The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today work in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Main Purpose of Job: 

Under the direct supervision of the Environmental Health Coordinator, the Hygiene Promotion Officer will be responsible for direct implementation of the Hygiene Promotion component of the IRC response with initiatives to influence safe hygiene practices at the targeted communities including disease outbreak   risk prevention activities. This position will support all aspects of technical design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of community hygiene and sanitation promotion of the response; development of hygiene and sanitation promotion implementation strategy/approaches, methodologies and guidelines including providing feedback for purposes of improving programme quality. Hygiene promotion and safe practices including IPC initiatives may be extended to targeted health facilities where IRC will be providing basic emergency response health services. This role will largely entail working with other WASH/EH Officers and Assistants alongside other sectors in strengthening mainstreaming of hygiene promotion in the current WASH emergency response activities.

        Program

• Working with the other EH Coordinators, design and manage assessments/surveys and studies geared towards identifying existing hygiene and sanitation practices, disease outbreak related risks, barriers to safe practices and priorities in target communities.
• Support qualitative assessments that include FGD and KIIs conducted with various community entities that would inform on safe hygiene promotion, access to WASH infrastructure and other needs for hygiene items.
• Support analysis of data/assessment findings to inform on design of hygiene promotion and community engagement/mobilization and communication interventions that are sustainable and acceptable within the communities.
• Support all post distribution monitoring assessments conducted after distribution of WASH/EH related NFI items would inform on lessons learnt.
• Support design of context appropriate approaches/methodologies to be adopted in implementing hygiene promotion activities that would influence safe hygiene practices across the communities.
• Plan and implement activities hygiene promotion activities geared towards reducing risky IPC practices, with reference to both physical and behavioral aspects at targeted community settings.
• Provide all necessary technical expertise to the Field EH Assistants and other sector staff in all hygiene promotion aspects of the activities.
• Ensure that the vital elements of community participation, ownership and sustainability are being considered in all hygiene promotion interventions.
• Contribute towards development of appropriate, context specific and culturally acceptable IEC materials including pre-testing and printing for use by the CHVs.
• Working with communities, key entities and stakeholders identify CHVs and support training of the CHVs on hygiene promotion, community engagement and social mobilization.
• Provide feedback to other WASH teams on aspects of hygiene promotion that would inform improvement of program quality touching on WASH infrastructure design, construction, use and maintenance. 
• Support strengthened integration of all EH activities with Health/IPC and other program sectors.

      Staff Capacity Strengthening

• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Provide support to EH Assistants on work plans, activity implementation related to hygiene promotion, and maintain follow-ups while giving feedback to the EH Coordinator.
• Working with EH Coordinator, support training of Community hygiene volunteers on basic hygiene promotion approaches, community engagement and mobilization.
• Support training of IRC staff on hygiene promotion and participate in community awareness sessions convened by other sectors to support awareness raising on hygiene promotion.
• Responsible for EH Assistants’ timesheets, work plans, vacation schedules, and staff training/development activities. 

      Supply Chain and Finance

• Support development of EH hygiene promotion related activity costing for preparation of budgets and monthly cash forecasts.
• Responsible for raising all PRs related to EH hygiene promotion and sanitation activities, timely and according to procurement plans set.
• Work closely with Supply Chain in follow ups and tracking orders (POs, Contracts, and PRs) to ensure speed processing and in approving internal requisitions of stock for WASH-related activities. 

      Grant Monitoring & Reporting 

• Support development/maintenance of effective and efficient oversight, monitoring, evaluation and reporting and tools for hygiene promotion activities.  
• Ensure regular field monitoring of activity according to set implementation plans. 
• Provide regular reports on hygiene issues and program progress against work plan which includes all WASH/EH related distribution activities while maintaining update records of beneficiaries and items received.
• Working with the EH Coordinators maintain an up to-date activity tracking tool of all CHVs trained and the activities being carried by each.
• Support documentation of lessons learnt, and success stories related to hygiene promotion activities.

      Coordination

• Under the guidance of the EH Coordinator, support Liaison with communities, local Government institutions and UN partners on EH/WASH related issues as well as other agencies (INGOs/NGOs) operational in IRC target areas regularly to ensure coordination and effective implementation of activities.

      Other 

• Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of the team; promptly reporting concerns or incidents to EH Coordinator and Field Coordinator liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment for IRC programs.
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

The ideal candidate will have a Degree in Public Health background or Community Health Sciences with a bias on hygiene and sanitation promotion and experience in Implementing water, sanitation, hygiene promotion. 

• Understanding of EH issues in emergency situations/contexts and knowledge of emergency standards (Sphere) in refugee settings 
• Able to work under pressure and able to multi-task.
• Competent in Microsoft Office, and other Statistical Analysis software
• Excellent professional approach and strong team building skills.
• Able to fluently communicate and write in English.
• Experience in implementation of WASH or public health promotion in community settings.
• Competent communication skills, effective in representation and liaison 
• Community engagement and negotiation skills
• Knowledge and application of participatory approaches to community engagement that include CLTS, PHAST, and CHAST etc.

Standard of Professional Conduct

IRC and IRC employees are required to abide by the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct which are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, 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. 

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. 

Data Confidentiality:

Ensuring the non-disclosure of any information whatsoever relating to the practices and business of IRC acquired in the course of duty, to any other person or organization without authority, except in the normal execution of duty.