Application Deadline: May 20, 2022

Background

Swiss Church Aid / HEKS is the aid organization of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland and has its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Swiss Church Aid / HEKS works towards a more humane and more equitable world, assisting people and communities to overcome economic, social or humanitarian disparities in order to gain autonomy and to live with dignity both in Switzerland and abroad. Therefore, Swiss Church Aid / HEKS engages in development cooperation, humanitarian aid and church cooperation and works in more than 30 countries and runs around 200 projects world-wide. Swiss Church Aid / HEKS is a member of the ACT Alliance.

In Ethiopia, Swiss Church Aid/ HEKS has programs with focus on Natural Resources Management, WASH, and Inclusive Markets for Smallholder Farmers and Pastoralists and Humanitarian Assistance for drought and conflict affected communities.

Job overview

The WASH Institutional Engagement Officer is responsible to engage stakeholders and actors from the WASH and health sectors to promote better access to WASH services. The WASH Institutional Engagement Officer will be the focal person for the Advocacy for Improved WASH in Health Care Facilities project, which will be implemented in Amhara Region and will assist the Swiss Church Aid / HEKS team in developing and delivering other WASH projects.

The position holder will be responsible for the execution and management of the WASH advocacy activities including planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring and reporting. He/she will establish and maintains relationships with woreda, zonal and regional government stakeholders, community representatives and partner organizations. 

Major Responsibilities

The advocacy officer will be responsible for the implementation of WASH advocacy activities and support the country office in other WASH related activities.

• Responsible for quality delivery of WASH institutional engagement activities
• Develop detailed work plan and implement WASH advocacy project activities    
• Coordinate/lead an in-depth assessment of WASH and Waste Disposal situation in selected Health Care Facilities (HCF) in Amhara region
• Organize workshops/meetings at district, zonal and regional offices/bureaus to present assessment findings, facilitate dialogue, draw advocacy action plans and build cases for advocating for improved WASH in HCFs
• Responsible for the preparation of briefing/policy paper and dissemination of findings for health and WASH actors and civil society actors
• Support WASH team in the life-cycle cost analysis of WASH in health care facilities 
• Raise the profile of WASH in Health Care Facilities in the region, and train local stakeholders to advocate for more financing/budget allocation for the improvement of WASH in HCF 
• Report regularly to Head Office WASH Coordinator on project progress and other relevant issues
• Support country office in other WASH related activities (proposal development, represent Swiss Church Aid/HEKS in meetings, donor communication etc.)
• Fully comply with HEKS policies and standards, including but not limited to safety and security procedures

Other duties

The position holder is managed by the WASH Coordinator is responsible for any other duties as assigned by the line-manager.

Job Requirements

Education: Bachelor Degree in Public Health, or related fields

Work Experience: Minimum 6 years of relevant experience, preferably with an NGO setting

Language Skills: Good verbal and written command of English and Amharic. Knowledge of other local languages is a plus.

Desirable Qualities, Skill and Competences

• Demonstrated experience in implementing WASH and WASH advocacy projects
• Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken in English and Amharic
• Excellent coordination skills, and demonstrable experience in working with various government line offices
• Ability to understand financial requirements of a project and to manage activities in line with project budget
• Gender-sensitive and experience with inclusive approaches
• Accountable & responsive within areas of responsibilities
• Passionate, strongly dedicated and highly committed to work for the improvement of WASH conditions across Ethiopian communities

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates can apply by using THIS LINK

Note: Only short-listed applications will be contacted. No phone calls are allowed! Qualified Female applicants are encouraged to apply