Project Officer-WASH

WHO WE ARE

Founded in 1937, Plan International, Inc. (“PII”) is a globally recognized non-profit dedicated to advancing children’s rights and gender equality in both humanitarian and development contexts. With over 80 years of experience, Plan International addresses the root causes of challenges faced by girls and vulnerable children, working in 70+ countries. The organization collaborates with children, young people, supporters, and partners to create a just world, acknowledging that the potential of every child is often hindered by poverty, violence, exclusion, disasters, and discrimination.

Plan International Kenya (PIK), operational since 1982, focuses on long-term development. Collaborating closely with local communities and governments, with a work force of 250 staffs and annual budget of $ 16 million, PIK implements programs to enhance the well-being of children, girls and young people in geographic focus of Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Tharaka-Nithi, Siaya, Kwale, Kilifi, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Tana River, Turkana, and Marsabit.

OUR STRATEGY STATEMENT

Under the current Country Strategy (July 2021 – June 2026), PIK aims to end teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence against girls. This goal will be achieved through the following thematic pillars. strategic objectives:
1.    Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR): Improve access to SRHR services and information to reduce teenage pregnancies and harmful practices in Kenya.
2.    Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence: Ensure functional child and girls’ rights protection mechanisms to prevent and respond to all forms of violence and abuse.
3.    Protecting Girls and Young Women in Crisis and Climate Change Adaptation: Minimize the impact of disasters on girls, young women, families, and communities.
4.    Youth-led and Innovative Partnerships for Job Creation: Build a stronger ecosystem for youth employment and entrepreneurship, particularly for vulnerable young women, fostering job seekers and creators.

ABOUT CLIMATE PROOFING A RESILIENT FUTURE PROJECT.

Climate Proofing WASH services is a new 3-year project that will be implemented in Turkana County, Kenya. Turkana West Sub-County is identified as the main implementation area as it hosts the Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei Settlement, with implementation in other Turkana sub-counties based on further assessments and alignment with other initiatives. 

The Climate Proofing WASH services (CPW) is consortium led, members will combine their expertise to ensure that refugees and host communities in Turkana County enhance their resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related challenges through improved economic self-reliance and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Interrelated barriers for achieving economic self-reliance and access to sustainable WASH are addressed through a three-pronged approach whereby 1. local markets related to water, sanitation and hygiene are assessed and piloted if proven high potential to create access to job opportunities, including green jobs 2) socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable WASH services contribute to healthy lives and communities, and 3) policies and legal frameworks are enabling and inclusive for sustainable water governance. A gender transformative approach is employed to challenge and address gender-related barriers for sustainable and rewarding change. Locally led development is emphasised, enabling local communities, organisations, and county government to lead, while promoting green jobs and green transition. The target group includes young women and men and their families. Key stakeholders and actors are refugees and host communities, the County Government of Turkana, relevant agencies of the national government, UNHCR and other relevant UN agencies, local and international civil society, and a broad spectrum of private sector actors and financial institutions operational in Turkana County. 

THE ROLE

The Project Officer WASH will work under Climate Proofing WASH services (CPW) project. The incumbent be responsible for the technical and behavioural aspects of hygiene and sanitation promotion and will work on improving access to inclusive and climate resilient WASH services. The incumbent shall be responsible for planning, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of high quality, innovative WASH interventions. The officer will also be responsible for improving the understanding of the local WASH markets and promote access to climate resilient sustainable and gender transformative WASH services The officer will ensure that an engagement approach to working with communities, the local authorities, partners other stakeholders is employed, and all activities are carried out using the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS+) approach, in which is sensitive to community needs and promotes the full and equal participation of women, men, children, and youth. The WASH officer will coordinate activities with the partners in the project and other ongoing initiatives under the Kenya Refugee Response Programme. 
 

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications/ experience essential: 

• Degree in WASH related studies (public health, water and sanitation, engineering, environmental health).
• At least three years of work experience in design and implementation of WASH interventions in protracted emergency context.
• Experience integrating WASH interventions to self-reliance and livelihoods outcomes. 
• Strong community mobilization skills and experience of working in a rural setting.
• Experience in working on gender transformative or gender sensitive WASH
• Excellent management and personnel skills to enable the motivation, encouragement and participation of members.
• Ability and flexibility to understand and work in different environments and cultures.
• Excellent communication skills, with good spoken and written English and experience in report writing
• Hold personal values, ethics and attitudes which are in alignment with the principles of the Plan’s values.
• Experience from working in refugee communities

Qualifications/ experience desirable: 

• Experience in climate- resilient WASH and water resource management 
• Strong report writing skills 
• Documentation of project impact stories of change
• Community facilitation, networking, partnership development and management skills 
• Good communication, negotiation and advocacy skills 
• Good interpersonal, relationship and team working 
• Conflict Management skills 
• Ability to understand the cultural context of the coastal communities.
• Experience in program phase out management
• Experience working in consortiums
   

Languages required:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Kiswahili and English.
• Ability to communication in local languages in Northern Kenya will be an added advantage.

Click the link below to access the full job profile:

JD Project Officer-WASH_Final.pdf

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Location: Turkana

Type of Role: Fixed Term Contract

Reports to: Senior Project Manager-Climate Proofing WASH Services

Closing Date:7th January 2024

Disclaimer: Plan International is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate applicants on any basis. We also do not charge Job seekers any fees at any point of the recruitment process.