Organization: Oxfam
Closing date: 7 Oct 2023
Oxfam's Global Humanitarian Team (GHT) is looking for Humanitarian Support Personnel - Public Health Engineer
Key responsibilities:
The post holder will undertake a series of deployments normally up to 6 months in duration for which specific Terms of Reference will be negotiated and agreed with relevant parties prior to deployment and or revised in the early stages of the deployment. Often these deployments will be to support fast moving emergency situations, and/or complex and difficult operating environments, where Oxfam has had to rapidly scale –up its programme and capacity.
Deployments will normally include some or all of the following responsibilities:
- To carry out Water and Sanitation (Watsan) assessments and identification of actions to cover Watsan needs in order to provide an efficient and rapid humanitarian response.
- To evaluate Public Health risks related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene practices and assess emergency needs as requested especially taking in the broader perspective of WASH.
- To carry out the selection, design and construction of water systems, using ground water or surface water, including abstraction, storage, treatment and distribution for new systems or rehabilitation of existing systems, in consultation with the affected population and the Public Health Promotion (PHP) team appropriate to the context.
- To select, design and implement the most appropriate form of sanitation system, in consultation with the beneficiaries and the PHP team, which includes excreta disposal, refuse disposal, vector control and drainage.
- To where possible, ensure designs incorporate sustainability and cost effectiveness.
- To formulate and implement capacity building plans for teams and individuals that the post holder manages in country, which may involve conducting training and mentoring approaches.
- To write country WASH Strategies, programme proposals and concise reports.
- Responsibility may be to lead or support Oxfam Country team(s) or partners including through gap filling, facilitating different aspects of project and programme cycle or mentoring staff to support local humanitarian leadership.
- To analyse assessment and community feedback with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) and PHP colleagues adapting techniques to formulate more appropriate solutions.
- The work will include management and administrative duties and coordination with other members of the project and with staff of other organisations.
- To represent Oxfam to other NGOs, agencies and Government authorities where requested.
- To order equipment from Oxfam’s Purchasing Department as required. Occasionally to organise local purchasing and to keep accounts.
- To ensure that all programmes take gender and protection issues fully into account. This includes the introduction of mechanisms to enable women to participate in decision making around public health engineering issues.
- To be familiar with, implement and inculcate the Core Humanitarian Standard, NGO/Red Cross Code of Conduct, Oxfam International procedures and other regulatory codes (eg InterAction Field Cooperation Protocol).
Experience, knowledge and competencies
Essential:
- A suitable qualification in a discipline related to Public Health Engineering. Experience could substitute for a formal qualification, but not vice versa.
- Proven practical experience in humanitarian responses in appropriate water supplies, sanitation and hygiene promotion. It is desirable that most of this should have been in large scale emergency relief programmes. The post holder should have a good understanding of the WASH needs of poor rural and urban communities and of appropriate ways of tackling them. The post holder must be aware of and sensitive to the particular needs of women in this context.
- The ability to write strategies, programme proposals and concise reports sometimes at short notice, reflecting the problems and possible solutions for particular situations.
- To demonstrate the ability or willingness to implement different approaches to Humanitarian WASH programming using cash vouchers or market-based approaches.
- Diplomacy, tact and administrative skills in order to work with people at managerial and, on occasions senior government levels.
- Understanding of the UN responses and coordination mechanisms.
- Well-developed interpersonal and team skills and proven ability to be flexible in demanding situations.
- Experience and the ability to build the capacity of field teams is essential.
- Good written and spoken English and French.
- Willingness to travel at short notice, and often in difficult and stressful circumstances.
- Commitment to humanitarian principles and action.
- Commitment to Oxfam’s equal opportunity and gender policies.
- Ability to speak French language
In addition:
Minimum requirements all HSP’s members are expected to fulfil:
- Ability to deploy at short notice to areas affected by crisis and support the rapid scale up of humanitarian programmes to meet lifesaving needs of affected people.
- Demonstrate Oxfam values and behavioural competencies.
- Management Skills: HSP deployments usually involve managing a team to deliver the work. HSP members will need to demonstrate management competencies, of international and multi-cultural teams, in difficult and stressful environments.
Behavioural skills; all HSP deployments require the individual to successfully work with and mentor others often under challenging circumstances. HSPs should demonstrate competencies around “listening and creating dialogue” and “working with others” as well as networking skills.
How to apply
Link for external candidates
Link for internal Oxfam candidates