Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee is a prominent international organization working in relief, rehabilitation, protection, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. 

The International Rescue Committee is providing emergency response intervention in River Nile state following the conflict in Sudan that has resulted in an influx of IDPs and refugees to these locations. The IRC is programming in the camp to focus on Sanitation, Hygiene and Risk Communication and Community Engagement within the state and further grow the response to include broader water supply interventions to have a comprehensive response package in the medium and longer-term, depending on the crisis. Given the current situation, staff and beneficiary safety is an absolute priority and strict adherence to risk mitigation measures will be undertaken to protect staff and the target beneficiaries. 

SCOPE OF WORK AND RESPONSABILITIES:

Under the direct supervision of the Environmental Health Manager, 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 COVID-19 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 Manager, design and manage assessments/surveys and studies geared towards identifying existing hygiene and sanitation practices, 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 the 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 the distribution of WASH/EH-related NFI items, which would inform on lessons learned.
• Support the 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 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 taken into account 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 

Staff Capacity Strengthening

• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promote a strong team spirit, and provide oversight and guidance to enable staff to perform successfully in their positions.
• Support EH Assistants on work plans and activity implementation related to hygiene promotion, maintaining follow-ups while giving feedback to the EH Manager.
• Working with the EH Manager, supervise and support the 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 the development of EH hygiene promotion-related activity costing to prepare budgets and monthly cash forecasts.
• Responsible for raising all PRs related to EH hygiene promotion and sanitation activities in a timely manner and according to the procurement plans set.
• Work closely with Supply Chain in follow-ups and tracking orders (POs, Contracts, and PRs) to ensure speedy processing and in approving internal stock requisitions for WASH-related activities. 

Grant Monitoring & Reporting 

• Support the development/maintenance of effective and efficient oversight, monitoring, evaluation, 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 updated records of beneficiaries and items received
• Working with the EH Managers, maintain an up-to-date activity tracking tool for 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 Manager, 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 Manager 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

Professional Standards

• All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

The ideal candidate will have a Degree in Public Health or Community Health Sciences, a bias toward hygiene and sanitation promotion, and experience Implementing water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion in a refugee camp setting.

• Understanding of EH issues in emergency situations/contexts and knowledge of emergency standards (Sphere) in refugee and IDPs 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 implementing WASH or public health promotion in different 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 PHAST, faster PHAST, CHAST etc.

The International Rescue Committee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It considers all candidates 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. 

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation

Travel and other requirements: This position will be based in the Atbara locality, with 40% of travel to the Shendi locality.