MWA KIWASH Senior Technical Advisor Job Opportunity at CARE International in Nairobi Kenya December 2013
Job Summary & Purpose:
CARE is looking for a candidate with appropriate expertise to fill the position of program advisor/specialist on WASH governance and climate change resilience to KIWASH program.
Tasks and responsibilities
R 1: Technical oversight
Tasks
- Facilitate linkages between the different actors in the water sector both at National and county levels to enhance the ongoing WASH devolution process as embraced in the new national constitutions
- Promote transformation of WRUAs to professional bodies upholding accountability and serving as learning laboratories/models in water resource management and ensure sustainability.
- Take stock of existing water resource users associations (WRUAs) and conduct capacity assessment to determine training needs
- Design systems to facilitate WRUAs to develop functional sub catchment management plans (SMPs)
- Advise partners on all technical aspects of project implementation, ensuring a unified and effective approach to achieving project impact.
- Develop guidelines and tools as required for partner KIWASH staff to implement key project activities consistently and effectively.
- Identify and collate evidence base of context specific promising practices and support dissemination workshops to improve existing practices and introduce new practices and/or ideas among project partners.
- Ensure that effective engagement is maintained with communities and with local government partners, to ensure responsive and sustainable programming.
- Oversee the WASH Governance and resilience component of the KIWASH project, with a focus on keeping activities on track for completion.
- Develop detailed activity, budget plans and monitoring tools for the project, and monitor progress against plans ensuring that objectives and indicators are achieved.
- Maintain regular contact with the KIWASH local implementing partner staff through regular field visits to ensure that the WASH Governance and resilience component of the project is carried out promptly, to a high quality and according to the project strategy.
- Support the timely preparation of annual work plans and reports to the donor
- Organize and participate in national, county and local stakeholder forums to deliberate, clarify and understand issues on the devolved WASH services and its implication at the community level.
- Ensure integration across components, learning, sharing and adoption of best practices
- Represent the project to local communities, government departments, international agencies, local partners and donors as required.
- Attend relevant meetings as required.
- Ensure regular communication with CARE Kenya and MWA technical staff for feedback, updates and guidance as required.
- Create linkages with private sector for sustainable partnerships to address Governance and Resilience of WASH services.
- Ensure that high priority purchases are monitored and prioritized by the logistics team.
- Ensure that tenders are prepared in accordance with the projects logistics requirements.
- Monitor and ensure spending against plan, and analyze monthly financial reports.
- Identify training needs and ensure that members of the project team receive appropriate training to enable them to implement the project strategy and activities effectively.
Internally: Works closely with MWA KIWASH Chief of Party, Livelihood Sector Manager and other Senior Management Team members of CARE Kenya.
Externally: Members of the Millennium Water Alliance and provides Technical support to local implementing partners on behalf of CARE Kenya.
Working Conditions: The position shall be based in Nairobi with 50% travel to the field in Eastern and Western Kenya.
- Education: Master’s degree in environmental studies, natural resource management, social studies or equivalent
- Experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in a technical or program management role in WASH programming and in particular water governance
- Experience with institutional arrangements, governance, strengthening and capacity building in the water sector
- Competencies: Strong Leadership, assessment, management, project planning, analytical and interpersonal skills.
- Good skills in M&E, donor reporting, good command in written and spoken English and basics in computer software.
- Experience working on USAID contracts preferred