TITLE: WASH & Climate Resilience Technical Advisor – Syria Country Office TEAM/PROGRAMME:
Impact and Influencing
LOCATION: Damascus/ One of the Syria Country Offices within Syria with expectation to travel to other locations 50% of the time GRADE: CONTRACT LENGTH:
Fixed term – 12 months
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
ROLE PURPOSE:
Following the large scale displacements in the past year, the Syria Country Office (SCO) requires an advisor to further develop its WASH strategy and support the Area Offices in the implementation of the programmes.
The WASH & Climate Resilience Advisor will be expected to lead on sectoral assessments, programme design, concept notes/proposals development as well as overall strategic direction. The post holder will be expected to mentor and/or capacity building existing country programme and, possibly, the staff of implementing partners, develop and oversee quality benchmarks and other contextually relevant guidelines. The Advisor will be a part of the Programme Development and Quality Team, working closely with other sectors to promote and further strengthen child-focused integrated response.
Save the Children are looking to scale up their WASH funding and therefore this role will require someone with experience in capacity assessments, networking and information gathering to further develop and build up the portfolio of programmes in line with the Country Strategic Plan (CSP). The role will have anoperational focus and, in addition to technical advice, will be expected to support the Area Offices in the implementation of WASH projects (including with budgets, supply chain, etc.). The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the SCO’s CSP for the period 2025-2027 has climate resilience and environmental sustainability imbedded within the portfolio.
A willingness to support other sectors with ensuring quality infrastructure interventions and a knowledge of Shelter programming is highly desirable.
The post holder will be expected to travel to the Area Offices around 50% of the time.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Head of Programme Quality and Impact
Staff reporting to this post: This is an advisory role with no direct line management responsibility; however, the role provides technical backstopping and guidance to program staff.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Strategy and Programme Development:
- Lead on WASH technical needs assessments and partner capacity assessments in coordination with other SC thematic areas and/or other external sector agencies (ensuring assessment findings are documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs).
- Lead on the development of the strategic direction for WASH interventions in Syria, ensuring they respond to the overall child-centred and integrated response model
- In coordination with the wider PDQ team, lead on the development of sector specific high quality concept notes and proposals including engagement with member and donor Technical Advisers.
- Lead on the design of contextually relevant sector guidelines, tools and quality benchmarks
- Provide technical checking of WASH engineering designs and hygiene promotion programmes as necessary, and proactively promote high quality WASH technical approaches within country programmes
- Collaborate closely and provide technical support to the WASH coordinators/managers and the field managers in Area Offices to identify needs and help solve operational challenges
- Lead on preparedness and response to immediate onset emergencies, including waterborne disease outbreaks such as cholera.
- Work with other TAs to operationalise the SRO Integration matrix, ensuring WASH and Climate Resilience are integrated within all programs. and support integrated programme design that helps in achieving protection and multi-sector outcomes
- Working closely with the MEAL team to develop sector indicators, MEAL plans and feedback mechanisms across all WASH programmes, as well as monitor the impact of WASH and Climate Resilience interventions
- Provide technical oversight of WASH programme implementation (with staff and partners) to ensure timely and quality delivery of programme activities
- When needed, identify WASH programme supplies needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan and provide proactive technical input to WASH construction and tender procurement.
- Act as the SRO focal point for all matters relating to Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability, including working with area offices to adopt the Save the Children Office Greening Policy and working with supply teams to ensure the Save the Children Supplier Sustainability Policy.
- Review Environmental and Social Screening Tool and Environmental and Social Action Plan for all grants and suggest additions amendments as needed, to ensure mitigation of environmental harm for all projects.
- Advocate for Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability considerations in all SRO wide initiatives (CSP, Emergency Preparedness Plan, Response Strategies, etc).
- Represent SRO in Community of Practice and Technical Working groups within Save the Children, relating to Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability.
Capacity Building:
- Identify learning and training opportunities for Save the Children staff and partners and work as a mentor and role model for less experienced staff.
- Oversee development of technical training material that will improve aspects of WASH & Climate Resilience work within Save the Children, at country level and lead on delivery of capacity-building objectives
Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:
- Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies, and take a leadership role within Interagency Coordination forums, such as the WASH cluster and the WASH Working Group ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. Take the lead in technical working groups at national or sub-national level where needed.
- Take steps to document lessons learned, from WASH & Climate Resilience interventions for wider dissemination.
- In collaboration with SC WASH colleagues, feed in learning, experiences and evidence to relevant global advocacy objectives.
General:
- Demonstrate leadership in relation to Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
- Ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian aid are maintained in accordance with the Sphere and other relevant sector Standards.
- Ensure the Centrality of Protection and Do No Harm are embedded across the WASH programme cycle
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
- holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
- sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
- widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
- builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
- values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
- approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
- develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
- willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
- honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
Essential
- Education to a degree level in Public Health, Water Engineering, or a related subject, or equivalent field experience. Past experience or certification in the field of Climate Resilience or Environmental Sustainability is a definite plus.
- Minimum 7 years of experience working in the WASh sector in emergency and/or development contexts
- Prior experience of working in a technical advisorrole within a complex country programme in an emergency response or fragile state, and managing a WASH team at national level
- Previous experience of WASH project management and programme coordination, implementing WASH programmes within donor constraints, on time and within budget (including experience of implementing WASH in institutions)
- Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
- Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation skills
- Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on implementation capacity
- Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff in WASH technical skills
- Experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
- Experience of preparing successful funding proposals for donors
- Excellent communication skills including the ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports and a high level of written and spoken English
- Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy
- Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
- The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
- Commitment to the aims and principles of Save the Children. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support
- Fluency in Arabic and English; Kurdish language is an asset.
Desirable
- Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts
- Knowledge of and experience working in the both protracted and rapid onset emergencies
- Past experience working with Save the Children is an asset
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Safeguarding our Staff:
The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
The OrganizationWe employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
· No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
· All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
· Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
Application Information:Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/jobs We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
