WASH in Emergencies Specialist – Roster Recruitment

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom.

📋 Description

• Lead or assist in rapid assessments of WASH needs, technical evaluations, service mapping, and market analyses.

• Evaluate WASH-related risks, service deficiencies, disease transmission threats, gender and protection issues, accessibility challenges, and priority needs of impacted populations.

• Aid in the formulation of evidence-based emergency WASH response strategies, work plans, action plans, and budgets.

• Ensure that program design complies with Sphere Standards, the Core Humanitarian Standard, national guidelines, cluster recommendations, and pertinent public health requirements.

• Identify opportunities for integrated programming that encompasses Health, Nutrition, Protection, Education, Shelter, and Cash and Voucher Assistance initiatives.

• Provide technical oversight for emergency water supply initiatives, including assessments of water sources, water trucking, treatment processes, chlorination, household water treatment, monitoring of water quality, storage, distribution systems, and rehabilitation of water points.

• Offer technical guidance on emergency sanitation, which involves household, communal, institutional, and school sanitation, excreta management, drainage, solid waste management, and vector control measures.

• Support hygiene promotion and social and behavioral change initiatives, including handwashing practices, safe water handling, household water treatment, menstrual health and hygiene, and community engagement strategies.

• Provide technical recommendations on WASH services in healthcare facilities, infection prevention and control, and outbreak preparedness and response.

• Review and assist in the creation of technical drawings, Bills of Quantities, specifications, scopes of work, technical evaluation criteria, and contractor deliverables.

• Ensure that infrastructure and service interventions are safe, technically sound, accessible, climate-aware, and feasible for operation and maintenance by communities, local authorities, or service providers.

• Establish or enhance practical quality assurance mechanisms, including water quality testing, construction supervision, functionality monitoring, hygiene promotion monitoring, and post-distribution assessments.

• Assist Country Offices in developing emergency WASH response systems, including technical work plans, supply plans, activity trackers, monitoring tools, reporting templates, and risk registers.

• Collaborate closely with Supply Chain and Procurement teams to facilitate procurement planning, technical specifications, supplier engagement, quality assurance, and delivery follow-ups.

• Support field teams in establishing effective systems for stock management, distribution tracking, water quality monitoring, facility operation and maintenance, complaint handling, and community feedback.

• Provide direct support during the initial phase of an emergency response, including field visits, technical troubleshooting, start-up planning, and mentoring of WASH personnel.

• Identify operational challenges, implementation risks, and corrective actions, and communicate these promptly to relevant management and program teams.

• Represent Plan International in national and sub-national WASH Cluster meetings, technical working groups, inter-agency coordination platforms, and sector coordination mechanisms as needed.

• Ensure timely submission of 3Ws/4Ws, activity updates, technical information, and response data to relevant coordination platforms.

• Maintain productive working relationships with government authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, donors, service providers, local partners, and community structures.

• Facilitate coordination with Health, Protection, Education, Shelter, and other sectors to promote integrated, safe, and accountable responses.

• Contribute to technical discussions, advocacy messages, and coordination products that enhance the quality, inclusion, and sustainability of emergency WASH services.

• Aid in the development of emergency concept notes, proposals, budgets, log frames, technical narratives, and donor reports.

• Ensure that WASH proposals are technically sound, realistic, appropriately costed, and responsive to identified needs.

• Support the creation of monitoring frameworks, indicators, targets, reporting systems, and learning products.

• Review program reports and provide technical insights on progress, challenges, adaptations, risks, and lessons learned.

• Contribute to after-action evaluations, response assessments, learning workshops, and preparedness planning processes.

• Ensure that all emergency WASH interventions address the specific needs, safety concerns, and priorities of girls, adolescent girls, and young women.

• Advocate for disability inclusion, age inclusion, menstrual health and hygiene, protection-sensitive design, and equitable access to services.

• Promote meaningful participation of women, girls, boys, men, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups in assessments, planning, implementation, and monitoring.

• Assist in integrating community feedback and complaint mechanisms into WASH interventions.

⛳️ Requirements

• Progressive experience in WASH programming, particularly in humanitarian or emergency response contexts.

• Proven track record in conducting emergency WASH assessments, program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

• Demonstrated technical expertise in emergency water supply, water treatment, water quality monitoring, sanitation, hygiene promotion, and WASH infrastructure.

• Experience in supporting public health emergency responses, including outbreaks, displacement, conflict, flooding, droughts, or other humanitarian crises.

• Background in developing technical specifications, Bills of Quantities, scopes of work, procurement documentation, and contractor supervision arrangements.

• Experience in donor proposal development, budgeting, and reporting.

• Proven experience representing an organization in clusters, with government authorities, UN agencies, donors, NGOs, and other external stakeholders.

• Experience in managing, mentoring, or enhancing the capacity of WASH staff and local partners.

• Ability to work in complex, insecure, or resource-constrained environments.

🏝️ Benefits

• Must be available to deploy within 72 hours of confirmation, or as soon as visa and travel clearance are obtained.

• Must be willing and able to travel and work in challenging, insecure, remote, or resource-constrained environments.

• May be required to work beyond normal working hours, including evenings, weekends, and public holidays, to meet emergency response needs.