Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor (WASH) – USAID/DRC

About Us

International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over 100 countries and implemented over 300 projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies, and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and institutional support across many areas and sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, agriculture, economic growth, food security, education, environment, and global health.

Job Title: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Advisor (WASH)

Department/Location: DRC Kinshasa / USAID Office of Health

Reports To: IBTCI ISPI Project Manager

Type: Consultancy – 235 days full time

Clearance Required: Facilities Access, applied for once hired

Overview: USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) 2020-2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) is: A More Peaceful and Prosperous DRC with Improved Opportunities for Communities and Individuals to Thrive. This high-level goal encapsulates USAID’s long-term vision of a DRC where all communities and people are empowered to move their country closer to self-reliance. Throughout this period, USAID will partner with individuals, communities, and institutions and increase their ability to generate and achieve locally-led solutions. However, significant obstacles, including pervasive corruption, weak and ineffective state institutions, extreme poverty, an extractives-dependent economy, and ongoing conflict and instability may affect the Mission’s ability to achieve this goal. These daunting challenges arise from a lack of capacity as well as weak government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (GDRC) commitment at both the national and sub-national levels.

The Water for the World Act of 2014 builds on the Water for the Poor Act of 2005, which made water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) a U.S. foreign policy priority, instructing the United States Government (USG) to focus programming and resources in priority countries that have both the greatest sector needs and opportunities for impact. The USAID Water and Development Plan under the U.S. Government Global Water Strategy articulates the Agency’s approach to increase the availability and sustainable management of safe water and sanitation for the underserved and most vulnerable. Congress has consistently appropriated funds under the water directive to increase sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation and improve hygiene. It is anticipated that funding for water, sanitation and hygiene activities will be sustained for the coming years.

A dedicated WASH team manages this work at USAID/DRC. On behalf of the USAID/DRC team, IBTCI seeks a WASH Advisor to provide programmatic and technical guidance in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and/or water security. The incumbent will serve as an Activity Manager and provide advice to activities led by Implementing Partners (IPs) under Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, and/or Grants. The incumbent will work collaboratively with other staff in the USAID Kinshasa office, government counterparts, and other development partners to support a coordinated, strategic approach to WASH and water security programming.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:

Advisory and Technical Services

• Provide technical guidance on WASH and water security interventions, including providing guidance in the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of WASH and water security programs.
• Apply evidence-based guidelines, approaches, and tools to support Mission’s WASH and water security programming.
• Through regular communication with sector stakeholders and USAID/Washington, as well as reading and reviewing emerging literature, stay abreast of new developments and findings in the national and global WASH and water security landscape, and advise accordingly on how policies, strategies, and technical guidelines can most effectively be incorporated to enable the Mission to maintain fidelity and relevance in its WASH and water security programs.
• Provide technical guidance to other agencies implementing the USG Global Water Strategy, technical counterparts in government, and to other national stakeholders to advance USAID
  strategic objectives for WASH and water security.
• Provide on-going technical assistance to USAID local partners to ensure that activities are evidence-based and responsive to local needs.
• Work closely with other staff in USAID to optimize opportunities for cross-sectoral layering, sequencing and integrating (as appropriate) and leveraging of resources across the different program components.

Project Management

• Serve as Activity Manager on designated WASH and water security programs.
• Participate in project/activity design, including drafting and obtaining approval for concept
  papers, writing scopes of work, evaluating applications/proposals, and starting up new projects and activities related to WASH and water security.
• Work with IPs to develop strategic work plans with realistic and measurable targets to support effective implementation of the Mission’s WASH and water security portfolio.
• Review annual work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, quarterly reports and other key documents of assigned activities, making recommendations to the COR or AOR on the progress and quality of such project documents.
• Monitor program resources allocated for WASH and water security activities to ensure that they are being used rationally and that there are no cost overruns.
• Compile, analyze, and disseminate, on a regular basis, to USAID mission staff and USAID/Washington, as well as government counterparts, progress in achieving sector objectives together with commentary on issues and recommended solutions.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• Regularly analyze and interpret WASH and water security data to generate key results and trends to assist the Mission maintain a needs-responsive WASH and water security program with proven achievement across USAID standard indicators.
• Contribute to data quality assessments to ensure the quality and reliability of project data.
• Participate in site visits to USAID supported activities to assess the quality of implementation against contract or agreement objectives and to provide guidance to implementing partners on emerging approaches.
• Monitor project activities and make recommendations to resolve implementation obstacles to ensure judicious use of USG funds and effective implementation of WASH and water security interventions. Contribute to and participate in WASH- and water security-related program evaluations to document and scale up proven best practices.

Other Coordination and Support

• Contribute to key annual planning and reporting documents including the Operational Plan, Performance Plan and Report, among others.
• Prepare reports and responses to a wide range of requirements including responding to requests for information from USAID/Washington and Congress.
• Ensure that USAID successes, best practices and approaches are shared widely with partner country officials, private sector, civil society, and other donors.
• Attend national, regional, and international meetings that relate to WASH and water security.

NOTE: The consultant will not perform other inherently governmental functions or duties (e.g. will not serve as AOR/COR or supervise staff), but rather will advise, mentor, and facilitate as appropriate on the performance of inherently governmental functions on the part of the Office or Mission.

KEY DELIVERABLES: (SMART – tangible outcomes)

• Develop technical guidance on WASH and water security programs for use by mission personnel and implementing partners.
• Monthly reports of activities performed during the work period, as agreed upon by position supervisor and WASH advisor.
• Complete site visit reports and presentations for knowledge management and transfer.
• Compile meeting minutes approximately 1–4 times per week and maintain file and activity management and organization.
• Prepare briefing papers, presentations and assist with site preparations for visits by delegations of high-level USG officials.
• Maintain satisfactory performance as reviewed by supervisors.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

Prior Work Experience

• Minimum three (3) years of demonstrated management experience in urban and rural water supply, sanitation, and hygiene improvement in DRC or in similar context.
• Experience with Water Utility Strengthening frameworks and current trends.
• Knowledge of the current DRC Institutional framework including State owned enterprises (SOE) reforms and their implications.
• The position requires a combination of managerial, technical, design and analytical abilities combined with the demonstrated ability to manage resources, programs, and people.
• Experience in analyzing sector data and translating into practice.

Language Proficiency

• Level III fluency in English, both written and spoken, is required. Language competence may be tested.

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to present information, analyses, and recommendations in clear written and oral formats.
• Ability to independently conceive, plan, organize, manage, and evaluate important, diverse, and complex work projects, to drive high-level performance and outcomes of WASH and water security projects.
• Demonstrated ability to apply policy directives to activity design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
• Excellent analytical, technical and project management skills to review and provide substantive feedback on concept papers, proposals, program descriptions/scopes of
  work, performance reports, and other technical and programmatic documents.
• Ability to respond professionally and adjust in fluid situations in order to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities and time pressures.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to work effectively with people at all levels, from senior officials to support staff, in a culturally diverse environment, accepting divergent points of view and help find consensus to achieve team goals.
• Excellent computer skills including in Microsoft Office, web-based databases, and electronic filing, including the ability to help others and to learn new programs quickly.
• Ability to travel to regions and districts within the host country, up to 20% of the time.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental, mechanical, agricultural, or related engineering field.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 5+ years of management experience in urban and rural water supply, sanitation, and hygiene improvement.
• Previous experience with USAID WASH program implementation in the DRC.
• Experience working and collaborating with U.S. government agencies and private sector organizations, including officials with international organizations, foreign and domestic government officials, and development partners.

Working Environment: Work is typically performed in an office environment.

Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.

Supervisory Responsibility: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Travel: May include travel to fragile and/or conflict-prone zones.

Work Authorization: Candidate must be authorized to work in the DRC.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About the Organization:

IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education & human capacity development, energy & infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.

IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).