Senior WASH & Shelter Officer

Senior WASH & Shelter Officer

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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps, with an established WASH & Shelter program in Syria, manages its North-West Syria (NWS) programming remotely from Amman, Jordan. The NWS program provides WASH, Shelter and NFI (SNFI), Food Security & Livelihoods (FSL), Cash and Voucher Programming, Social Cohesion support to internally displaced populations and vulnerable Syrians communities and families affected by the crisis. The WASH and Shelter activities are implemented both directly through our own team (contractual work), and through partnership with Syrian NGOs.

General Position Summary

Under the direct supervision of the WASH & Shelter Coordinator, the Senior WASH & Shelter Officer is responsible for facilitating, monitoring, and supporting the implementation of Mercy Corps and its partners’ WASH and Shelter activities. The position holder will be responsible for contributing to lead Mercy Corps and its partners’ activities to ensure successful implementation and achieving of targets of activities to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective implementation of the program along with data analysis and archiving of project documentation.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Program support:

Direct implementation:

• Support and monitor the set-up, implementation and closure of WASH & Shelter projects with the field team.
• Procurement:
  • Responsible for raising all the necessary requests to the Procurement department to support the implementation of daily WASH & Shelter activities (Purchase Requests (PRs), Master Agreement Requests (MARs), Task Orders (TOs), Scope of Works, Tender Initiations Requests (TIRs), etc), and to follow-up on them with the Procurement department.
  • Contribute to the WASH & Shelter team’s procurement planning.
• Finance: Responsible for raising all the necessary payments related to the WASH & Shelter team’s activities, and to follow-up on them with the Finance department.
• Capacity building/development: train WASH and Shelter team and casual laborers in technical aspects related to WASH and Shelter implementation activities.
• Support the field in supervising activity implementation and administer works execution as per the contractual provisions and the project specifications, as well as ensuring that the norms, regulations, and plans are respected;
• Ensure quantity/quality control and time schedule consistency.
• Identify challenges emerging in coordination with other functions (Finance, Procurement, Operation, HR and Security) and introduce corrective measures where appropriate (focus on individual problem solving);

Indirect implementation:

• Contribute to the design of project frameworks/objectives with partners.
• Develop and maintain systems and protocols to ensure coordinated and effective communication between Mercy Corps team members and partner organization(s).
• Closely monitor the implementation of partner activities from design phase through to implementation and close-out.
• Ensure the team maintains project files for each partner, all trackers are up-to-date, and project related deliverables are completed in a timely manner.
• Report all issues, problems, anticipated delays in partner designated areas to the WASH and Shelter Coordinator and collectively work on mitigation plans.
• Review and support in finalizing technical assessments and BoQs.

Technical support:

• Design technical needs assessment and contribute to assessment methodology and ensure that they are in line with SoPs, standards and guidelines.
• Develop and review technical documents to ensure that Mercy Corps’ WASH & Shelter activities are in line with SoPs, standards and guidelines.
• Develop BoQ for all required items related to the WASH & Shelter activities, and support development of technical drawings.
• Identify and supervise the necessary technical resources and tools required to complete the assigned scope of work.

Data management, reporting & documentation:

• Lead process for data collection, supervise data compilation and treatment by the field team analysis and prepare reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data and trends.
• Ensure adequate documentation of daily activities, including schedules, lesson plans and records for WASH & Shelter activities.
• Ensure maintenance of project files, keep all trackers up-to-date, and ensure project related deliverables are completed in a timely manner.
• Contribute to drafting and reviewing accurate reports (narrative reports, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and final, and contribute to the WASH & Shelter Clusters & CCCM reporting (4Ws / plan and capacity reports).
• Responsible for keeping a log of all lessons learned and best practices during the project life cycle.
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) team in all related data collection and analysis exercises, as well as reports.
• Work closely with the Community Accountability Response Mechanism (CARM) team in ensuring timely closure of feedback and complaints.

Others:

• HR:
  • Supervise Amman-based WASH & Shelter Officers.
  • Ensure a positive working environment and good team dynamics with colleagues in the field and Amman.
• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned.

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.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility

Amman WASH & Shelter Officers

Accountability

Reports Directly to: WASH & Shelter Coordinator

Works Directly with: Amman finance team, Amman operation teams, Compliance team, Amman procurement team, MEAL team, security team, HR team.

All Mercy Corps departments and staff.

Knowledge and Experience

• University degree in WASH relative major or Engineering (Civil or Mechanical or Architectural Engineering)
• At least 4 years’ experience working in WASH & Shelter projects.
• At least 3 years of experience working in a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on humanitarian assistance, relief or development work required.
• Experience in remote project management
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate closely with a broad range of stakeholders in different geographic locations; experience with remote management or monitoring would be an advantage.
• Professional experience on the Syria response would be an advantage.
• Familiarity with the AutoCAD and MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required
• Specific and proven skills and training in the areas of environmental sanitation, natural resources management, water quality, vector control and sanitation.
• Excellent oral and written Arabic and English.
• Strong drafting skills
• Knowledge of humanitarian standards and codes, including SPHERE, HAP is an asset.
• Experience in information management/data management would be an advantage.

Success Factors

1. Strong multi-tasking, organizational, prioritization skills are necessary.
2. Analysis skills, accuracy and attention to details are necessary.
3. A demonstrated ability to work quickly, accurately, meet deadlines, and process information in support of changing program activities is necessary.
4. Ability to manage and coordinate with different members/levels of a team.
5. Ability to work in a remote project environment.
6. Problem solving: ability to identify challenges and highlight any factors affecting the field implementation or with other departments, and suggest corrective measures where appropriate

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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