The International Rescue Committee, one of the world's largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been of unprecedented in scale and in the response required. No previous outbreak has had as many confirmed cases, or as wide of a geographic spread. The situation has been complicated by the porous nature of the regions' borders, inaccessibility of the terrain and the presence of multiple active sites of transmission. The outbreak in Liberia started in March 2014 and has rapidly spread due to pourous borders, insufficient contact tracing, community fears and misperceptions. The government instituted a 90 day state of emergency, closed borders and deployed its military personnel to assist in the containment. To date, nearly 7,000 cases have been either confirmed, probable or suspected, most of them originating from Lofa and Montserrado Counties but cases have been resported in almost all counties in Liberia.
Currently, the IRC response to the Ebola outbreak has included coordination and collaboration (with co-chairing of the Ebola intervention committee meetings in Zorzor and Salayea districts, providing technical advise to the Lofa County Ebola task force and supporting the Lofa County Health Team (Lofa CHT) in preparing contingency plans for the Ebola intervention activities), surveillance and contact tracing (provision of community health staff to Lofa CHT to lead and be part of the contact tracing teams, provision of gasoline to district health offices for case follow up as well as health information management), case management (provision of medical staff to Lofa CHT to lead case management, training of health staff in Salayea, Zorzor, Voinjama and Kolahun districts, distribution of infection control materials and other medical supplies to 40 health facilities in Lofa County as well as fuel support for transportation of suspected and confirmed cases as well as for the burial team), as well as social mobilization and psychosocial support with community awareness raising and health education in health facilities and communities in Salayea, Zorzor and Voinjama districts.
IRC is negotiating an agreement with the central Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) in Liberia, the Lofa CHT and senior hospital management to take over the facilitation of service delivery and strengthening health systems at four hospitals in Lofa County for a period of six months. These hospitals are: Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital, Foya Borma, Kolahun, and Curran Lutheran-which together serve a population of approximately 304,021 people residing in seven administrative districts. The Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) for Secondary and Tertiary Care outlines the full range of expected services to be provided at each level; however, given the immediate needs for revitalization, the MOHSW has identified the following priority areas for implementation: Maternal and Newborn Health, Child Health, Reproductive Health, Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases and Emergency Health as well as Quality Assurance. Health systems strengthening (HSS) support will look at Human Resources, Supply Chain, Laboratory and Diagnostic Services, Infection Prevention and Control, and Health Management Information Systems.
Scope of work: The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator will be the focal point for the project's WASH interventions in Lofa County, Liberia, specifically taking the lead on WASH activities in four target hospitals. The position is based in Voinjama with regular trips to IRC's supported four hospitals and health facilities within the county. The WASH Coordinator will receive support from the Hospital Project Coordinator and Emergency Health Coordinator in Lofa, as well as the Senior Health Coordinator based in Monrovia and the Environmental Health Technical Advisor at IRC Health Unit in New York. The position is responsible for managing rehabilitation and construction activities for target health facilities' WASH systems - including water systems, sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion. This includes all elements of planning, management, staff direction, control and successful execution.
Specific responsibilities:
- Alongside the MOHSW and Lofa CHT, adapt Liberia policy guidelines or develop new guidelines for the maintenance of hospital WASH facilities;
- In collaboration with MOHSW and CHT, lead the design and supervision for the renovation and improvement of WASH infrastrucrure in four Lofa Hospitals;
- Develop construction designs using a specific software such as an AutoCAD for hospital WASH facilities improvement including latrines/toilets, drains and sewage systems and health-care waste managmenent infrastructure, including site development plans, building plans, civil and structural details if required;
- Oversee reconstruction or rehabilitation of WASH facilities in Lofa Hospitals including water supply, latrines/toilets, drains and sewage systems and health-care waste managmenent infrastructure by conducting regular construction site visits and inspections, meeting with contractors, and hospital administrator;
- Put in place systems including operations and maintenance procedures , training, mentoring/supportive supervision to maintain and improve the water supply , capacity for disposal of hospital waste and maintenance of clean and safe environment;
- Write reports for all necessary financial documentation for construction related services such as certifying contractors' invoices, quantity surveys, in collaboration with IRC Financial Controller;
- Develop plans, specifications, bills of quantity, and contracts when required;
- Manage the tendering process for the procurement of construction services in coordination with operations coordinator;
- Develop a professional relationships with relevant government officials, other INGOs, contractors, donors to create an effective network to assist in its construction objectives;
- Continuous assessment of WASH needs in the county and design concepts for additional funding, as necessary;
- Directly supervise the Senior WASH Officer, including the development of clearly defined performance objectives, evaluations and appraisals;
- Provide training to national staff in WASH technical aspects as required including use of relevant software such as AutoCAD, and MS excel;
- Provide input into technical weekly, monthly and donors reports;
- Responsible for tracking costs on relevant construction budget lines;
- Responsible for safety of workers on site and security of materials and equipment during construction.
Requirements
- Professional qualification in construction, civil engineering or architecture
- Strong experience of engineering and construction related project management and design of buildings in developing countries. Proven experience in WASH in health facilities implementation, including in outbreak situations an advantage.
- Familiarity with relevant standards and guidelines for WASH in health facilities a must. Substantial knowledge, understanding, and ability to form and conform engineering design and construction contracts, bills of quantities, and specifications
- Extensive experience of contract administration including change order control and negotiation(s), auditing for conformance, and close-out
- Proven experience in capacity building, supervision and monitoring of infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in a health care facility setting
- Skills in the use engineering software for design of WASH projects
- Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues
- Experience in engineering and construction in Liberia or other West African countries an advantage
- Strong written and oral communications skills including ability to develop technical guidance and give presentations to colleagues and partners
- Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively in different settings and across cultures
HOW TO APPLY:
Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=YW5nZWxhdi4wOTM5Ni4zODMwQGlyYy5hcGxpdHJhay...
