Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Environment Specialist

OPPORTUNITY

The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Environment Specialist will focus on strengthening climate resilient WASH in drought affected and USAID-invested resilience communities. They will provide technical support in application reviews of humanitarian and climate-resilient WASH activities including reviews of water infrastructure construction designs and bill of quantities. The WASH and Environment Specialist will also support efforts in strengthening water quality management in both BHA resilience and emergency portfolios. They will liaise with BHA's Infrastructure, Natural and Water Resources Management Team on multiple use source activities to ensure household water quality is protected.

The Technical, Operational, and Program Support (TOPS) project is a five-year United States Agency for International Development- (USAID) funded institutional support contract for USAID's Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) to meet the pressing challenges caused by climate change. TOPS aims to help USAID meet the increasing complexities of global development by recruiting technical assistance providers to work in USAID's offices and facilitating more evidence-driven technical decisions.

This full-time role will be fully embedded within BHA's Division of Public Health and Nutrition in the Office of Technical and Program Quality at USAID. The position can be remote within the US.

ABOUT USAID's BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) provides life-saving humanitarian assistance—including food, water, shelter, emergency healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, and critical nutrition services— to the world's most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach people. BHA is the lead federal coordinator for international disaster assistance, harnessing the expertise and unique capacities of other U.S. government entities to effectively respond to natural disasters and complex crises around the world. BHA takes a holistic look at humanitarian aid, providing assistance before, during and after a crisis—from readiness and response, to relief and recovery. This includes non-emergency programming that is foundational to linking humanitarian assistance to long-term development and the journey to self-reliance.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL INCENTIVES

At Environmental Incentives, our purpose is to create the conditions for human and natural communities to thrive. We do this by helping our partners improve the performance of conservation and development programs. Our clients trust us to design and support implementation of programs that (1) use evidence to develop effective strategies within complex systems, (2) center local stakeholder experiences and facilitate collective action, and (3) produce results that support learning about what works. Environmental Incentives is a certified B Corporation with offices located in Washington, DC, South Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Nairobi, and Lima (pending registration). Our remote staff and consultants are based in multiple states within the United States, and across five continents.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with the BHA M&E team to track and ensure WASH outcomes are a key component of all BHA climate resilient activities including the upcoming climate learning award.
• Help to ensure that USAID BHA/TPQ/PHN supports technically sound humanitarian and climate-resilient WASH efforts by:
  • Helping to develop guides and best practices to share with USAID partners.
  • Acting as an expert reviewer for BHA proposals, concept notes, etc.
• Build institutional capacity by helping to formulate humanitarian and climate resilient WASH capacity building and/or research agenda.
• Help to track and oversee efforts related to operational research, learning, and other special projects designed to improve humanitarian WASH response.
• Build and maintain intra-agency relationships with USAID's Center for Water and others supporting WASH programming throughout the Agency.
• Advocate for, and increase awareness of, preventing WASH-related disease transmission through promotion of evidence-based programming to BHA staff and implementing partners.
• Support the Bureau's response objectives by taking trainings and increasing readiness to be able to serve on Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) and Response Management Teams (RMTs).
• Represent the team in meetings and working groups, as needed.
• Work-related international travel likely on a quarterly basis.
• Other duties, as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree and 3 years relevant experience. Acceptable fields of study include Climate Adaptation or Mitigation, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Engineering, Public Health, Environmental Health, or related field.
• Demonstrated strong technical knowledge of and experience in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene with an emphasis on water supply infrastructure, governance, and water quality management in emergency and resilience settings.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative research, especially in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• Demonstrated experience translating technical content into actionable products or recommendations for different audiences and users, both technical and non-technical.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively using different communication and work styles.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with USAID-funded activities, particularly within USAID/BHA.
• Experience with water quality management in a humanitarian context.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

• Works effectively, both independently and as a member of a team, with a wide variety of individuals, groups, institutions, and technical organizations.
• Clarity of thought and effective communication (verbal, written, visual) in English.
• Listening and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure to carry out specific, results-oriented tasks, given constraints in time, information, and logistical support.
• Basic facilitation skills, including implementing defined meeting process.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite (particularly PowerPoint) and Google Apps.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Provide BHA mission-based assistance through temporary duty abroad up to 20% of time.
• Willingness to travel internationally for periods of two to four weeks quarterly.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States with no restrictions.
• Eligible for USAID facility access or security clearance.

BASE STATION AND COVID-19 POLICY

The position will be Remote, within the United States.

Proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or legally authorized exemption is required for all Environmental Incentives employees working in the United States, regardless of office location or remote work. Selected candidates will be required to provide proof of full vaccination before beginning employment with Environmental Incentives. Full vaccination is defined as 2 weeks after the final dose of the requisite vaccination.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The starting salary range for this position is dependent and commensurate with experience. Environmental Incentives also offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-funded medical, dental, long-term and short-term disability, and life insurance for employees, and the option to enroll in supplemental life insurance.
• Highly competitive 401k contributions that start on day one of your employment. Did we mention we offer environmentally responsible investment options?
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time. You'll also get paid time off opportunities each year to vote and volunteer at a charity of your choice!

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application no later than August 30, 2022. On a rolling basis throughout the application period, we will review applications and contact qualified candidates for additional information.

ENVIRONMENTAL INCENTIVES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

We are committed to developing an inclusive work environment for all employees, where diversity of thought, style, culture, and skill is valued in support of individual performance and potential, as well as our business goals and mission. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or and other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Reasonable Accommodation:

Applicants with disabilities may contact Environmental Incentives coordinators via telephone, e-mail, and other means to request and arrange for accommodations. If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact Human Resources:

Brenda Ables

Director of Human Resources

Phone: (202) 525-2450

E-mail: hr@enviroincentives.com