WASH Technical Assistant - Afar, Ethiopia

About the role

The Norwegian Refugee Council is recruiting a WASH Technical Assistant for its project in the Afar region of Ethiopia, with duty stations in Sibaybi, Yalo and Berhale. The post reports to the WASH Project Manager, involves about 80% inter-woreda/kebele travel and is a 6-month fixed-term contract.

Key responsibilities

• Adhere to NRC policies, tools, handbooks and guidelines, and assist with implementing the support function portfolio according to its plan of action.
• Prepare and develop status reports, ensure proper filing of documents, and promote improvements to the support function.
• Help plan and carry out needs assessments, baseline and periodic studies, and feed findings back to stakeholders.
• Liaise with community leaders and other local sectors and agencies to coordinate within the WASH sector and with Shelter, Education and Food Security.
• Collect primary information from the community, relay it to the NRC office and coordinate with the M&E team.
• Mobilize communities, convene meetings and coordinate with WASH cluster partners, NGOs, UN agencies and government line agencies to avoid duplication of services.
• Conduct needs assessments, case investigations and sanitary surveys, and run technical surveys of WASH infrastructure to support cost estimates.
• Implement WASH and surveillance activities, collect data from community workers and volunteers, and report regularly on WASH and cholera activities.
• Supervise construction and rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities, ensuring quality in line with guiding documents.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Water, Hydraulics or Civil Engineering.
• At least 2 years of technical experience in WASH and construction.
• Experience as a Project Officer in a humanitarian or recovery context, including complex and volatile settings.
• Some knowledge of English and Afri.

Required skills

• MS Office, especially Word and Excel, and Outlook or similar email tools.
• Engineering software such as AutoCAD.
• Good understanding of hygiene promotion, sanitation approaches and Sphere standards.
• Strong community mobilization, planning and communication skills, and ability to work under pressure and long hours.