ERT Environmental Health Coordinator (WASH)

Description

The IRCs EPRU and Emergency Response Team (ERT): The IRCs Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit (EPRU) leads or oversees IRCs global emergency preparedness and response activities. The mission of the EPRU is to help meet the immediate survival needs and reduce suffering in conflict or disaster affected populations during the acute phase of an emergency. The EPRU also works in protracted emergencies, where the risk to life may be reduced but the population is still subjected to rights abuses and a lack of basic services. The EPRU is also charged with enhancing the IRCs global and country level emergency preparedness capacity. The Emergency Response Team serves as the standing team of specialized professionals ready to deploy to an emergency within 72 hours.

Environmental Health at the IRC: Environmental Health (EH) activities are a core component of IRC emergency responses and are supported by the Environmental Health Team of the Health Unit, which is responsible for ensuring the quality of IRC’s global Environmental Health programs. In the acute phase of emergencies IRC responds by providing EH facilities and services that are essential for life, personal safety and dignity, such as clean water, safe, easily accessible defecation areas and toilets and key hygiene products. In protracted emergencies IRC builds the capacity of affected communities to manage key EH services to increase self-reliance, make operation more efficient and provide opportunities for communities to learn and practice new skills.

SCOPE OF WORK

The IRC ERT staff is expected to be deployed in the field, either in an emergency or roving capacity, for up to 75% of the time (9 months a year) and must be able to deploy to the site of an emergency within 72 hours of notification. 

Members of the Emergency Response Team are deployed to either support existing country programs in their emergency response, or to initiate a new program in the crisis zone. The overall responsibility of the team is to rapidly and effectively design, develop and manage the IRC’s on-site humanitarian response to meet the immediate needs of the affected population. The ERT is also responsible for supporting the transfer of responsibilities and knowledge to the long-term staff to ensure the continuity of IRC programming and operations.

S/he is a member of the Environmental Health Team within the Health Unit and the Emergency Response and Preparedness Unit (EPRU). During emergency deployments ERT staff will work under the direction of IRC’s Emergency Field Director or designated country emergency lead. The Emergency Environmental Health Coordinator will report to the Technical Advisor for Environmental Health.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Emergency Response

• Be prepared to be deployed within 72 hours; emergency deployments take precedence over other duties;
• Ensure high quality and timely assessments of the humanitarian needs and provide prioritized recommendations for program interventions to the ERT Field Director/emergency lead;
• Design program responses and strategy, including geographic areas of intervention, in coordination with internal and external actors;
• Draft technical proposals and budgets for international donors, work in close collaboration with IRC grants and finance staff to finalize proposals and respond to any requests for additional information;
• Manage grant/program implementation including staff recruitment and training, workplan development, procurement and inventory planning, and budget management;
• Prepare high quality and timely donor and management reports on grants and sector activities;
• Select and implement appropriate monitoring systems; ensure consistent reporting and analysis of results to enhance program effectiveness and quality;
• Ensure compliance with IRC policy and procedures throughout the program team and activities;
• Represent and coordinate with other agencies, local government , donors and other stakeholders to promote deliver of best practice humanitarian assistance;
• Support media and communications activities as requested by the ERT Field Director/CD/in-county emergency lead;
• Provide a comprehensive handover to successor, including ensuring transfer of all related documentation, program monitoring data and staff performance information.

Emergency Preparedness

• Work with EPRU staff and HQ program technical staff to develop emergency preparedness and response strategies and tools;
• Work with country programs to implement emergency preparedness and response in selected IRC countries;
• Contribute to the continual development of appropriate and cost-effective contingency stocks, revising the stock list in accordance with lessons learned in the field and monitoring replenishment.

Non-emergency

• Provide technical support to existing country programs remotely and through in-country visits or short-term deployments
• Assist in the development and launch of new technical policy, procedures and training materials
• Contribute to the design and implementation of emergency components of the Health Unit strategic plan
• Ensure that EH/Health Unit initiatives consistently reflect the IRC’s needs in emergency response, and the lessons learned in past responses;
• Ensure that EH/Health Unit priority tools and guidelines are implemented in emergency responses as appropriate;
• Contribute significantly to team meetings, workshops, and research initiatives.

REQUIREMENTS:

• University degree in engineering, hydrology, environmental health or a related subject; Master’s level education strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years experience managing WASH/Environmental Health projects including 2 years in emergency/conflict areas
• Superior internal and external communication and coordination capabilities and excellent team management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical expertise and standards and implement best practice approaches to achieve rapid, consistent, high quality emergency projects
• Experience managing donor funded programs and grants; including staff management, budget oversight, monitoring and evaluation systems, and technical input to proposal-budget development and donor reports.
• Fluency in English; French highly desirable.

IRC leading the way from harm to home. 

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
 IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.