WASH Specialist (Caracas, Venezuela) At Norwegian Refugee Council

Please note fluency in both Spanish and English is required for this position

Background

NRC is present in Venezuela since 2005, and in the last few years substantially increased its operations and program. With one main office in Caracas, four field offices and about 90 staff, NRC is one of the biggest INGO operating in the country.

Despite Venezuela is rated high risk according to NRC security standards, mostly due to the infrastructure and public services failures and the political instability, in Caracas the situation differs from the rest of the country and both security and living conditions are good and easily manageable. Particularly in the area where office and guesthouses are located it is possible to access all type of services, such as commercial malls, restaurants, gymnasiums, sport centres and several parks and green areas. Mountain excursions and visits to the coast which is less than on hour far from the city can be organized and places are easily accessible.

Duties and responsibilities

The WASH Specialist will provide technical oversight and strategic direction to Country and Area offices to further the development of the WASH Core Competency (CC). The Specialist will provide quality assurance for all projects, develop and implement a collaborative country strategy, capacity build local staff through mentoring and training to increase the technical capacity of the staff, and develop a donor strategy to further grow the programme.

The following is a brief description of the role.

Generic responsibilities

Develop and roll-out NRC Venezuela WASH strategy, technical guidance and Macro LFAs that are aligned with regional and global strategies and priorities, in coordination with the others Core Competencies (CCs) Specialists/PDM
Compliance with and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
Contribute to fundraising, develop and revise funding proposal, budgets and donor reports
Identify trends technical standards and donor priorities in the WASH sector
Follow up on compliance with contractual commitments within WASH, ensure high technical quality and synergies in project implementation
Provide technical direction and project implementation support to the implementation team
Ensure that key learnings are extracted from WASH implementation, and incorporate them in programme and staff development processes
Provide systematic training and build capacity of WASH staff
Represent NRC in relevant forums/clusters, including with national authorities and donors
Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Specific responsibilities

Responsible for monitoring the WASH sector specific situation in country and initiate relevant assessments to increase scope, respond to emergencies or adapt programmes to the context
Responsible for technical innovative development and quality of WASH in country, integrated programming (with other CCs) and to ensure harmonisation and consistency across WASH projects in line with NRC Programme Policy
Lead all WASH assessments and response analyses, together with other CCs, and advise the Country Programme in appropriate and relevant actions required
Lead the process on proposals, budgets, modifications, project reviews and reporting, in close collaboration with the Grants Manager, and ensure high technical quality
Take the lead on quality project deliverables to ensure high technical outputs appropriate to the Venezuela context by supporting field education teams in the planning of all phases of the projects, budget monitoring, capacity building, development of tools/procedures and also participating in M&E activities
Work with the Area Managers, Head of Programme and M&E Manager on WASH project monitoring including baselines, end-lines, midterm reviews, lesson learning exercises and evaluations and ensure learning informs programming
Ensure workplans and spending plans in line with donor budgets are developed and maintained by supporting Project Coordinators and Area Managers
Write and review relevant reports, ensuring these are of high quality and technically accuracy, in close collaboration with Grants, Area Managers, and technical Coordinators
Undertake reporting and documentation of relevant experiences and actively participate in M&E activities through the PCM
Provide technical advice at field level and advising the Country Director, Head of Programme, Area Managers and WASH Coordinators on technical strategy, approaches and best practices
Represent NRC with relevant donors, government ministries, and in relevant humanitarian coordination meetings in country
Actively promote and operationalize synergies between WASH and other NRC programmes to move toward integrated programming (focus on Education, Shelter and LFS)
Provide support and input to the recruitment processes for all WASH staff
Contributing to the development of systems to improve targeting, appropriateness and to reduce the risk of aid diversion and conflict of interest by program staff, local authorities and local partners
Any other relevant tasks as assigned by the line manager

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Relevant higher education in Engineering preferably in areas of Civil or Environmental engineer
Minimum 4 years of experience within a humanitarian/recovery context
Experience working in complex and volatile contexts
Minimum 2 years of WASH expertise (as Specialist/TA or Project Manager)
Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
Fluency in Spanish and English, both written and verbal
Knowledge of the Venezuela context
Experience with start-up or expansion of new programmes
Experience in team capacity building
Understanding of SPHERE and INEE Minimum Standards is required
Experience with WASH in a humanitarian-development transitioning context is an asset