Senior Project Officer – WASH

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Since then, we have expanded in size to reach more than 130 million people in more than 100 countries on five continents. For over 75 years, the mission of CRS has been to assist impoverished and disadvantaged people overseas, working in the spirit of Catholic social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. Our operations serve people based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. CRS has worked in Kenya since 1965. The Kenya programme currently has offices in, Marsabit, Isiolo, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Kilifi in Kenya. Our mission is rooted in the Catholic faith, while operations serve people based solely on need, regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Our programme areas focus on youth, child development and care reform, peace building, emergency response, agriculture and livelihoods, water, health and orphans and vulnerable children. We have focus on cross cutting thematic areas including environmental management and climate change, private sector, local capacity building and gender. This work is implemented in partnership with county and national governments as well as civil society, including faith-based and secular organizations. CRS Kenya’s work is almost exclusively with and through local partners and Government agencies.

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Project Officer – WASH will coordinate WASH related activities at the County level. He/she will facilitate the achievement of Nawiri project objectives through coordinating and reporting on all WASH activities and providing technical guidance and advice to staff and implementing partner(s) advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your thorough and service-oriented approach will ensure that the project consistently applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve. Required/Desired Foreign Language: Excellent verbal and written communication in EnglishTravel Required: 80% movement within the project sites in the county.Personal Skills Excellent interpersonal and communication skillsAnalysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners.Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented.Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.Key Working Relationships: Supervisory: NoneInternal: Head of office, other Nawiri staff at County level, Local implementing partners External:  County and National Government officials, program consultants and contractors, PREG members.QUALIFICATIONSTypical Background, Experience & Requirements:Education and ExperienceBachelor of Science in Civil Engineering/Water Engineering/ Agricultural Engineering/Environmental Engineering/Environmental Health/Public Health from recognized university.Minimum of 5 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of WASH, food security, nutrition and/or livelihoods related activities.Demonstrable knowledge and experience in using Engineering CAD Software, EPANET, Civil 3D and other computer applications such as Arc GIS, word, excel, access, PowerPoint, etc.Demonstrable skills in project planning and design, drafting, calculation, Bill of Quantities preparation, and technical writing.Registered with a relevant professional body. Experience working in Northern Kenya or other ASAL counties.Experience working in USAID funded projects is an added advantage.Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Organize and lead the implementation of WASH activities at the county level as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding implementing partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Coordinate and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders including county government officials and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact. Represent CRS in WASH sectoral meetings with the government and other development agencies in the County.Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and implementing partners.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Project management, Project monitoring and evaluation (M&E), Decision making, Ability to coordinate, Project implementation

REQUIRED EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree