This position is Contingent

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.  Now, and for the future. We help people overcome poverty and conflict. Working with communities, we leverage local logic to help people transform their lives. To grow more food, earn higher incomes and ultimately advocate for their needs. We see global challenges as an invitation to pioneer innovative, sustainable solutions. During our 34-year history, our work has improved more than 170 million lives in more than 115 countries around the world. Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

Position Title:  Hygiene Promotion  Officer

Duty Station:  Negelle,Konso and Gode

Open Position:  Three

Program / Department Summary

As part of its humanitarian response program, Mercy Corps is anticipating USAID/BHA funded Humanitarian Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP) to respond to the immediate needs of vulnerable individuals in  the Somali, SNNP and Oromia regions to meet their immediate WASH, Livelihoods, Nutrition and Health requirements and basic needs to navigate through stresses and shocks.

 General Position Summary

Under the direct supervision of the WASH officer, the hygiene promotion officer will be responsible for the hygiene promotion and sanitation component of HARP/WASH program at woreda level. He/She will be responsible for the implementation hygiene promotion and sanitation component and ensuring program quality, completion of activities within allocated funding and project period, and identifying new needs for program expansion and improvement. The Hygiene Promotion Officer will be spending full of his/her time in the woredas assigned.

Essential Job Responsibilities

In coordination with the WASH, livelihoods, nutrition and health officers, undertake/take part in quantitative/qualitative assessments to identify key risky hygiene behaviors to work on and to capture key achievements with-in the framework of the program.

·        Work with health extension workers and  target beneficiaries to identify volunteers for hygiene promotion/education,

·        Undertake assessments to identify appropriate hygiene NFI needs and ensure their distribution

·        Train volunteers on basics of hygiene promotion/education, hygiene promotion/education methods/approaches, communication and facilitation skills,

·         Prepare detail implementation plan for hygiene promotion/education activities in coordination with WASH officer

·        Ensure implementation of hygiene promotion activities as per planned approaches/methods

·        Work with WASH officer, and project Coordinator on  development, testing, printing and positioning of culturally appropriate IEC materials, and monitoring tools and ensure proper use of the same,

·        Prepare weekly and monthly progress reports/updates,

·          Ensure needs of most vulnerable are taken in to account at all stages of hygiene promotion intervention/s,

·        Coordinate and integrate with other implementing partners in harmonizing hygiene promotion/education interventions,

·        Document and share lessons learned and success stories in relation to hygiene to inform future programming

·          Ensure  proper  implementation of hygiene and sanitation component of  WASH projects with-in allocated budget and timeline meeting international standards;

·         Ensure integration of Water,  sanitation and hygiene promotion components of  the project with other sectors

·        Prepare monthly field reports covering all hygiene and sanitation components  and submit to WASH Officer;

·        Undertake need assessments and contribute in the preparation of new proposals,

·         Visit the IDP sites, health facilities  and make house to house visit regularly and provide on-site mentoring to hygiene and sanitation team

·         Ensure that   procurements are timely initiated, monitored and prioritized by the logistics team;

·         Monitor and ensure spending against plan, and analyze monthly financial reports;

·           Ensure that program spending is in line with original plan and burn rate balances with implementation progress.

·         Work with finance and logistics to ensure the program quality ;

·        Foster linkages with partners including WASH clusters, WASH steering committees and UN agencies for effective implementation of the program

·           Any additional tasks as assigned by his/her supervisor

 Strategy & Vision

●       Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

●       Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

●       Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

Program Management

●       Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.

●       Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

●       Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.

●       Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts & oversee a training program for program partners.

●       Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as WASH, psychosocial and capacity building of partners.

●       Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.

●       Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

●       Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

●       Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

●       Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Team Management

●       Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.

●        Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.

●       Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.

●       Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

●       Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Finance & Compliance Management

●       Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.

●       Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation

●       Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.

●       Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security

●       Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

●       Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning

●       As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Knowledge and Experience

·        B. Sc degree in Environmental health, Sanitation, Water technologies or related field. 4 years of experience in WASH projects

·        Key programmatic knowledge includes project formulation and design, SBCC, and project management

·        NGO/Private sector experience has a significant advantage

·        Excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, especially in a cross-cultural setting, required.

·        Ability to take direction, follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required.

 Success Factors

·        Good organizational skills

·        Ability to analyze complex situations and to make recommendations for improvement of and contribute to overall program strategy

·        Experience in conducting training and workshops

·        Experience with monitoring and evaluation

·        Willingness and ability to perform fieldwork and travel to the most remote areas

Hard-working, honest, dedicated, ability to communicate clearly and effectively at all levels – with colleagues, government and military officials, community leaders and community members