WASH Officer-(Water Engineer) (1 position)

Location of activity: Kakuma Camp and Kalobeyei Settlement

Duration: 11 Months(February2023 -December 2023)

Direct supervisor: WASH Coordinator

About Peace Winds Japan

Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) is a Japanese Non-Governmental Organization established in 1996. PWJ has been providing humanitarian and development assistance for people affected by forced displacement and natural disasters in more than 20 countries in the world.

PWJ launched its mission in Kenya in 2012 and has been implementing projects funded by UN agencies and the government of Japan in shelter, WASH, food security, livelihood and logistics support to improve health and living environments of refugees and host populations while promoting peaceful coexistence and self-reliance among the people affected by natural or human made disasters in and adjacent of Dadaab refugee complex, Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement.

PWJ is a UNHCR partner responsible for WASH, warehouse management, motor vehicle service unit, centralized fleet and fuel management for Kakuma Refugee Operations.

Purpose of the position

This position is central to the designing,planning,implementation,monitoring and evaluation of WASH activities. The WASH officer will be responsible for inspection and monitoring of water supply and maintenance of the water reticulation system to ensure effective and efficient water supply.He/She will be responsible for assessment of boreholes and provision of accurate data and interpretation of the same.In case any issue arises he/she should report promptly to the WASH coordinator for action. He/she will work closely with other WASH officers and assistants in the field to ensure equitable water distribution and support the WASH Coordinator in planning and designing WASH projects. Moreover, he/she will stand in for the WASH Coordinator in absence and provide program support as required.

Roles and Responsibilities

Overall

• Plan,implement,monitor and evaluate project activities to reduce WASH-related risks.
• Collate data from the WASH assistants and prepare regular reports on activities and WASH conditions for monitoring.
• Coordinate with the other WASH Officers to ensure that the various aspects of the WASH response are integrated.
• Liaise with community leaders and other sectors and agencies in order to coordinate within the WASH sector and between sectors such as health and shelter.
• To represent PWJ in co-ordination meetings with the other IPs, section and block leaders and other stakeholders.
• Preparation of the project reports in a timely manner, guidelines and other strategic documentation
• Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH related outcome and output results as well as related strategies ,through analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.
• Maintain day to day communication with UNHCR and key WASH partners in order to implement WASH activities in harmonized, efficient and equitable manners.
• Develop effective community engagement strategies and implement them with community-based WASH staff to promote community ownership in WASH related service delivery
• Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH approaches, strategies and activities which fit in the context of the project site and in line with the directions of humanitarian assistance and guided by analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other), verify compliance with approved allocation/organization rules, regulations and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity.
• When need arises, prepare design and BoQ for constructing WASH facilities in consultation with PWJ project and WASH engineers, conduct monitoring and supervision of the construction sites.

Operation and maintenance of the Water supply system

• Conduct regular monitoring and inspection of the water reticulation system to ensure smooth and uninterrupted water supply
• Conduct regular assessment of day to day boreholes operations for checking of signs for preventive maintenance
• Develop sound working relationship and communication with the team of water supply monitors to obtain timely reporting and any information on normality to identify and respond swiftly to any technical problems
• Monitor documentation of the water supply operators, support them in improvement if necessary and transfer the data from their ledger books to Excel template to generate monthly report to share with UNHCR and partners and analyze the trend
• Engage communities,WASH committees and community leaders to ensure maintenance of the taps stands and reduce breakages and vandalism for sustainability of the infrastructure.
• Work closely with technical unit (master plumbers, plant foremen and plant electricians) to ensure timely execution of planned duties to reduce interruptions during water supply hours.

Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Work with the health partners on how to interpret and use data/findings to guide targeted interventions and decision making
• Work closely with the MEAL officer to conduct routine KAP surveys.
• Timely development of monthly, quarterly ,semi-annual and annual performance reports and highlighting success stories arising from the field
• Represent the organization as required in inter-agency and government coordination meetings and liaise with other organizations working in the operational area where appropriate.
• Carry out any other task as requested by the supervisor

Require Qualifications

Education and qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in water engineering,civil engineering,Water technology from a recognized university/institution. Diploma plus 7 work experience in lieu of Bachelors is acceptable
• Knowledge of SPHERE, WHO and national quality standards
• Be a registered/licensed member of the relevant body
• Additional course or personal learning on community development, livelihood, project and business management is an asset
• Understanding of water pipeline designs, knowledge of ArcGis; Epanet, Autocad Civil-CAD and waterGems/CAD software is an asset

Relevant Experience

• Minimum 3 years relevant work experience in the area of WASH and at least 1 year in humanitarian setting.
• Experience in capacity building for community own resource persons or community based staff
• Experience in intervention projects with strong community involvement
• Experience in partner and stakeholder coordination
• Experience in designing and implementing social and behavior change communication

Skills and competencies

• Ability to observe and understand cultural and social contexts and reflect the understandings in programming
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills
• Strong community engagement and facilitation skill
• Ability to infuse positive energy to the team
• Attention to detail, keen at following procedures and meeting deadlines
• Ability to organize tasks simultaneously and prioritize work
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills working with cross cultural and multi diverse teams
• Ability to build strong working relationships for partnerships
• Standards of Professional Conduct especially on integrity, service, and accountability