WaSH Sustainability Specialist

The sustainability specialist will be responsible of supporting the implementation of Action Against Hunger innovative WASH activities in the Bekaa Valley. The specialist will be tasked to ensure that sustainable sanitation projects (on-site wastewater treatment) and new ways of providing water services to the population are tested, implemented and monitored in accordance to the work plan. The specialist will also be in charge and support the design of new models and approaches to find more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions inside the IS’s.

In coordination and under the supervision of Action Against Hunger WASH PM, The Sustainability Specialist will be in charge of selecting the locations through field visits, assess the willingness of the landowners and validate the technical feasibility of the innovative water and sanitation solutions in the selected areas. He/She will also analyze the possibility of connecting the IS’s to the public network when there isn’t any other solution, in coordination with the Municipality and the WE.

Objective 1: Follow-up implementation in the field (40%)

• Focal point for the implementation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Fund innovation projects. Representation in working groups, workshops and meetings with the donor. 
• Follow-up the implementation of the on-site sanitation systems and water filtration units inside IS’s.
• Monitor the quality of the effluent through chemical and bacteriological analysis and the quality of water after filtration.
• Propose and design system upgrade based on the results.
• Prepare regular reports on the progress of the installed systems in the assigned sites. 
• Ensure the compliance of quality and quantity of material used at field level according to waybills, proposed works and BOQ’s.
• Ensure the operationality of the systems and the compliance of the effluent quality with Ministries standards and Water Sector guidelines.
• Prepare exit strategy for the post-intervention operation and maintenance of the system. 
• Train WASH committees inside IS’s to maintain operation and maintenance of the system once ACF will exit from the O&M.

Objective 2: Identify new locations for potential interventions under the innovative component (20%)

• Define several parameters and produce an assessment template to identify future locations for innovative solutions.
• Identify, through field assessments, the possibility of installing or replicating on-site sanitation systems and water filtration units in new locations. 
• Identify potential locations where connection to the public sewage or the public water system is feasible and the most suitable solution.
• Under the guidance of the PM, coordinate actively with other actors in the WASH sector implementing similar sanitation systems to identify locations and share information.
• Support the identification and design of future WASH proposals in Bekaa Valley.

Objective 3: Design and propose new approaches for WASH sustainable interventions inside the IS’s (20%)

• Propose new models and designs for water and sanitation treatment units in collaboration with research centers, Universities and other WASH partners. 
• Monitor the quality of the water in the define locations and investigate technical solutions to eliminate nitrates and other chemicals from the water. 
• Explore the possibility of reusing wastewater for irrigation purposes in collaboration with other national and regional platforms advocating for it. 
• Help collecting more accurate data at field level to improve the quality of the works implemented by ACF under UNICEF or any other future project.

Objective 4: Coordination (20%)

• Report the progress of the work to the WASH PM, Operations Coordinator and WASH Coordinator.
• Contribute to project and beneficiary’s data collection and reporting for UNICEF project.
• Coordinate with local authorities including, but not limited to, Water Establishment, MoEW, LRA, municipalities and landlords.
• Coordinate with UNICEF, Water Sector and other WASH partners in order to share information and lessons learnt. 
• Report possible problem or conflict during the implementation of activities

Objective 5: Security

• Respect the security rules specified in the mission and base security plan, see to it that the team under his/her responsibility complies with the security plan and perform the security management tasks that can be assigned in its protocols.
• Communicate to the security managers of the working location any security related information or noncompliance with the security plan

Objective 6: Support humanitarian activities of Action Against Hunger

• Support the emergency interventions of the organization as per the employee’s abilities.
• Support any activity that helps reaching our humanitarian goals, as per the employee’s abilities.
• Promote gender equality within the humanitarian and/or development work

Knowledge and Experience required:

• Training/ Education: Degree and/or master’s degree in Civil, Environmental Agricultural, Water or Mechanical Engineering.
• Technical specific knowledge: Excellent knowledge of water supply & construction or other certification in WaSH infrastructure and experience:
  • Must have demonstrated skills/knowledge in participatory approaches, analytical and gender – fair thinking and writing;
  • Technical knowledge in implementing WASH interventions;
  • Significant experience in working in collaboration with local partners and government bodies;
  • Excellent knowledge of project cycle management;
  • Ability to identify possible new activities and elaborate proposals for new projects, as well as the ability to report adequately.
• Previous experience: At least 3 years’ experience in designing and implementing Water Sanitation & Hygiene projects in development and/or humanitarian context.
• Humanitarian sector knowledge: Good knowledge of INGOs and donor agencies procedure, guidelines and intervention in the country.
• Action Against the Hunger knowledge: Previous knowledge of Action Against Hunger policies, strategy and previous interventions in the country or Middle East region is an added value.
• Languages: English and Arabic (compulsory working language, fluent spoken, read and written)
• IT and specific systems: Windows domain, Compulsory expertise in Excel. Command of mapping tools (GIS) and AutoCad is highly desirable.