We help to strengthen resilience of vulnerable people exposed to hazards and crisis situations and we respond to disasters and conflicts to save lives and alleviate suffering. In the Netherlands with more than thirty thousand volunteers and internationally through technical assistance, supplies and money. Together we act before, during and after disasters to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people.
We do this without regards to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinion. Our seven principles guide our humanitarian work: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.
The International Assistance department is responsible for all Netherlands Red Cross international support for victims of disasters and conflicts and for vulnerable people exposed to hazards.
The International Assistance department has opened a vacancy for Rapid Response Roster members in the field of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Position title: WASH Rapid Response roster member
Duty station: Flexible
Time period: 1 – 3 months
Starting Date: Flexible
Status: Single posting
Purpose of the position:
Please note that this advertisement concerns application for admission to our Emergency (Rapid Response) Roster as a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Delegate, for deployments of 1 to 3 months. It does not concern a specific, nor permanent, position within the Netherlands Red Cross. Deployments can be either within a team from Emergency Response Unit (ERU) or individually.
Background:
The Netherlands Red Cross (NLRC) aspires to strengthen the roster of trained WASH specialists ready to be deployed anywhere on short notice in response to international emergencies (natural disasters, conflicts, war zones or health emergencies). Delegates work closely with the Host (local) Red Cross/Red Crescent National Society to provide specific services where local WASH infrastructure is damaged, temporarily out of service, out of reach or insufficient to cope with the needs.
The NLRC is looking for WASH experts with a wide range of thematic of programmatic specialties. For the WASH roster we are looking for people with experience in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and we will be prioritizing to recruit people with an availability of up to 3 months, but those with shorter availability (5 weeks) are also encouraged to apply.
An Emergency Response Unit (ERU) is designed to offer immediate assistance and is normally operational for up to four months. An ERU is composed of trained delegates who deploy with standardized equipment.
The Netherlands Red Cross (NLRC) ambitions build a roster of trained WASH specialists ready to be deployed anywhere on short notice in response to international emergencies (natural disasters, conflicts, war zones or health emergencies). Delegates work closely with the local Red Cross/Red Crescent National Society to provide specific services where local infrastructure is damaged, temporarily out of service, out of reach or insufficient to cope with the needs. The length of a mission is can be from 1- 3 Months and the delegate receives salary from the Red Cross while on mission.
The two types of WASH ERUs for which we are currently looking for roster members, are the Water Supply Rehabilitation (WSR) ERU and the Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) ERU.
Depending on the context we are looking for people with experience in WASH to fulfill roles in individual deployments and/ or ERU deployments.
Summary statement and responsibilities:
We are looking for people with the following expertise who are interested in emergency and or short term deployments:
· Hydro-geologists
· Water supply specialists
· Water quality specialists
· Solar water system engineers
· Hygiene Promotion experts/ community mobilizers/ Community Engagement and Accountability experts
· Cash and Voucher assistance (CVA) for WASH experts
· Sanitation experts
· WASH/Logistics specialist (with experience of programme administration and field logistics)
Principle task of roster members to be deployed for NLRC will vary widely between contexts. Once on the roster, the expert is invited to respond to Terms of References for specific assignments.
Depending on the context we are looking for people with experience in WASH to fill the following roles either in individual deployments and/ or ERU deployments:
• Team leader (manager with experience of emergency WASH and extensive knowledge of Red Cross and ERU systems)
• WASH Coordinator (for IFRC Emergency operations)
• Water quality specialist (capable of set up and operation of water quality lab)
• Hygiene promoter/community mobiliser (with public health training and skills, water and sanitation focus)
• Water supply specialist (civil or environmental engineer or water infrastructure technician. Required competency to be based on context)
• Hydrogeologist (depending on context)
• Sanitation expert (user-interface/collection)
• Sanitation expert (desludging/transport)
• Faecal sludge and/or waste water treatment engineer
Water Supply Rehabilitation ERU
This new configuration, the Water Supply Rehabilitation ERU Module (WSR) will be set up and led by the Norwegian Red Cross with support of the NLRC. The WSR ERU will consists of a team of specialized WASH experts that can restore or rehabilitate the existing water supply infrastructure including hygiene promotion to a vulnerable population after an emergency. With a focus on increasing the capacity of the host National Society, the WSR ERU team’s tasks will include providing sufficient water of drinking water quality to a vulnerable population through restoring and improving of water abstraction (such as pumping), treatment or protection of water sources as well as improving water storage and distribution. Working through the host National Society with communities and/or local water authorities, the WSR ERU team will work to improve the sustainability of that infrastructure and were possible using greener sustainable technologies (e.g. solar instead of generators).
The principal tasks of the Water Supply Rehabilitation (WSR) ERU are:
• Assessment of needs and resources; planning for water treatment and supply.; monitoring of activities and public-health conditions; preparing and managing the end of the deployment.
• To establish access to safe water for a population of 15 to 50’000 people by engagement of local contractors and initiating procurement to bring water supply infrastructure online.
• Planning, design, implementation and monitoring of hygiene promotion activities with a focus on establishing or supporting community water committees to ensure sustainability of water supply systems, including assessment, community mobilization and hygiene information, education and communication targeted at promoting protective hygiene practices and community management of water supply infrastructure.
Faecal Sludge Management ERU
This new configuration, the Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) ERU Module will be set up with support of the NLRC. The FSM ERU will consists of a team of specialized sanitation experts that can set-up full-chain sanitation services including latrine desludging, and transport, treatment and the safe disposal of faecal sludge, including hygiene promotion to a vulnerable population after an emergency. With a focus on increasing the capacity of the host National Society and collaborating with local water and sanitation utilities, the FSM ERU team will work to improve the sustainability of the sanitation services and infrastructure.
The principal task of the Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) ERU are:
· Assessment of needs and resources, planning for the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of faecal sludge or wastewater.
· To set-up emergency faecal sludge and wastewater treatment plants, including a system ensuring safe desludging of latrines and transport of faecal sludge (where required)
· To establish safe sanitation services for a population of +- 20.000 people, while engaging with local service providers, contractors and expertise. Focusing on long term sustainability (O&M, resource recovery) as much as possible.
· Planning, design, implementation and monitoring of hygiene promotion activities with a focus on safe sanitation behaviour and service chains.
Requirements/ Qualifications:
• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in water and sanitation engineering, civil engineering, Public Health or relevant technical WASH specialization including logistics.
• At least 3 years professional experience in design and implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene projects in development and /or emergency contexts. **
• Fluency in English (written and spoken).
• Fluency in French, Spanish, Arabic (written and spoken) are an asset.
• For the purpose of rapid deployment, applicants must reside in a Schengen country with a maximum of 5 hours travel from Amsterdam Schiphol International airport (see application form for further details).
• Applicants must be able to work and live in difficult and demanding working conditions, due to the nature of emergency operations and proximity to disaster-affected areas or war zones. The following conditions are to be expected in the field:
o Very basic living standards,
o Long hours of work in a demanding context with limited resources,
o Movement restriction,
o Stressful rapidly changing environment with limited information to make decisions.
• To be accepted onto WASH roster, you must complete our recruitment process (application, interview, reference checks) and complete several Movement compulsory online trainings. You may be required to attend additional role specific or security and safety trainings.
Key Competencies:
· Collaboration and teamwork
· Conflict Management
· Flexibility
· Coordination skills
· Interpersonal Communication
· Cultural awareness
· Judgement and decision making
· Motivating Others
· Personal resilience
We offer:
· A full time appointment (based on 40-hour work week) for 1 – 3 months.
· A flexible and human centred working environment in an international environment with a variety of international organizations.
· Well balanced employment conditions (including basic housing and travel insurance).
How to apply:
Applications:
Please send your CV and motivation letter stating availability, relevant professional experience and experience with cross cultural cooperation and communication (max 700 words) with reference to Samira Ennaji before 18 April 2022 via the online application form: https://werkenbij.rodekruis.nl/nl/Vacature/Solliciteren/225005/job
Only applications and CVs in English will be considered.
The selection procedure will start as soon as applications are coming in and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis. **
For more information about the position, you can contact Jan Heeger, jheeger@redcross.nl
For more information of the work of the Netherlands Red Cross please visit www.rodekruis.nl.
NLRC on Facebook: Facebook.com/rodekruis and Twitter: Twitter.com/rodekruis
Acquisition for this vacancy will not be appreciated.