WASH Officer (Knowledge Management)

Call for Applications

Position Title: WASH Officer (Knowledge Management)

Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade UG

Type of Appointment: Special short-term ungraded, 6 months with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 15 May 2023

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Internal and external candidates will be considered for this vacancy. For the purposes of this vacancy, internal candidates are defined as staff members holding a regular, fixed-term or short-term graded or ungraded contract, including Junior Professional Officers (JPOs), staff on Special Leave Without Pay (SLWOP), and staff members on secondment/loan released by the Organization, unless otherwise specified in their contract. Staff members holding a regular, fixed-term or short-term graded contract will not retain their contract type if appointed to an ungraded position.

Context:

IOM recognizes that access to water and sanitation services, paired with hygiene promotion, is lifesaving in humanitarian contexts, while sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is also critical in the context of resolving displacement situations and building resilience to future shocks and stressors. The provision of WASH services is an important component of IOM operations worldwide.

The position will fall under the overall supervision of the Head of the Preparedness and Response Division and direct supervision of the IOM Global WASH Coordinator, and in collaboration other HQ Departments and Units. The WASH Officer will be responsible to lead the institutional WASH knowledge management, communications and advocacy, and IOM WASH global cluster and Technical Working Group (TWiG) coordination, whilst simultaneously delivering on additional relevant objectives and activities outlined in the IOM Global WASH Strategic Plan.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

Strategy:

1. Provide substantive inputs for the review and/or development of IOM WASH strategies, global and at country or regional level.
2. Lead the implementation of activities developed in the IOM Global WASH Strategic Plan

2023-2026 (and successive) to achieve one or several strategic objectives related to Knowledge Management.

1. Support IOM’s institutional engagement on WASH across the Organization, including IOM’s leadership support for and engagement on WASH both internally and externally.
2. Advise on the strategic alliances which should be built with key stakeholders at national, local and regional levels to increase programme impact and performance.
3. Support in the collection and analysis of statistical data from IOM WASH interventions and contribute to the creation of global, regional and country reports to showcase the results of the various analyses.
4. Represent IOM’s work on WASH in global processes and commitments, notably in the context of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Global WASH Sector Roadmap, the Humanitarian-Development Peace Nexus and Global Compact on Migration, to ensure that WASH activities and work are captured and reflected.
5. Contribute to various global reports related to WASH, e.g. the UN World Water Development Report.

Resource Mobilization:

1. Proactively identify programme development opportunities, new funding sources, new thematic areas of technical intervention and strategic partnerships that would promote the expansion of the IOM WASH portfolio.
2. Liaise effectively with donors at regional and international/global level in order to advocate for adequate funding to sustain the WASH programme and prepare proposals for funding.

Technical and Surge Support:

1. Provide effective and timely strategic and technical support to IOM Country Offices in the development of technical guidance, SOPs, policies, strategies, tools and approaches for WASH programme implementation, including in the engagement with partners and authorities.
2. Supporting the integration of WASH programs into transitional programming through consultations with Country Offices, collection of case studies, and development of tailored guidance.
3. Support in the review of WASH proposals, reports and other documentation developed byIOM Country Offices and Regional Offices.
4. Provide surge support to IOM country offices as required.

Human Resources:

1. Develop standardized tools to assist the recruitment and assessment of global IOM WASH staff.
2. Expand IOM WASH diversified channels to acquire human resources, to support IOMcountry offices in short term and long-term recruitments.

Coordination:

1. Actively liaise with the UNICEF / UNHCR and other WASH agencies, government authorities / entities and any other relevant stakeholders to ensure that IOM WASH activities are coordinated to avoid duplication and delivered in accordance with national regulations and operational agreements set by the humanitarian community at the country level. Ensure that any needed operational agreement or authorization from the local authorities is convened to guarantee project stability and good relations with the local government.
2. Coordinate with relevant IOM Divisions to develop and strengthen joint initiatives and to mainstream the WASH portfolio into institutional frameworks, processes and trainings, notably in the areas of preparedness, public health, environment and climate change, CCCM, protection, disaster risk reduction and HDPN/TRD programming.
3. Sit on various global Technical Working Groups (TWiGs) as required including FaecalSludge Management TWiG, Hygiene Promotion in Emergencies TWiG, Menstrual Hygiene Management in Emergencies WG, the Sub-Group on Hygiene Promotion for Cholera Control and the Global E-waste Task Force. Institutional WASH Knowledge Management:
4. Lead the improvement of IOM WASH systems for documenting and customizing knowledge including the WASH Community of Practice, POEM and LinkedIn.
5. Lead IOMs WASH processes and networks for dissemination, communication, advocacy and use of WASH knowledge, providing opportunities to connect people for exchanging knowledge, and on engaging staff around global advocacy priorities for WASH, knowledge and tools in coordination with relevant IOM units such as the Knowledge and Innovation Management Unit.
6. Lead on IOM continuous learning, awareness raising on, and dissemination of WASHprogrammatic guidelines and position papers and, in coordination with the Partnerships and

Capacity building lead, delivering the operational tools to implement guidelines for IOM Country Offices.

1. Collect lessons learnt and good practices in view of supporting the drafting of country-specific road maps for action.
2. Advice on systems, processes, technology tools, change management, monitoring,evaluation and learning (MEL) for building and creating new knowledge and training strategies by presenting comparative analyses of different options.
3. Provide global oversight and monitoring of IOM’s WASH programming, compile best practices and lessons learned, ensure cross-regional exchanges and inform strategic engagement in new areas of work.
4. Advise programme focal points in order to consolidate outreach/communication strategies vis-à-vis local and national authorities in the target countries and at global level.
5. Organize exchange of practices and peer to peer learning among country offices. Communications and Advocacy:
6. Develop content for WASH International Days for publication on the IOM WASH LinkedInsite and sending to WASH stakeholders.
7. Provide the Media and Communications Division with updates of stories of the field to enhance IOM WASH visibility on global platforms.

Global WASH Cluster and Technical Working Group Coordination:

1. Provide technical input (tools and guidance note) to review the Global WASH TechnicalGuidelines.
2. Identify priority technical gaps and support in the development of new WASH technical guidelines in coordination with the global WASH cluster.
3. Participate and represent IOM in Global WASH Cluster and Technical Working Groups.

Any other duties:

1. Perform such other duties that may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geology, Public Health or a related field from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or
• University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience at an international level with specialized international agencies leading WASHprogrammes in humanitarian, transitional and developing contexts;
• Experience working with different international organizations specialized in humanitarian assistance (e.g. UN agencies, INGOs, IOs, Donors, IFRC or ICRC);
• Experience in the design and implementation of WASH infrastructure, including proposal development and project management including budget, resource and contract management.
• Proven experience with technical facilitation and capacity building.
• Experience with programme monitoring and evaluation, compilation and dissemination of lessons learned and best practices.
• Experience in liaising with governmental authorities, national and international institutions and in partnership building
• Field experience in a conflict, disasters, or other humanitarian setting;• Experience with management of online knowledge platforms and websites.

Skills

• Credible expertise in network building and coordination, with the ability to employ a range of advocacy and communication approaches and mechanisms to convince others to adopt new ways of working;
• Computer literate (Microsoft) and engineering software (EPANet, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD or similar). Experience with graphic illustration and design an advantage such as Adobe InDesign; • Proven ability to manage a large and complex workload and produce quality work accurately according to set deadlines in a fast-moving environment;
• Strong organizational and coordination skills;
• The ability to work independently and effectively and harmoniously in a team of colleagues from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.;
• Excellent communication and verbal skills;
• Proven capacity in problem-solving and creative thinking;
• Excellent project management skills including program design, implementation, budget and resource management and forecasting and reporting;
• Excellent monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Strong WASH technical understanding with ability to build capacity of global missions through advice, training, technical guidelines or other;
• Works effectively with donors, partners, local authorities, stakeholders, beneficiaries, and the broader community to advance HQ WASH and mission objectives;
• Demonstrated capacity to strongly promote knowledge sharing and knowledge products and systems.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of French, Spanish and/or Arabic is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.