Wash Project Officer

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps has worked in Lebanon since 1993, providing development assistance to thousands of disadvantaged citizens around the country.  Since the start of the Syrian Crisis in 2011, Mercy Corps shifted from development-focused programming to address humanitarian needs for both refugees and host communities in Lebanon.  Mercy Corps in Lebanon has a diverse, dynamic and committed team that strives to implement excellent programs that work with Lebanese civil society organizations, communities, private sector actors and government representatives to achieve Mercy Corps’ mission of helping to build secure, productive, and just communities. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Project Officer will advance Mercy Corps’ ongoing WASH programming in Bekaa by assisting the Project Manager in the day-to-day project implementation that focus on increasing access to safe water, sanitation services/facilities, and proper hygiene conditions and practices for Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities, including government engagement, scale up, sustainability, promotion of Syrian and Lebanese participation in project activities, strengthening the role of women in decision making, participation in coordination activities meetings and liaising with relevant government departments in the field. Working closely with the staff of local implementing partner/s, the Project Officer will be responsible for producing key documents and materials, providing support to plan, implement and monitor the communications components of the project that includes hygiene promotion and mobilization. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Jointly with WASH team, conduct rapid assessment of the shortlisted refugee ‘informal settlements’ to determine scope of work, resource requirement and estimated cost. Assist Project Manager in developing overall and monthly work plans.   Assist Project Manager and other senior program team in overseeing day-to-day project implementation and ensure effective and timely completion of the WASH interventions. Support community mobilization and hygiene promotion sessions among the refugees and host communities in collaboration with local partners and trained volunteers. Prepare weekly field reports to be submitted to WASH Project Manager and Area Manager; Support in facilitating agency and donor monitoring visits; Support in establishing and maintaining proper project documentation and records, including but not limited to: needs assessments questionnaires, monitoring questionnaires, certificates of vouchers receipts, consolidated list of beneficiaries, photos etc. Participate and represent the organization in field coordination meetings as requested by the Project Manager. Conduct visits to implementation sites including refugee informal settlements (IS) and municipal facilities to verify quality and details of implementation. Work closely with WASH M&E Officer to maintain and update IS level database of refugee profiles, needs and project interventions. Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission. Communications Work with WASH team to review existing WASH hygiene promotion and water conservation materials and advise on how to improve further, including development of new materials to increase community awareness as well as visibility. Coordinate with M&E team to gather and use existing success stories that highlight Mercy Corps’ interventions for donors. Contribute to Mercy Corps’ activities on social media. Apply and maintain Mercy Corps brand identity and parameters in all written and audio visual materials Other duties as assigned by the supervisor. Other Ensure all activities are gender sensitive and follow Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy; Contribute to monthly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements; Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops; Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; Other assigned tasks, as necessary KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s Degree in social or natural sciences. Familiarity with the issues of water and sanitation systems in refugee informal settlements, municipal water and sanitation facilities, Minimum of 3 years’ work experience working directly for an NGO or relevant organization in Lebanon Demonstrate good expertise in hygiene promotion and behavioral change activities under emergency programs Commitment to local capacity building and the ability to engage local stakeholders in project design and implementation. Demonstrated capacity to collaborate closely with INGOs and national NGOs and CBOs. Good organizational and basic project management skills Experience working with refugees or other vulnerable population required, implementing a WASH project and conducting training is preferred. Proven understanding of Do No Harm principles and methodology with applied experience implementing projects with/for women and girls.  The applicants should have good written and verbal English and Arabic skills.  Must be computer-literate, particularly in programs such as MS Word and MS Excel.  Strong organizational and collaboration skills required, with the ability to work independently and be self-directed, as necessary.  Must work well as a member of a team, with willingness to travel throughout Lebanon, sometimes staying overnight, as the job requires.  SUCCESS FACTORS: The successful candidate will be bright, energetic, hard-working and eager to learn.  S/he will take a deep personal interest in humanitarian and development assistance.  S/he will be attentive to detail and able to carry out assigned tasks in a timely manner and according to a very high standard of quality.  S/he will be creative and flexible, but at the same time will not have any difficulty in adhering to systems and procedures.  S/he will strictly follow all protocols related to safety and security.