WASH and Shelter Technical Coordinator

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, we are excited to invite you to join our team as a WASH & Shelter Tehcnical Coordinator. If you are a skilled and motivated professional ready to make a difference, we want you on board! Together, we’ll work to deliver impactful humanitarian solutions in challenging environments.

About the job

Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Shelter and WASH Coordinator will provide overall technical leadership and strategic vision, guidance, and sectorial technical coordination to DRC Shelter and WASH programing. The Shelter and WASH Technical Coordinator will lead the design, coordination, technical support and representation of DRC’s Shelter/WASH and other infrastructure program in external coordination mechanism. This is Juba based position with regular travel between all locations with DRC presence and practical hands-on technical assistance to Shelter teams. 

Shelter & WASH is a core sector for DRC globally with the overall objective to deliver solutions and provide basic services in both emergency situations and protracted displacement. The role will be responsible for constantly improving programme quality and relevance, by coordinating with other Technical Coordinators and peers from other agencies, including close coordination with the Shelter/NFI and WASH Cluster. The Shelter and WASH Coordinator will supervise Shelter and Settlements staff in Area Offices and Mobile Response teams to ensure timely, cost-efficient execution of project implementation.  The role will also be responsible for the mentoring, capacity building and training of all Shelter and WASH staff. 

Responsibilities:

Program Development and Management Strategy

• Lead and develop a program strategy for WASH and shelter sectors in line with the country and global strategies.
• Oversee knowledge sharing across teams ensuring that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve Shelter and WASH programs.
• Drive the development and growth of Shelter and WASH programs within the DRC program objectives and feed into country-wide strategy development.
• Ensure that SOPs for all Shelter and WASH activities align with DRC country strategy and sector best practices. Lead the design, revision and development of Shelter and WASH standard operational procedures as well as associated tools.
• Lead the design and submission of new proposals and budgets in line with sectoral standards.
• Provide overall technical leadership, design, coordination and supervision of Shelter and WASH activities in the country in accordance with international standards and best practice.
• Ensure the highest quality of the sectoral interventions, and the coherence between all projects, ongoing and proposed, according to the overall strategy, through design, technical oversight, monitoring and coordination.
• Lead capacity building programs for Infrastructure (Shelter and WASH) staff in cooperation with Project Managers and Area/Base managers.
• Develop and undertake needs assessments to inform program design and strategic direction. Conduct rapid needs assessments in the event of emergency (e.g. floods) in collaboration with other technical sector coordinators and project managers.
• Formalize and develop program related operational tools and training modules.
• Work with Shelter and WASH Specialists & Team Leaders to Review and provide technical sign-off/approval of BoQs (in alignment with international building codes, sectoral/Sphere, DRC and donor standards).
• Ensure Housing, Land and Property issues are identified and considered in any Shelter & Settlements programming.
• Ensure that selection of sites for displaced populations are based on approved technical guidelines, considering relevant factors like land availability, protection risks, conflict sensitivity, accessibility, security, water resources, and absorption capacity.
• In close coordination with implementing partners and other concerned parties, create settlement plans and their implementation modalities, including planning for construction/rehabilitation of communal infrastructures (pathways, latrines, water points, etc.), considering the overall needs of target groups and their cultural preferences the concerns of the local communities.
• Support Shelter and WASH Specialists & Team Leaders to strengthen communication with communities, identify beneficiary information needs and provide guidance in developing information and awareness-raising materials and activities with community participation.

Accountability, Monitoring and Reporting 

• Develop and monitor relevant accountability initiatives within the Shelter and WASH program as well as strengthen the effort to document the impact of activities.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external reporting requirements; develop and/or review all Shelter and WASH indicators.
• Coordinate and monitor all Shelter and WASH related activities in support of the WASH and CCCM/Shelter Specialist and Team leaders.
• Review/revise donor reports as per DRC’s internal reporting work flow to ensure quality; support PMs with financial supervision tracking, as it pertains to overall program quality and implementation.
• Conduct regular field missions to all field offices to provide technical and operational guidance, support, and supervision of the implementation of Shelter and WASH activities in the field.

Staff capacity building

• Support/lead the recruitment of all field Shelter and WASH senior staff, including coaching and capacity development.
• Provide onsite mentoring and capacity building in each area office and with mobile response teams through regular and extended missions.
• Lead meetings with Shelter and WASH Managers and Team Leaders to share best practices between the field offices to ensure the highest quality of the response.
• Identify needs and gaps in technical capacity of DRC staff and partners and prepare a training plan to address these.
• Ensure roll out of the agreed plan in all sites including preparation of materials and training reports and follow up to the trainings.
• Provide ad-hoc training to Shelter and WASH staff based on requests and/or identified needs.
• Provide induction training for new staff on Shelter & WASH portfolio in South Sudan.
• Support engagement of meaningful, long-term partnerships with national organization’s on Shelter, WASH, NFI and other infrastructure responses.

External relation/Coordination

• Represent DRC at relevant national coordination structures, including WASH and Shelter Clusters, Technical Working Groups, SAGs, and others as required.
• Ensure DRC’s coordination and alignment with technical standards from Clusters.
• Ensure close cooperation with donors, government counterparts and coordination mechanisms on-site and in synergy with another DRC´s programming.

Required

• Minimum of 5 years of practical experience in financial management in a similar role within an INGO or Minimum 5 years of proven technical coordinator or manager level experience with an international humanitarian NGO implementing Shelter and/or WASH programs in complex emergency contexts.
• Master's degree in engineering, civil engineering or architecture, or another relevant field., or Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields with at least 6 years’ working experience in similar position
• Strong computer skills and CAD software
• High professional ethics
• Excellent English writing and editing skills for external audiences (including governments and donors).
• Strong technical expertise in relevant engineering software, including AutoCAD/WaterCAD, EPANET, GIS, and structural analysis tools.
• Demonstrated experience (2 years) drafting donor proposals and reports.
• Ability to review and provide technical approval of BoQs and cost analysis within national and global infrastructure codes/donor standards is mandatory.
• Ability to conduct field-based QC/QA and validation of WASH and Shelter works, ensuring compliance with national building codes and international humanitarian standards.
• Experience in integrating protection and disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks and measures into infrastructure planning.
• Strong coordination skills with field Shelter/WASH teams, clusters and MEAL, with an attention to quality and detail.
• Experience in producing high-quality technical material (training material, program tools, proposals, strategic documents, etc.).
• Strong donor engagement skills, with experience in writing technical justifications for cost and design feasibility matters.
• Experience writing a sector strategy is an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, cross-cultural communication and ease working in multi-ethnic team, with a constructive and cooperative problem-solving approach.
• Proven coordination skills and experience engaging with cluster system.
• Previous shelter experience in South Sudan is a significant advantage.
• Awareness of public health and protection issues as applied to emergency settings, with special attention to the needs of children and women - Knowledge of transitional shelter and settlements options including host family support, collective centers and camps.
• Fluency in English