WASH Team Lead Empowered Communities Helping Others

The ECHO-Village Water Borehole rehabilitation is a 5-year project working with CO2 Balance a British company, to rehabilitate and maintain water points in Central and Western Provinces in Zambia. The project is aimed at ensuring that vulnerable communities that use wood fuel to purify water can be supplied with clean water through borehole rehabilitation and avoid greenhouse gas emissions because of combustion of wood fuel. The project ensures that the quality of water delivered through rehabilitated water points is fit for human consumption for the entire 5- year length of the project. The organization has partnered with the Local Authorities in implementing the WASH masterplan model.  The Masterplan contains activities and strategies in target Districts for the implementation of 3-year WASH interventions. This initiative seeks to promote access to Safe Water, basic sanitation, and hygiene services to the rural communities. The masterplan is framed withing the target of sustainable Development Goals. ECHO has a national office in Lusaka and currently work in Central and Western provinces.

The organization seeks to engage a qualified individuals in the following positions for our Western and  Central Provinces:

1. Position Description 

WASH Team Lead 

The WASH team leader will be responsible for Coordinating and guiding the implementation of Water Sanitation and Hygiene activities in targeted Districts. The officer will work hand in hand with Program Manager and District Council teams. The officer will facilitate the operationalizing of the District WASH Masterplan implementation.

Essential functions include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Lead and coordinate to ECHO’s water, sanitation, and hygiene activities
• Undertake continuous analysis of the WASH situation in areas of  operations and identify program priorities and opportunities via technical assessments and gap analyses
• Provide specialist technical advice to all related planning, design, implementation, tracking and reporting processes
• Reinforce and ensure regular monthly WASH activity reporting from operational areas in collaboration with Program Manager.
• Provide technical and administrative assistance and guidance to local partners
• Evaluate the technical status of projects and propose any amendment steps to achieve project objectives
• In collaboration with program and management teams, advise on the integration and complementarity of WASH interventions alongside other sectoral programming to achieve maximum effectiveness and benefit.
• Reinforce program learning and sharing amongst stakeholders and partners
• Develop and document an evidence base for programming through best practice approaches
• Contribute to ECHO country office strategies, reviews, action, and contingency plans.
• Track and advise programming amendments in relation to WASH budgets and implementation
• Submit regular technical reports and activity updates as required
• Provide timely technical contributions to donor proposals and reporting documentation
• Represent ECHO In all appropriate WASH coordination meetings and sector working groups Coordinate all ECHO activities in WASH with other actors and partners
• Develop and maintain regional and international links with sector specialist networks and groups to inform best practice, learning and collaborative opportunities for the ECHO “safe Water Project”.

Specific functions

• Manage and provide technical support to District Masterplan Implementation in the target district.
• Support the District Council office to ensure the efficient implementation of all WASH masterplan activities and the timely reporting of results at community and district level.
• Provide administrative support to the Masterplan implementation team and District Councils aimed at increasing water and sanitation service provision within the districts.
• Develop and execute program activities that increase the demand and supply of priority WASH products and services including improved sanitation facilities (latrines); soap and handwashing stations; water storage, treatment in targeted districts
• Support ECHO and donor partners to develop and improve tools for accessing WASH financing.
• Engage and develop the capacity of WASH stakeholders at district and community levels to improve sustainability of WASH services.
• Build relationships and work in close collaboration with program partners at the national, district and community levels to promote inclusive and sustainable WASH policies and practices.
• Manage the project’s implementation, including overall responsibility efficient budgeting and financial management.
• Serve as the principal link between ECHO and other partners,

Desirable Competencies & Skills

• Ability to self-manage on a technical level and to take the initiative in daily operations
• Very good coordination skills
• Training and mentoring experience with field technical colleagues
• Excellent inter-personal, communications and representative skills
• Experience working with government entities and NGOs
• Adaptability and ability to re-priorities according to the changing context
• Able to work effectively and creatively within a team.
• Ability to manage other staff in a mature, respectful, and impartial manner
• Extensive experience in project cycle management
• Ensure quality and timely submittal of all project deliverables.

Skills and Experience: 

• Experience as a Team Leader or Project Manager/Coordinator on large donor-funded projects.
• Experience with successful water, sanitation and hygiene projects or institutional strengthening programs.
• Demonstrated experience building market-based approaches to WASH service delivery.
• Demonstrated experience in institutional strengthening of institutions, capacity building, market-based approaches to infrastructure planning, and public outreach
• Hands-on experience strengthening government, non-government, and community capacity to address WASH issues and improve the delivery of WASH services.
• Fluency in English is required.

Reporting and Organizational Relationships: 

• Report to the Program Manager but works closely with entire project team

PROFILE

Qualification:

• Degree in Social work; Development studies or any related field of expertise.
• Masters in any related field will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience with progressively increasing responsibility for designing, managing, and implementing complex WASH activities involving multiple stakeholders and implementing partners.