Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Expert

Context

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent humanitarian organization providing medical aid to people affected by conflict, disasters and disease outbreaks. MSF Switzerland is the Swiss association of 24 national and regional associations composing the Médecins Sans Frontières global movement, which has helped millions of people since it was established in 1971. Its Operational Centre in Geneva (OCG) is responsible for medical assistance programmes in close to 30 countries.

Water, Hygiene and Sanitation activities are part of the logistic department. Because of the multiplication of the water, hygiene and sanitation complex activities requiring presence of specialists, the Geneva logistic department has requested a water, hygiene & sanitation (WHS) expert position to assist WHS referent with a physical presence in the field.

Description of duties

The responsibility of the Water, Hygiene and Sanitation expert is to provide technical and strategic support for implementation of WHS activities with the objective of optimizing the methodologies and technical solution related to water (pumping, storage, treatment, distribution…), hygiene (in health structures and in camps) and sanitation (wastewater, excreta control, waste, vector control…) implemented by the logistics in MSF programs.

The job is structured around 5 main tasks:

Direct technical support to field operation

Flying WHS Experts, on demand of the operation will intervene in the mission to:

• Promote and implement water & sanitation activities of the mission (implement or facilitate)
• Participate in: Exploratory missions & Program support visits
• Assume the post of WHS Coordinator, where appropriate, in emergencies.

Audit and recommendation to missions

• Evaluates:
  • WHS activities needs
  • Pertinence of specific WHS activities within projects,
  • WHS activities proposed.
• Provides recommendation to improve quality of WHS activities
• Follow-up and monitoring of WHS emergency activities.

Contribution to missions operational strategies

• Shares information with medical and logistic coordinators to identify potential WHS related activities to develop
• Participates in the development of appropriate project strategies based on analysis of the situation
• Advises on Eprep capacity when appropriate

Training and coaching

• Provides support for the choice and development of WHS or logistic personnel in accordance with his expertise.
• Provides coaching to WHS and logistic teams both local staff and expatriate
• Participates in the review, design and presenting of MSF training modules

Validation of products and local suppliers.

In every mission dedicates time to support Supply teams to:

• Validate technically sensitive product (insecticides, pumps…)
• Validate local suppliers.
• Clean up stock and Eprep stocks

When the Flying WHS is not on mission and after enjoying R&R / holidays, they will support the WHS Unit in its usual activities.

They can be asked to do the temporarily backup of the WHS referent.

Your profile

Education

• The candidate should be a trained specialist or engineer in the water, hygiene and sanitation sector.

Experience

• Expertise in some and interest in all of the following topics:
  • Water quality and quantity
  • Sanitation
  • Quality control and procurement of specific technical materials
  • Vector control
  • Medical waste disposal
  • Organise Committee of nosocomial infection control (CLIN)
  • Hygiene promotion in institutions and communities.
• MSF experience in emergency situations is essential, particularly in WHS context.
• Experience in community water supply and hygiene promotion is an advantage.

Languages

• English and French fluent. Knowledge of other languages an asset.

Skills

• Result and quality driven
• High communication skills and capacity to interrelate with people.
• Teaching skills.
• Teamwork
• Adaptability and flexibility.

Working conditions

• Field contract
• Part time contract: occupancy 50%
• Fixed term contract: 1 year renewable.
• Monthly gross salary: 5500 CHF for 100% position (actual salary proportional to occupancy rate)
• See MSF-CH guideline for practical conditions during field visits.
• Ideal strat date : January 1st, 2023