Districts of Karene, Bombali, Tonkolili and Port Loko.
Position based in Makeni, Bombali.
CONTEXT
In Northern Sierra Leone, access to safe drinking water is scarce. Some of the villages are still not equipped with water systems, and when they are, most of the systems (66%) do not provide water systematically throughout the year.
Since 2011, Inter Aide has been running a project to develop preventive maintenance services for hand pumps. The program started in Bombali district and has been extended to 3 additional districts: Karene (district newly created in 2018), Port Loko and Tonkolili.
This program aims to provide mandatory annual hand-pump maintenance for all water points located in the chiefdoms involved in the program. This preventive maintenance contributes to improving the sustainability of access to safe drinking water in rural Chiefdoms by significantly reducing the risk of costly breakdowns.
The program is based on the following components:
- Improving community awareness regarding preventive maintenance, organisation and strengthening of water committees to collect annual contributions ;
- Organisation, training and monitoring of a network of pump technicians to provide maintenance services (certified by the District Water Directorates from the Ministry of Water Resources);
- Advocacy activities with key stakeholders (religious leaders, local authorities, associative and economic operators …) to gain their support with the aim to formalise a mandatory routine of preventive maintenance;
- Strengthening collaboration with the district Water Directorates (”WD”), within the framework of a MOU. This collaboration aims to build WDs’ capacities to monitor and evaluate the network of pump technicians; to train new pump technicians to diagnose and maintain the water pumps to meet technical standards; and to analyse the results of annual maintenance campaigns;
- The development of a local supply chain for spare parts ;
- Sharing of technical experience with local authorities, Ministry of Water Resources and partners working in the field of WASH and maintenance in the districts of intervention and at national level.
Inter Aide is looking for a skilled, committed and motivated individual to lead the program and the local team to promote this innovative model of rural water services, work with local stakeholders on its sustainability and its scaling up, and find pragmatic solutions to meet challenges and opportunities as they arise.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM MANAGER
The Program Manager’s main objectives will be to ensure the implementation and coordination of the program in the four current districts of intervention, as well as reinforcing the sustainability, expansion and diffusion of the model. He / she will be based in Makeni and will undertake frequent field trips to the different districts to monitor the activities at grassroots level. He/she will also travel to the capital for sectorial meetings. He / she will report directly to the Head of Sector based in Versailles, France.
The main responsibilities of the Program Manager will be as following:
1) Supporting the Assistant Program Managers and their teams to manage and implement the Yearly Preventive Maintenance (YPM) activities
- To supervise and train a team of approximately 25 people (2 assistant program managers, 4 supervisors, 4 technical facilitators, 14 field facilitators…);
- To follow, monitor and evaluate the local networks of pump technicians in charge of the maintenance and repair in the four districts of intervention;
- To organize and follow the Yearly Preventive Maintenance Campaign, and improve its operation;
- To support the development of a supply chain for hand pump spare parts through small local businesses and to ensure its sustainability by involving national suppliers;
- To monitor and evaluate the program as a whole (data collection, monitoring and analysis of the activities, quantitative and qualitative results according to specific indicators);
- To gradually expand the coverage of the project within/beyond the four districts of intervention.
2) Engaging local stakeholders and promoting the maintenance service program:
- To improve the network of pump technicians in charge of maintenance services (coverage, responding to demands, eligibility of water points, quality and sustainability of the maintenance service);
- To mobilise the key stakeholders within local authorities (at section, chiefdom and district levels), to promote and reinforce the maintenance service strategy (implementation of practical and effective local by-laws to improve the rate of maintenance in their area).
- To share experience and support the institutions (at district and national level) to improve their capacity to follow the strategy and results. This includes representing the program as a whole.
3) Financial, administrative and logistics management
- To ensure the operational and financial reporting of the program in collaboration with the headquarters in France (English written narrative reports, project accountancy and supervision of expenditures, monthly and quarterly fund requests);
- To manage the program’s finances, assets and logistics resources; and to monitor closely the daily running of the program’s three offices;
- To manage, follow and organize in collaboration with IA-SL Logistic Departments all logistic and HR aspects of the program.
4) Build and share knowledge about access to safe water in the area of intervention
- To contribute to knowledge gathering and sharing of technical experience in the sector of maintenance, based on data analysis, frequent surveys and studies.
- To coordinate the implementation of activities with local partners and other stakeholders (decentralised public services of the government, international and local NGOs …);
PROFILE
- Advanced education in a relevant topic (project management, logistics, hydraulics, social water management, territorial development…);
- 2 years’ work experience;
- Experience in developing countries appreciated;
- Experience in project management required;
- Team management experience will be highly appreciated;
- Knowledge of workshop and training techniques;
- Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools;
- Basic IT skills and experience in database management (excel & access)
- Strong relational and negotiation skills and great interpersonal skills: calm, diplomatic, self-controlled, respectful of values and cultural differences;
- Field oriented (able to cope with challenging field conditions), tenacious, autonomous and dynamic;
- Fluent English (including writing skills); and
- Car driving licence / Off-road Motorbike riding skills would be highly advantageous.
STATUS
- 1 year contract with option for renewal
- From 1250€ – 1300€ per month + field allowance
- 1 round trip flight covered by IA, at the beginning and end of the mission
- Full social insurance + repatriation insurance
- Possibility of departure as a couple
Position to be filled as soon as possible
Applications will be selected as they are received.
Please send to recrutement@interaide.org
Your CV and cover letter
indicating in the subject line the reference SL/YPMS/MAK/2021
More information on http://www.interaide.org