Environmental Health Officer (National Position)

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces

Job Overview/Summary: IRC provides primary health care and environmental health services in several refugee camps in Thailand. IRC and community-based partner organizations provide preventive and curative health care services in the camps, including primary health care, reproductive health, neonatal care and health education. As a critical component of disease prevention, the IRC ensures access to safe water improved sanitation and hygiene promotion Environmental health (EH) activities include maintenance of water supply infrastructure and chlorination systems, support to the maintenance of household sanitation including latrine desludging and replacement, solid waste disposal services, drainage works, vector control, hygiene promotion, provision of WASH services in health facilities to ensure quality of care. Under the overall guidance of the Senior Health Coordinator and Senior Clinical Manager, and under the direct supervision of the Senior Environmental Health (EH) Officer, the Environmental Health Officer is responsible for implementing environmental health / WASH activities in the Mae Hong Son refugee camps, Ban Mai Noi Soi and Ban Mae Surin camps:

Major Responsibilities: • Conduct and support camp-based EH activities and coach camp-based EH staffs in provision of continual on the job technical support. • Work with EH team by supporting the Senior EH Officer in the development of the IRC-EH annual workplan. • Adhere to and implement programming in accordance with global standards as defined by IRC technical units • Monitor EH / WASH activities. • Control and maintain water quality by chlorination system on a weekly and monthly basis. • Develop manuals for training on chlorination for water testing and chlorination procedures, etc. • Ensure that randomization and sampling methods are correctly applied in the periodic EH surveys, and monthly random sampling of water quality tests. • Assist Senior EH Officer in designing and supervising construction of appropriate water supply networks, reservoirs, and chlorination systems, source upgrades, washing areas, latrines and waste management facilities serving refugee households, schools, and health facilities. This includes the development of technical specifications to meet local and international standards for WASH in these settings. • Assist Senior EH Officer in procurement of materials supplies and completing documentation as necessary in transporting them to the camps. • Responsible for the effective and appropriate utilization of EH materials and supplies. Ensure the assets of EH office in the camps is being utilized well and kept in good conditions. • Work closely with the IRC community health team in the implementation of the IRC community health and hygiene activities and promotion campaigns as necessary. • Coordinate community participation in water and waste management; maximize community acceptance of responsibility. • Work closely with the IRC community health team on household and community activities regarding use and maintenance of latrines, waste/wastewater disposal, and water supply, and in coordination with the health team, outbreak control. • Provide technical and operational assistance to Senior EH Officer on the improvement of water and sanitation in special situation, such as during disease outbreaks. • Assist in ensuring development, documentation, and implementation of written protocols and standard operating procedures for water, sanitation, and waste management activities. • Assist in collecting and updating program data leading to completion of reports in a timely manner, both internally and for donor reports. • Conduct training, refresher training and in-service training and orient EH camp-based assistants, community-based organizations, and other staff as necessary.

Key Working Relationships: N/A Position Reports to: Senior Environmental Health Officer Position directly supervises: EH camp-based staffs Indirect Reporting: N/A Other Internal and/or external contacts: describe the nature of departments or groups the position influences or requires support from to accomplish objectives.

Internal: Senior Health Coordinator, Senior Clinical Manager, IRC Mae Hong Son Field Coordinator, IRC health and EH staff in all Thailand sites, Bangkok-based program unit, IRC Women’s Protection and Empowerment program team in all Thailand sites; IRC protection team in all Thailand sites; sub-grants compliance Unit; finance unit; Operations/Logistics/Supply Chain Department.

External: Local community-based partner organizations, Thai public health authorities, camp committee, section leaders, and community groups (for example, sanitation, water, hygiene, education, drainage, Surveillance and Rapid Response Teams), non-governmental organizations implementing water, drainage, hygiene, sanitation, agriculture/gardening, disease outbreaks, malaria response, etc., United Nations agencies engaged with IRC programs.

Qualifications

Job Requirements: Education: Degree or diploma in Environmental Health or Sanitation, Water Engineering, Civil Engineering, Hydrology. Work Experience: Minimum 2 years working experience in water supply, water resource management, sanitation, and hygiene in a refugee setting. • Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: Strong technical background in environmental health. Construction and design skills are an advantage. • Experience in environmental health / WASH services delivery and ability to develop WASH activities from a community development approach; experience in monitoring and supervision of WASH / EH activities. • Experience in working with multicultural staffs and ability to work with sizeable multi-cultural team delivering assistance involving a wide array of program stakeholders. • Strong interpersonal and communication skills. • Computer literate • Professional demeanors. • Experience in implementation of communicable disease outbreaks investigations and response is an advantage. • Language Skills: Fluency in English. Burmese, Thai, Karenni or Karen is a plus

Working Environment: The position will be based in the IRC office in Mae Hong Son, with extensive travel to two refugee camps, Ban Mai Noi Soi and Ban Mae Surin camps.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.