WASH officer WHO Aden P3 NORCAP

1. Purpose of the Position

In the context of the WHO Country Office and the WHO Health Emergencies Incident Management System, the incumbent will provide technical expertise for planning, assessing, monitoring, evaluating and coordinating health-based environmental health interventions in Yemen. The role will focus on safe drinking water, safely managed sanitation, hygiene, environmental cleaning and disinfection, health-care waste management and related primary-prevention measures in health-care facilities, IDP sites, Diarrhoea Treatment Centre (DTCs) and emergency health activities.

The current escalation is expected to increase operational pressure on health services and the need to identify and address WASH risks rapidly especially in new IDP sites. The position will strengthen Country Office capacity to support health authorities and partners with technical assessments, prioritized action plans, water-safety monitoring, standards-based rehabilitation, capacity strengthening and progress reporting for WASH interventions in IDP sites, mobile medical team service delivery sites, Diarrhoea Treatment Centre (DTCs) and health care facilities. Context-specific facts and figures must be validated before publication.

2. Objectives of the Programme and Immediate Strategic Objective

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme is to help countries, and to coordinate international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies. The WASH Officer will contribute to reducing environmental health risks, supporting safe health-service delivery and strengthening national and partner capacity.

3. Organizational Context

Under the supervision of the Team Lead, the overall guidance of the Incident Manager and the Head of the WHO Country Office, and working closely with Regional Office and headquarters counterparts, other WHO personnel and partners, the incumbent will act as the technical specialist for health-based WASH action. The officer will collaborate with health authorities, United Nations partners, nongovernmental organizations and relevant WASH and Health coordination mechanisms to identify needs, resources and gaps and support prioritized action in health-care facilities including Diarrhoea Treatment Centre (DTCs)  and other public health activities.

During deployment, the duty station may change and duties may be modified based on Programme needs, subject to applicable procedures and security requirements.

Travel Requirements

Travel within Yemen may be required for assessment, coordination, technical support, monitoring and capacity strengthening. All travel is subject to operational need, security clearance, access conditions, medical clearance and applicable procedures. The candidate with SSAFE training is preferred. 

Security and Operational Context

The incumbent will work in a volatile and access-constrained environment and must comply with applicable UNDSS and WHO security requirements, complete required briefings and training, and adapt workplans to approved duty-of-care measures. Remote support may be required where access is not authorized.

1 Assessment, Prioritization and Planning

• Conduct or support rapid WASH and environmental health assessments covering water supply and quality, sanitation, hygiene, environmental cleaning and disinfection, health-care waste management, vector-control interfaces and needs in health-care facilities including DTCs (diarrheal treatment centers) and mobile clinics.

• Analyze findings, identify urgent public health risks, service gaps, resources and constraints, and recommend risk-based remedial actions to WASH and health cluster partners and MOPH.

• Contribute to action plans for priority facilities and emergency health activities, including interventions, responsibilities, supplies and monitoring arrangements.

• Provide technical inputs to preparedness and contingency planning for waterborne disease risks and disruption of essential services in collaboration with MOPH, Ministry of Water and Environment, WASH and health cluster partners and MOPH.

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2 Technical Support and Implementation

• Provide technical advice based on applicable WHO guidance, including drinking-water quality, sanitation and health, and the WHO/UNICEF WASH FIT tool.

• Support design, rehabilitation, operation and monitoring of WASH systems in health-care facilities, mobile clinics, DTCs and IDP sites in coordination with authorities, partners, procurement and logistics teams.

• Develop and implement plans for preposition of IPC and WASH supplies in DTC’s and healthcare facilities providing care for cholera patients and IDPs. 

• Design or support water-quality monitoring and surveillance for priority facilities, IDP sites, mobile clinics and, where linked to health risks, priority communities.

• Provide guidance on hand hygiene infrastructure, environmental cleaning and disinfection, safe sanitation, and health-care waste segregation, treatment and disposal.

• Support technical specifications and appropriate use of priority WASH supplies and equipment, without assuming procurement authority unless delegated.

3 Standards, Quality and Coordination

• Monitor application of relevant WHO and Sphere standards and recommend corrective actions in healthcare facilities and share findings for corrective actions.

• Coordinate WHO technical inputs with health authorities, health partners and relevant WASH mechanisms within delegated authority.

• Establish linkages of WASH with infection prevention and control activities, cholera and other outbreak response functions, health-service delivery and community engagement through established coordinated mechanism.

• Contribute technical information to relevant cluster or inter-agency processes without duplicating the designated WASH Cluster leadership role.

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• Maintain agreed tracking of assessed facilities, gaps, actions, responsible partners and implementation status.

4 Monitoring, Reporting and Capacity Strengthening

• Follow up and report progress on WASH activities, identify bottlenecks and propose remedial action.

• Prepare technical assessments, situation-report inputs, gap analyses and briefing notes.

• Assess competency gaps and conduct or coordinate practical training, coaching and on-site mentoring.

• Document tools, standards, decisions and outstanding actions and prepare a structured handover and transition package.

• Perform other incident-specific duties required by the functional supervisor and consistent with the role.

5. Expected Deliverables / Outputs

• Within the first month: stakeholder map, prioritized workplan, rapid review of existing information, assessment and reporting tools, and initial risk and gap summary.

• Risk-based WASH assessments and corrective-action plans for agreed priority facilities or health activities.

• Updated tracker of assessed locations, needs, actions, responsible actors and implementation status.

• Water-quality monitoring arrangements for agreed priority sites, including results and corrective actions.

• Regular WASH inputs to situation reports, operational briefings, response planning and resource-mobilization products.

• Documented training, coaching or on-site mentoring with follow-up actions.

• Final handover report, repository of approved tools and outstanding risks and actions log.

6. Performance Indicators

• Priority assessments and reports are completed according to the approved workplan.

• Critical WASH risks are tracked, assigned and escalated where unresolved.

• Monitoring information is used to trigger documented remedial measures.

• Technical inputs are coordinated with authorities, health partners and WASH mechanisms.

• Capacity strengthening includes documented follow-up where feasible.

• Handover materials are complete and usable.

7. Recruitment Profile

7.1 Core Competencies

• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences.

• Ensuring the effective use of resources.

• Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond.

• Communication.

• Teamwork.

• Producing results.

7.2 Functional Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of emergency WASH and environmental health and ability to solve technical problems in difficult circumstances.

• Knowledge of WASH in health-care facilities, water-quality monitoring, sanitation, environmental cleaning and health-care waste management.

• Ability to assess risks, develop practical action plans and monitor implementation.

• Strong analytical, organizational, coordination and concise technical-writing skills.

• Knowledge of WHO, the United Nations system or humanitarian emergency practices is an asset.

8. Education Qualifications

Essential

• First university degree in environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental health, public health engineering, civil engineering with a WASH focus, public health or another related field.

Desirable

• Advanced university degree in public health, environmental health, water, sanitation and hygiene or a related field.

• Training in WASH in health-care facilities, drinking-water quality, WASH FIT, health-care waste management, project design or database applications.

Experience

Essential

• At least five years of relevant experience at national and international levels in WASH assessment, design, implementation or management, part of which must be in emergency or humanitarian settings.

• Experience developing collaborative action with national authorities and operational partners.

• Practical experience supporting WASH in health-care facilities or health emergency operations.

Desirable

• Experience with WHO, another United Nations entity, humanitarian organizations or WASH institutions.

• Experience in Yemen or another conflict-affected and access-constrained setting.

• Experience supporting water-quality surveillance, outbreak response, WASH FIT or health-care waste management.

Language Skills

• Essential: strong command of English.

• Desirable: working knowledge of Arabic.

Other Skills

• Good computer skills in Microsoft Office applications.

• Ability to use approved digital data-collection and reporting tools.