WASH Officer

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

In Bangladesh, WHO supports the government in developing and strengthening public health systems. It provides evidence-based guidelines, capacity building, and policy shaping to enhance health services. WHO Bangladesh focuses on seven areas namely i) continuum of care throughout the life course; ii) Surveillance, prevention, and control of communicable diseases; iii) Prevention and control of major non-communicable diseases iv) Sustainable development and healthy environment; v) Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, vi) Strengthen health system and vii) Partnership for health development.

Additionally, WHO Bangladesh extends its support to the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Settlements (FDMN) in Cox's Bazar district. They coordinate with health sector partners to provide technical assistance and ensure minimum standards are met for enhancing the health system and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery to avoid the disruption of the health services.

This is an excellent opportunity for young people to contribute to the WHO’s work on surveillance, prevention, and control of water-borne diseases, promoting sustainable development and healthy environment, strengthening essential health services and as well as learning from the diverse team to grow as professionals within the humanitarian sector.

With the overall guidance of the Head of Sub-office (HoSO) and under the direct supervision of the Public Health Officer, the incumbent position will work WHO Emergency Sub-Office, Cox’s Bazar to support the provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for refugees in the FDMN camps through the provision of technical assistance. This involves offering guidance for implementation, conducting health facility assessments to identify gaps, and collaborating closely with local and national health authorities to ensure proper disposal of medical waste. The job description for the incumbent is appended below.

1. Support the supervisor to provide technical expertise for WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), identify priorities, evaluate gaps, and develop action plans to support emergency response to the Rohingya camps.
2. Monitor and report progress on WASH activities within the health facilities in the con-text of the incident management system.
3. Coordinate with the WASH sector, District Public Health Engineering, and WHO Coun-try Office, Bangladesh to conduct Water Quality Surveillance in the Rohingya camps and analyze the data and prepare the report.
4. Closely coordinated with the Health Sector and the EPI Working Group strengthening linkages in surveillance and response to waterborne diseases with epidemic potential such as cholera
5. Support comprehensive WASH assessment in health facilities, water quality and pro-pose action plans for improvement.
6. Provide support to the health partners on WASH, proactively co-design and support the implementation of plans to build up or rehabilitate emergency health facilities.
7. Provide technical support to ensure the recommended IPC practices are implemented and managed effectively in the health facilities in the camp and at community level in accordance with the National and WHO updated IPC guidelines
8. Support training and undertake Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) in health facilities in compliance with Sphere and WHO Standards.
9. Support with evidence-based planning and decision-making process for forecasting the WASH consumables and supplies required for Water Quality Surveillance in 2024 and facilitate the procurement.
10. Participate as a resource person in training/orientation programs in the related areas for capacity building. Provide timely inputs to ensure that regular and accurate reports that analyse the challenges encountered in providing WASH services for beneficiaries are prepared and circulated.
11. Participate in the preparation of all reports which required WASH expertise for the senior management, donors, budget reviews, programme analysis, periodic reports etc.
12. Contribute to providing technical inputs during strategic and operational planning cy-cles of the office.
13. Provide regular updates and track progress, prepare summaries and follow-up docu-ments in correspondence.
14. Participate in WASH sector, infrastructure coordination, camp coordination and cross-cutting sector meetings as guided by the supervisor.
15. Perform any other task as assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

• Strengthen knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities. • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newlarrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible;

• Accountability • Adaptability and Flexibility • Building Trust • Client Orientation • Commitment and Motivation • Commitment to Continuous Learning • Communication • Ethics and Values • Integrity • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Respect for Diversity • Working in Teams

Environmental Health/Environmental Engineering including the WASH at the national or sub-national level.

Desirable:  At least two years of experience in applying WASH policies, Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Promotion Planning Procedures, and Outbreaks and or Health Emergency response.  Experience in Water Safety plan implementation, Water Quality Surveillance, and sanitary inspection.  Experience in UN agencies, International Organizations, NGOs, etc esp. in an emergency setting.  Working experience in public health/working with health data on WASH/Health Care Waste Management will be a plus.

SKILLS:  Functional Knowledge and Skills:  Excellent interpersonal skills, tact, discretion, and diplomacy.  Ability to effectively work with government, development partners, and collaborating agencies.  Ability to collaborate with different institutions, organizations, and personalities from the Government, NGO, and private sectors, ability to work independently and creative-ly, and willingness to travel.  Ability to work in a cross-cultural environment and a team.  Computer skills in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint including analytical software.  Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Cox's Bazar is a district of Bangladesh and it is famous for fishing port and tourism. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh. The beach in Cox's Bazar is an unbroken 120 km (75 miles) sandy sea beach with a gentle slope, making it the second longest sea beach in the world. The climate of Cox's bazar is similar to the rest of the country. The climate of Bangladesh is generally determined by its location in the tropical monsoon region: high temperature, heavy rainfall, generally excessive humidity, and distinct seasonal variations. It is further characterized by the location in the coastal area. Historically Cox’s Bazar, like other parts of Bangladesh, is a safe place to live. Since August 2017, with the large scale Rohingya influx from Myanmar, Cox’s Bazar is seen as a district with a humanitarian crisis. Culturally Cox’s Bazar is very diverse and well-known for its traditional heritage. The communications systems in Cox’s Bazar is well developed and the district is well-connected with other cities. All the national mobile networks are operational in Cox’s Bazar. Walking within Cox’s Bazar city is only allowed during day time. Travel by rickshaw is also permitted within Cox’s Bazar only during day time. Cox’s Bazar has a domestic airport and is currently classified as a family duty station (Security Level 3-moderate; Hardship category-D). Accommodations are safe, clean and comfortable, but basic. The UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.