South Sudan: WASH Engineer - South Sudan (Bentiu)

Reference: DK/SS/WASH

Country: South Sudan

Job Title: WASH Engineer

Contract Grade: B

Contract Length: 6 months (with option to extend)

Date needed By: As soon as possible

New Post or Replacement: New

Accompanied / Unaccompanied: Unaccompanied

Exact Job Location: Bentiu, Unity State (according to the evolution of the situation) with travel to other field locations as required

Responsible for: WASH Project Officers, Construction supervisors etc.

Reports To: WASH Coordinator

Liaises with: Area Coordinator, Environmental Health Specialist, State and Site WASH Focal Points, NFI/Shelter Manager, Emergency Nutritionist and WASH partners in Bentiu PoCs (IOM, Mercy Corps & UNICEF)

Location overview: Concern works in Bentiu Protection of Civilians (PoC) site, with a population of over 100,000 people. This location is likely to experience an increase in population due to food insecurity in Unity state. We provide WASH services within the cluster, comprising of water supply, O&M, sanitation construction and O&M and hygiene promotion activities. In 2016, we will be focusing outside of Bentiu PoC working in Bentiu/Rubkona towns, accessible by vehicle. Activities will include water supply and sanitation infrastructure and hygiene promotion. The scale of activities will be determined by the population movement. In addition, as access allows, we will be doing assessments and short-term responses to remote locations with the intention to have longer term interventions in the surrounding counties.

Job Purpose: Responsible for the implementation of the hardware component of the WASH Programme in Unity State. To provide technical oversight and quality control in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the hardware component of Concern’s WASH projects in Unity State, South Sudan. To design WASH infrastructure that is appropriate for each stage of the emergency as the situation evolves. To participate in assessments and response in remote locations as required.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Construction management

• Provide technical support and oversight for all water supply and sanitation infrastructure within the PoC and in Unity State and ensure compliance with SPHERE standards

• Supervise construction contract management, technical quality, policy and procedural compliance and work plan supervision of all construction undertaken by Concern, including water supply and sanitation infrastructure;

• Ensure that ALL construction materials are accounted for, tally with request orders and that the documentation of the release of these items is compliant with our logistic policy & procedures (procurement, warehousing, stock control);

• Provide remote management of WASH services as the situation evolves.

• Ensure that minimum standards of technical quality are adhered to in all engineering activities and interventions, which are technically and culturally appropriate, suitable for the given emergency state, realistic and on budget

  Assessments and Response

• Conduct WASH assessments in remote locations, through participation in short response missions

• Respond to the urgent WASH needs in remote locations through direct implementation including repairing of boreholes, tapstands and other water supply and treatment facilities and construction of emergency latrines, whilst providing recommendations on other longer-term solutions

• Actively participate in discussions on building responses in Unity State as the situation evolves

  Preparatory drawing, designs and BoQs:

• Ensure water point & latrine drawings and designs are completed, accurate and compliant with Government , SPHERE and Concern standards;

• Ensure the quality of technical designs and BoQs for water points, latrines and other WASH infrastructure are in line with recommendations from the WASH Coordinator and Concern Head Office WASH Engineering Advisor; and

• Ensure that designs and BoQs are community-led and cluster-agreed.

Coordination and liaison with sector programs & external agencies:

• Represent Concern Worldwide at any WASH Cluster or technical working group meetings as required by the WASH Coordinator;

• Ensure that Concern’s WASH engineering activities are coordinated with other actors and stakeholders in the programme area.

• Meet and engage with County level officials of relevant government ministries; and

• Liaise with key head-office based technical advisors on hardware technical matters

• Liaise with the Environmental Health Specialist to ensure that all aspects of hygiene promotion are considered during the design and construction of WASH facilities

HR and capacity building:

• Line management of WASH project officers and construction supervisors: establishing and monitoring SPHERE standards within the project implementation plan ;

• Technical and construction management capacity building to the WASH Team;

• Ensure understanding and compliance by all stakeholders with the Concern Program Participant Protection Policy and the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) standards; and

• Promote and address gender and equality issues as well as minimising and addressing the risk of HIV & AIDS and any other risks that threaten the lives of our target group e.g cholera.

Grant Management and Reporting:

• Work with the WASH team to ensure that procurement and HR plans align with the existing and approved budget;

• Work with the WASH team to ensure timely reporting according to the grant agreement reporting schedule; and

• Support in monthly expenditure tracking and provide feedback to the WASH Coordinator where discrepancies exist.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Qualifications in a discipline related to water & sanitation engineering - Masters degree in Water & Sanitation engineering or in civil engineering (with specialization in water, sewage, public health);
• Minimum of three years overseas experience with an NGO implementing hardware component of WASH programmes. Preferably in a humanitarian/camp setting;

· Familiarity with humanitarian law and principles of humanitarian action (international code of conduct and humanitarian charter)

· Familiarity with Sphere guidelines and people in aid, code of best practice

· Knowledge of Humanitarian Accountability Principles

• Practical experience in the design, construction, repair and rehabilitation of water points (including hand dug wells, boreholes and communal tap stands) and latrines (at a communal and household level)
• Strong experience in organising tender processes: contractor appraisal/ assessment of technical designs/ BoQs etc; and development of construction contracts;
• Experience in managing and training of staff and contractors on design, construction, and technical standards
• Sound IT skills, including Word, Excel and AutoCAD;
• Excellent command of oral and written English;
• Ability to prepare project related reports/documents.
• Ability to live and work in a close team environment

DESIRABLE

• Additional qualifications in Public Health related subjects
• Experience in rapid response missions in remote humanitarian settings

Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:

• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, protection and participation
• Good communication and training / capacity building skills
• Proven organisation, planning and management skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and lead diverse teams
• Flexible and adaptable to a changing environment
• Ability to work under pressure often to strict deadlines

How to apply: All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date. CVs should be no more than 4 pages in length. All candidates who are short-listed for a first round interview will be notified via email after the application deadline.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer the post before the closing date.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisation, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year. Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on Concern ensuring that the names of any new employee or volunteer do not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List). Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will not be made pending a clearance check being conducted on the applicant. For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

Concern Worldwide is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.