WASH Officer (Partnerships and Capacity Building)

Call for Applications

Position Title: WASH Officer (Partnerships and Capacity Building)

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 with other HQ Departments and Units. The WASH Officer will be responsible to lead the development and implementation of IOM WASH’s partnerships and capacity building, strengthening the capacity of IOM WASH programs and personnel, 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, globaland 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 the Partnerships and Capacity Building.
3. Support IOM’s institutional engagement on WASH across the Organization, including IOM’s leadership support for and engagement on WASH both internally and externally.
4. Advise on the strategic alliances which should be built with key stakeholders at national, local and regional levels to increase programme impact and performance.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 by IOM 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 IOM country 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.

Capacity Building and Partnerships:

1. Identify new and strengthen existing Global WASH partnerships to increase IOM WASH expertise and respond to new challenges and changing environment for humanitarian, development and peace outcomes.
2. Lead the process of developing Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with relevant IOM departments and standby partners to ensure immediate and quality WASH responses.
3. Lead the IOM WASH capacity building initiatives programme through close coordination withthe different IOM missions, WASH programme managers and global partners.
4. Identify gaps in technical expertise and coordinate capacity building opportunities with IOM missions, implementing partners and relevant government counterparts to ensure quality programming and to enhance capacity in emerging areas such as transition, recovery, and development, HDPN, climate-resilient WASH, urban water and sanitation, market-driven approaches and gender-mainstreaming.
5. Contribute to the systematic assessment of WASH sector capacity gap analysis, in collaboration with the Global WASH Cluster members and support the design of initiatives to strengthen sector capacities.
6. Develop the Monitoring and Evaluation plan for the Global IOM capacity building initiatives programme.
7. Organize regular meetings with high priority (L3, new, under-staffed) missions to understand human resource and technical needs and how Global WASH Support Team can assist, as well as to ensure streamlining of programme strategy across countries.

Procurement:

1. Contribute to the development of comprehensive global long-term agreements for WASH services and supplies and manage these with procurement colleagues.

Any other duties:

1. Perform such other duties as 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 in partnership and capacity building including partnerships building, training development and facilitation.

Skills

• Computer literate (Microsoft) and engineering software (EPANet, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD or similar);
• 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.

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.