WASH Technical Advisor at Save The Children

ROLE PURPOSE:  

The WASH Technical Advisor (WASH TA) will be responsible for ensuring that WASH programming in Nigeria is supported with quality technical inputs, drive the Country Strategic Plan, and draw upon Health, Nutrition, and WASH strategic priorities. The role will lead strategy development and the technical design and implementation of high-quality programmes that deliver change for children in development programming and emergency settings. The role supports national advocacy and influencing, while driving strategic partnerships for new business development.  It supports the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our programmes, teams and partners. The role will also link with regional TEs and particularly the regional WASH TE, and contribute to regional learning, evidence generation and knowledge management where appropriate. The role will also be expected to champion the mainstreaming of WASH into other sectors besides Health and Nutrition. The role will work closely with operations colleagues and with partners in Nigeria, building their capacity and building ownership and agency of local organisations.  This position will be expected to engage with the country health sector, and coordination mechanisms, as well as represent the organisation with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, UN agencies, and key INGO / CSO. The role is expected to support development, emergency preparedness, DRR and support the assessment, design and implementation of humanitarian responses with other Public Health staff in the country setting. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Technical Leadership:

• Provide technical leadership for WASH for the Country Office and set the strategic approach in relation to the wider country strategy.
• Build capacity, mentor and build a supportive WASH community across the Country Office, in conjunction with other WASH colleagues.
• Ensure relevant, evidence-based WASH activities are integrated in Health & Nutrition. Education, Food Security & Livelihoods, Child Protection, CVA, Shelter and Construction programs.
• Ensure relevant cross-cutting thematic gender, protection, safeguarding, disability, other vulnerabilities and also environment, climate change issues are considered into the proposal development. 

Ensuring Programme Quality (Design & Implementation):

• Work closely with new business development colleagues to identify and pursue funding opportunities that allow for both integration into broader humanitarian and resilience multisectoral programmes and standalone WASH projects; engage with technical partners, donors and colleagues across Save the Children 
• Lead the technical scoping, planning, and design and proposal writing during new programme development, and ensure that we design and deliver high quality multisectoral and integrated programmes for children with public health resources, building on global best practice. 
• Work with Child Rights Governance colleagues to ensure that rights-based approach is reflected in our programme design and implementation (in line with our child rights programming approach), with a strong focus on child participation
• Provide oversight and guidance to the programme implementation teams to ensure that thematic programme components are technically sound, implementation methods are consistent with national and global strategies, acknowledged good practice (e.g. Save the Children Common Approaches); and are likely to achieve scale, as well as equitable and sustainable results. 
• Promote and monitor integrated programming in a way that increases overall impact of WASH programmes at the community level.
• Support local partners (government, private sector, CBOs, professional organizations, universities) to design, implement and measure quality WASH programs and understands its link to quality and accountable programming; Contribute to strengthening the use of equality-focused programme principles and good practice across themes and sectors.
• Contribute to develop emergency preparedness plans, and to conduct multisectoral assessments (including gender analysis and disability situation analysis using SC assessment processes and tools) and to design and deliver emergency response and recovery programmes. Monitor trends in order to ensure early action; and lead technical design and implementation and technical coordination of humanitarian responses.
• Participates actively in key relevant internal meetings such as Programme Review Meetings, sectoral team meetings, or Area-based meetings and in donor visit to project(s) as required. 
• Provide technical review of WASH engineering designs (and when requested, engineering designs from other sectors) and hygiene promotion programmes as necessary, as well as review donor reports with elements of WASH.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning:

• In coordination with MEAL team organize training for field offices for deep understand of needs assessment and monitoring and evaluation framework, key indicators and quality benchmarks and monitor, during the field visit the correct use of those tools. 
• Undertake field visits to project sites; work with implementation teams to understand impacts, operational challenges, and continuously identify opportunities for learning and improvement. During field visits monitor, provide advice on use of tools and activities to ensure beneficiaries’ participation to all project cycle management phases with particular focus on women and children.
• In coordination with MEAL Managers at field offices level, support WASH team and when relevant, address challenges and possible solutions/proposals in use and regular data reporting; and in elaborating useful documents that will be disseminated back to field offices and to key stakeholders. 
• Contribute to organisational learning ensuring that learning from our programmes is shared across the Country Office and our partners, as well as with colleagues in the wider regional and global community in Save the Children. 

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds their team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in accordance with the context, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own professional development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a national and even regional scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, technical advisors and working groups, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Mater or WASH Degree in hydraulic, hydrologic, hydrogeological, civil engineering, construction or related.
• Significant professional experience, at least 5 years in WASH sector at managerial position in a humanitarian and/or resilience/development context.
• Excellent understanding of the WASH sector within Nigeria context in rural or urban, and main problematic linked to WASH (epidemics, climate change, CBI, etc.).
• Master’s degree in public health, social sciences, anthropology, geography or related to WASH or equivalent experience.
• Degree or course in humanitarian project management or strategy with proven experience on it.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Experience working in integration with other sectors such as health, nutrition, education, protection, FSL, shelter or construction an added advantage.
• Experience of promoting quality and impact through at least one cross-cutting area: gender equality and inclusion, adaptive and safer programming; child rights; disability; migration and displacement. 
• Experience writing donor funding proposals for institutional grants in excess of US$1 million.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties. 
• Commitment to Save the Children values, including willingness to abide by and enforce the Child Safeguarding policy.
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff and partners in WASH technical skills.
• Fluency in English, written and oral; and an ability present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner. (French optional)