WatSan Officer
23 Nov 2007 12:51:00 GMT
Deadline date: 01 Jan 2008 |
| Organisation: | Merlin - UK |
| Location: | 214383 |
| Type: | temporary |
| Salary: | 20-30 (000's USD) |
| Description: | Responsible To: Project Coordinator
Working With: Field medical and non medical team members Location: Birambizo health zone, Rutshuru territory, North Kivu Province, DRC Start Date: ASAP Duration: 6 months Salary and Benefits: £14,338 - £18,787 annual salary dependent on relevant experience, plus an annual cost of living allowance of £5,111, insurance cover, accommodation and flights Please note this position is currently subject to funding Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date. Please note: this is an unaccompanied position. Merlin International Profile Merlin is the only UK specialist charity, founded in 1993, which responds worldwide, with vital healthcare and medical relief for vulnerable people affected by natural disasters, conflict and healthcare collapse. Each year, Merlin assists more than 15 million people, in up to 20 countries, through working with local healthcare actors including government, community groups and NGOs. Context The Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) is the third largest country in Africa and one of the poorest. Decades of dictatorship and an ongoing, unresolved civil war has left much of the national infrastrucutre destroyed. Merlin has been operational in eastern DRC since 1997 when it established emergency medical support to populations in Maniema Province. Merlin teams have been providing emergency medical care to the most vulnerable, accessible populations in Maniema Province, Kasai Oriental Province, North Kivu and Orientale Province, and in response to the Goma volcanic eruption of Jan 2002. Activities include: emergency response, primary health support and supply, secondary health support and supply, reproductive health, institutional capacity building, nutrition, wat/san, rehabilitation of health facilities. Merlin is the sole source of essential medical support for 110 primary & secondary health facilities, providing health care to over 1,100,000 beneficiaries. In Maniema Province, Merlin is implementing a USAID DFID funded primary health care and nutrition project in ten health zones, and a DFID (British government) funded referral hospital project in the provincial capital Kindu, totaling approximately 1.8 million beneficiaries. In North Kivu, Merlin implements a DfID funded primary healthcare project in Manguredjipa and Biena healthzones, with emergency support to IDPs within the province. Merlins Goma office is a management and support office for five field-site projects in eastern DRC. The office handles the financial and reporting aspects of a multi-million dollar grant portfolio, the HR and administrative requirements for more than 20 expatriates and more than 200 national staff.. Following recurrent insecurity in North Kivu, more than 340,000 people have fled their homes. Some are currently living in makeshift shelters and while others are hosted within local families. Access to health care is very low, due to the a lack of support of to the health infrastructure and because of the prevailing insecurity. Merlin is currently in the process of setting up a health programme in Rutshuru, North Kivu to address these needs. This role will be key in providingensuring the provision of the necessary health assistance that is required in this region of eastern DRC. Living conditions are worsening as the conflict intensifies and spreads through the province. Thousands have fled conflict affected areas and are seeking refuge in other parts of the province. They are living in makeshift shelter camps, which lack adequate sanitation as well as potable water. To address these needs, Merlin is currently setting up programmes in Rutshuru and Birambizo health zones. Water and sanitation are key components of the programme in Birambizo, which aims to address the issue of potable water and adequate sanitation for the IDPs and host affected communities. This role will be key in providing the necessary assistance required. Responsibilities The Watsan Officer, directly managed by the Project Coordinator, is responsible for all Merlin watsan activities in Rutshuru territory. Project Implementation and Development Manage all aspects of the Watsan Project and other smaller watsan projects related to Merlin activities in cooperation with other Merlin staff Liaise with all relevant line ministries and authorities Provide technical support to Project Coordinator/Operations Coordinator according to project activities Support field staff in encouraging community participation in the construction projects Participate in assessments of new areas as per requirements and develop new proposals Monitoring and Reporting Responsible for monitoring activities and implementation progress in conjunction with national watsan field officers Responsible for timely implementation of projects Ensure weekly, monthly and donor reporting is completed as requested by the Project Coordinator and Operations Coordinator Ensure that information is capitalized and archived Financial/Logistic Track budget lines of watsan programs Ensure purchase requests are completed as per Merlin procedures and according to allocated budgets. Monitor equipment use related to the programs she/he is in charge of. Human Resources Recruit (in conjunction with Project Coordinator/Human Resource Manager and Finance and Administration Manager) and supervise Merlin national watsan staff as required by project needs and according to available funds. Define national staff responsibilities and implement any required watsan staff training. Ensure that a job description exists for each member of the staff under her/his responsibility and be responsible for ensuring that watsan staff work according to their job descriptions. Conduct appraisals of staff under her/his direct responsibility and follow up recommendations from these appraisals. Promote the ethics and values of Merlin as an organization. Security Participate in the on-going monitoring of the security situation. Implement security measures according to Merlin security guidelines and monitor the same. Support the evacuation of field based teams if necessary. Ensure that staff under her/his direct responsibility are correctly briefed on the security context. Ensure and be responsible for staff under her/his direct responsibility following security rules and strategies. Coordination/Representation Co-ordinate with NGOs, UN, government officials and other key representatives at the district level as required by the projects or as directed by the Project Coordinator. Identify water supply and sanitation and needs of targeted communities and coordinate with all local stakeholders to address these needs. Other Be prepared to undertake any other tasks as requested by the Project Coordinator and the Operation Coordinator. Person Specification Essential Substantial experience in any NGO or other organisation as a water and sanitation specialist Proven track record of significant experience in a managerial role Experience in gravity-based water scheme construction and spring rehabilitation Experience in construction of sanitation infrastructure (i.e, latrines, waste disposal, etc.) Experience in working in partnership with local authorities and UN agencies. Excellent management and personnel skills to enable the motivation, encouragement and participation of Merlin national staff. Ability to cope well under stressful conditions. Ability and flexibility to understand the cultural and political environment and to work well with government representatives. Ability to travel to all field sites and to offer close supervisory support to the field watsan staff. Excellent communication skills, with good spoken and written English. Good computer skills ability to use data analysis software including Excel Desirable Previous experience within a humanitarian aid organization in Africa Experience in any additional watsan areas Experience in operating in insecure areas Experience in conducting outreach hygiene promotion and community training Diplomacy, ability to negotiate and to reach compromises, open-mindedness, tolerance, ability to live in remote places and in difficult contexts, self discipline. Community work experience To apply for this vacancy Please download an application form from our website www.merlin.org.uk. Completed applications should be emailed to applications@merlin-uk.org stating in the subject field the job title, country and reference number (if any) of the vacancy you have applied for. |
| Name: | Jackelyne Weeks |
| Email: | applications@merlin-uk.org |