation of rainwater harvesting systems, construction of girls’ menstrual hygiene rooms, and handwashing facilities.
- At least Three (3) years experience in project management;
- At least 5 years experience working in Rwanda;
- Knowledge of the Rwandan administrative framework;
- Good experience in procurement, computer engineering software usage, and access to e-mails and internet services;
- Excellent organizational/logistic, communication and interpersonal skills;
- Self-starter and ability to undertake projects and tasks without intensive supervision;
- Maintain sound ethical principles, integrity, and transparency of due process;
- Fluent in English, knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda would be an advantage;
- Valid driving license would be an added advantage.
6. HOW TO APPLY:
- If you are both qualified and Water For People interests you, please visit our Career Center and apply with application letter along with detailed curriculum vitae (resume), relevant academic documents, and contact details of at least three (3) referees to this position. Please submit your application materials in English. In-person visits or phone calls are not allowed!
- Applications need to be received no later than February 6, 2022, by 5:00pm (Rwanda time).
Done at Kigali on January 28, 2022
