Senior Environmental Health Officer - Hygiene Promotion (Internal)

BACKGROUND:The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC responds to people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives. Our work gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, conflict sensitivity, coordination, and impact.

The IRC Yemen began its programs in October 2012. Since establishing its presence in the South of Yemen, in the Red Sea Coastal city of Aden, the organization has grown from just an implementing small project to handling large scale emergency and relief operations. Following the war which broke out in Yemen in March of 2015 and the humanitarian disaster, which was crafted by the same, IRC launched one an emergency response program in the southern governorates of Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shabwah and Al Dhale, and expanded later in Sana’a and Hodeidah in the North.Currently IRC Yemen is operating in eight governorates in the south and north of Yemen through direct programming and through local partnerships, in Health, WASH, Nutrition, Economic Recovery Development, Education, Child Protection, Gender and Women Protection and Empowerment.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) have been working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for more than forty years. Today, the IRC has more than 2,200 staff working across the region, including in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen to support those affected by some of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Senior Environmental Health Officer will lead the implementation of community-centered, soft WASH components in IRC’s humanitarian and early recovery programs. This includes designing and managing hygiene promotion interventions, driving the integration of WASH and Nutrition activities (especially in CMAM-supported sites), and coordinating behavior change efforts targeting caregivers of malnourished children, women of reproductive age, and displaced populations.

This role will oversee hygiene promotion teams, support capacity building for local partners and CHVs, lead Baby WASH and IPC behavior improvement efforts, and ensure that WASH-related risks contributing to malnutrition are addressed through evidence-based, community-led actions. The Senior EH Officer will work closely with IRC’s Health and Nutrition teams, contribute to planning and reporting, and represent IRC in local WASH coordination platforms and with relevant authorities. The position is based on the West Coast, with 30% travel to Aden.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Environmental Health Officer plays a leadership role in managing and implementing IRC’s soft WASH programming in the West Coast, with a primary focus on hygiene promotion, WASH-Nutrition integration, and behavior change communication. The position leads a team of EH Officers and Assistants and works closely with Health and Nutrition colleagues to improve public health outcomes in high-need, underserved areas.

Ensures that WASH-related risk factors contributing to malnutrition and communicable disease are addressed through client-centered, community-led approaches. The role involves coordinating Baby WASH interventions, supporting Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) improvements in health facilities, and managing the distribution and correct use of WASH NFIs. In addition to technical oversight, the Senior EH Officer actively engages in inter-agency coordination, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic planning to ensure high-quality, integrated service delivery.

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WORKING RELATIONS:

• Reports to: Environmental Health Senior Manager
• Supervises: EH Officers, EH Assistants.
• Coordinates with: Health, Nutrition, MEAL, Protection, Supply Chain, and Finance teams
• External: WASH Cluster (field-level), MoPHP/GARWSP, CHVs, and local partners

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MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

. Hygiene Promotion & Behavior Change

·Design, implement, and monitor community hygiene promotion campaigns, ensuring culturally appropriate and gender-sensitive messaging.

·Lead the roll-out of Baby WASH approaches targeting caregivers of SAM/MAM children and pregnant and lactating women (PLWs).

·Facilitate hygiene awareness sessions in communities, IDP sites, schools, and health facilities in coordination with CHVs and local partners.

·Develop and adapt IEC materials and tools that align with national WASH Cluster guidance and support disease prevention (cholera, AWD, malnutrition).

·Establish and monitor community-based structures (e.g., hygiene committees, water user groups) to sustain hygiene behaviors and promote ownership.

·Conduct regular field visits to assess behavioral change progress, hygiene conditions, and program effectiveness.

B. Integration with Nutrition & Health

·Support the integration of WASH in Nutrition interventions in CMAM-supported health and outreach sites.

·Collaborate with Nutrition teams to ensure WASH risks (unsafe water, poor hygiene practices) are mitigated in the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition.

·Coordinate with health staff to ensure IPC improvements; hand hygiene, latrine use, and water safety are prioritized in outpatient therapeutic sites.

·Train CHVs and EH Assistants in delivering harmonized WASH-Nutrition messages to caregivers and at-risk groups.

C. Capacity Building & Supervision

·Supervise and mentor EH Officers and EH Assistants, with a focus on soft component delivery, reporting, and quality assurance.

·Lead capacity building sessions for CHVs, volunteers, and local partners on hygiene promotion, PHAST/CHAST, Baby WASH, and client-centered WASH programming.

·Provide supportive supervision during field visits, ensuring alignment with program standards and accountability to affected populations.

D. Coordination & Representation

·Represent IRC in WASH Cluster coordination meetings at the field level, especially in working groups related to hygiene promotion and WASH-Nutrition integration.

·Maintain regular communication with local water and health authorities (GARWSP, MoPHP), community leaders, and other WASH actors.

·Support joint planning and learning with the Health, Nutrition, and MEAL teams for effective integrated service delivery.

E. Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

·Collaborate with the MEAL team to design monitoring tools for tracking behavior change, hygiene promotion outcomes, and client satisfaction.

·Ensure accurate documentation of hygiene campaigns, Baby WASH outreach, and integrated WASH-Nutrition sessions.

·Submit high-quality weekly, monthly, and donor reports highlighting progress, challenges, and lessons learned.

·Contribute to needs assessments, KAP surveys, and barrier analyses in target communities.

F. Logistics, Procurement, and Budget Support

•Work with the Supply Chain team to ensure timely procurement, delivery, and inspection WASH supplies.

•Support the Finance team with activity-based budget planning, expenditure tracking, and reporting.

G. Support to Infrastructure & Supplies (Light Touch)

·Coordinate with the EH senior Manager and EH technical team to ensure alignment between software (hygiene promotion) and hardware (infrastructure) components.

·Oversee the distribution of hygiene kits, Aquatabs, and WASH-related NFIs to vulnerable households and CMAM clients, ensuring proper usage training.

·Follow up with supply chain and logistics for timely delivery of materials and prepositioned stock for emergencies (e.g., flood preparedness kits).