Hygiene Promotion Officer 97 views

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004, working in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in five regional states – Somali, Oromia, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples, Amhara – and the capital city of Addis Ababa. We engage in both development and humanitarian work, and seek to integrate approaches, programs and geographies as much as possible.  Our partners include government, academic institutions, development and private sector actors, civil societies and communities. Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

 Position Title: Hygiene Promotion Officer

Location: Jigjiga, Tulligulid and Ararso in Somali Region and Negelle, Liben and Gumi   Eldalo     in Oromia Region

Number of Positions: six

 Program Summary

The project is intended to reduce the transmission of COVID 19 in the community through strengthening active and passive surveillance and reduce the morbidity and mortality related with infectious diseases

General Position Summary

The position holder shall be in charge of leading hygiene promotion activities focusing on hand washing, social behavioral change communications, and ensuring supply of water and  WASH kits to IDPS, host communities and health facilities for COVID-19 prevention with active community engagement.   S/He will mainly be responsible for the daily hygiene promotion activities in the community to enhance their awareness and strengthen preparedness and response capacities for COVID-19 prevention following global and national guidelines. S/He will also be responsible for day-to-day monitoring and reporting of the proper functioning of hand washing facilities, ensure availability of water at the hand washing stations, ensure appropriate and relevant information related with COVID-19 are being packed and delivered timey. S/he will work hand in hand with Government level COVID-19 response steering committees, WASH –COVID-19 task force, and humanitarian coordination units

Essential Job Responsibilities

Under the guidance of WASH advisor and program coordinators, the hygiene promotion officer is responsible for implementations of COVID-19 related WASH interventions. Key job function include the following:

Strategy and vision

·     Collaborate with other team member for effective integration between other activities like WASH, Nutrition and Health services

·     Collaborate with Local authorities and other partners to harmonize different efforts for better impact and sustainability.

·     Able to learn and update his/ her information or knowledge to adapt the changing situation and context

Program management

●     The professional will be responsible for facilitating comprehensive and effective hygiene promotion activities to ensure quality service, aiming to prevent infections among patients in health facilities, IDPs, host communities and Mercy Corps employees. Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcome;

●     Review adequacy and effectiveness of the existing COVID-19 responses in respective woredas

●     Identify the target behaviors to be promoted for the COVID-19 prevention and target settings in which to practice and promote these behaviors

●     Identify appropriate participatory interventions maintaining social distancing and ensure these interventions are in line with global and national guidelines to avoid mixed message and confusion

●     Implement hygiene promotion activities building on existing community engagement strategies

●     Ensure that any adaptation made to the activities are promoting adequate hygiene behaviors that intercept transmission pathways of COVID-19.

●     Set up a rapid feedback mechanism to learn from implementations and from social media outlets

●     Ensure that hand washing stations are contact free have sufficient daily water supply

●     Ensure solid wastes from health facilities are properly collected, handled and disposed of at appropriate sites

●     Ensure that water delivered to community are chlorinated and properly stored and handled

●     Facilitate and conduct regular woreda level field supports and routine review meetings with government staff and woreda level officials to monitor the implementation of hygiene promotion activities

●     Prepare work plan on quarterly and monthly basis and prepare weekly, monthly and quarterly reports

●     Ensure mainstreaming of a standardized beneficiary feedback mechanism

●     Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors, in consultation with the zonal coordinator

●     Provide input and validation as needed on COVID-19

●     Ensure global, national and regional COVID-19 guidelines is being followed and used as a guiding tool for woreda level implementations

●     Ensure that ethical and sound data is collected for appropriate program analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy in line with the Mercy Corps MEAL strategy

●     Responsible for overall planning, implementation and M&E of hygiene promotion activities specific to COVID-19 response in the assigned woreda

●     Work any tasks assigned by the line manager and the organization

Team Building and Management

●     Provide technical guidance for other team members on COVID-19 related WASH interventions

●     Work very closely other MC teams to strengthen the hygiene promotion efforts

●     Provide support to woreda COVID-19 steering committees to strengthen community level hygiene promotion activities of COVID-19

●     Provided formal and on job training and supportive supervision for Mercy corps woreda level staffs and government workers in relation to COVID-19 prevention.

Finance and Operations Management

●     Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps’ regulations related to programming and operations.

●     With support of the Operations Manager, ensure adequate operational systems are in place to provide for program implementation;

●     Ensure proper logistics, administration, human resources and transport needs of the program are conducted within Mercy Corps policy;

●     Manage the program budget as the primary budget holder;

●     Exercise sound judgment to ensure program expenses are reasonable, allocable and prudent. Ensure all program funds are spent in accordance with donor rules and regulations. Work with Director of Programs to forecast expenditure surpluses and deficits to enable adjustments;

●     Strictly follow Mercy Corps’ Fraud and Prevention guidelines.

●     Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

●     Work with field level MEL team members working on the program ;

●     Ensure that the program team is continually gathering and digesting operating environment data and activity reports, and that teams are holding frequent activity review sessions to continually re-examine the relevance and impact of their programming;

●     Coordinate and share information with the humanitarian director, program managers;

●     Working with the MEL team, develop a Learning Agenda for the program, and support successful execution of learning and impact studies;

●     Ensure program teams have community complaint and feedback mechanisms in place and that complaints and feedback being received are responded to within a timely manner.

Policy, Advocacy, Representation

●     Represent Mercy Corps at academic events, conferences, media forums, and other events; contribute to thought COVID-19 response mechanisms;

●     Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions working on respective regions;

Knowledge and Experience

●     Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent in a field related to environmental health, Sanitation, water resource technologies, and other related fields.

●     Direct and practical working experience in one or more of the following sectors;  Minimum of 4 years’ experience in water supply, hygiene and sanitation sectors or working with other agencies in the WASH sector and have a good understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic.

●     Good understanding of culture and social norms of the Woredas

●     Familiar with all aspects of COVID-19 related response mechanisms and global and national guidelines

●     Practical field experience working in low land areas and contexts

●     Strong writing, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.

●     Excellent coordination and representation experience is needed, especially in building and maintaining strong/productive relations with implementing and strategic partner agencies and government agencies;

●     Willingness and ability to travel frequently of his/her time to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required;

●     Fluency in English and local languages (Somali language for Somali region applicants  and Afan Oromo for Oromia region applicants)

Success Factors

●     Ability to work well within a small team and able to work independently with minimal supervision

●     Excellent communication, facilitation and networking skills with a wide range of private, partner and NGO-sector actors

●     a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment

●     A tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures.

●     Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)