Senior PHE Officer

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our teamTo reduce public health risks and contribute to a life with dignity for People affected by the war (I
DPs and returnees) in South Lebanon through the construction of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. job purpose

This position will be part of the emergency response  in the South of Lebanon Valley. The WaSH component will include both public health engineering and public health promotion activities with the aim of providing comprehensive WaSH assistance to vulnerable persons. The appointed person will support the provision of water and sanitation services and the construction and rehabilitation of WaSH facilities, ensuring they are completed to the agreed specifications and within the agreed project timeframes, as well as ensuring maintenance of built facilities and participating in assessments as required. The public health engineer is also expected to work effectively with the Oxfam WaSH partner organisation for ensuring complementary WaSH services are being delivered with high quality.

• The position will represent Oxfam in our areas of operation and be responsible for supervision of the efficient delivery of activities, including ensuring a high quality of construction work and ensuring that strict health and safety procedures are adhered to at all times. The selected candidate will be a key member of the site supervision team, which will consist of site engineers, tradespersons (masons and plumbers etc), and maintenance staff.
• The position may be requested to carry out assessments of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and prepare recommendations and BOQ’s for required construction, repair or rehabilitation works.
• The position is expected to work effectively with the Oxfam WaSH partner, ensuring technical staff have the capacity to deliver in high quality. The selected candidate will be the key member of the public health engineering team to laisse with and support the partner engineer/s.
• In addition, and as needs arise, the position will be a part of the emergency response team, responsible for designing and installing light, rapid and simple toilet, shower, hand washing and water collection facilities. The scope of work will vary depending on the circumstances.
• The position will be expected to directly manage a team of PHE Officers, ensuring oversight of daily work activities and performance objectives and capacity building.
• The role will involve at least 60% presence on project sites, irregular work patterns and volumes.

• Technical

  Programme Implementation

• With the response coordinator, recruit, deploy and assess the assistant public health engineering staff required to deliver the programme of work.
• Provide direct management and oversight over the Public Health Engineer (PHE) activities, including work plans, spending and procurement plans, and monitoring progress and challenges of implementation.
• To work with the PHE team to ensure engineering activities are of high quality, and to provide technical backstopping and trouble shooting.
• Conduct meetings with local authorities, municipality representatives to present the project objectives, and project activities.
• Conduct needs assessment and focus group discussions in target areas in collaboration with local authorities to finalise project details.
• Conduct assessments of existing water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in other parts of Lebanon contexts, producing recommendations and BOQ’s for WaSH activities construction and rehabilitation work.
• Analyse assessment results and developing recommendations for project implementation.
• To assess emergency WASH-related needs especially taking into account the broader perspective of Public Health.
• Provide technical resources and support needed to complete scopes of work, including reviewing the quality of the work completed, the adherence to health and safety standards and ensuring the work stays within assigned schedules and cost targets.
• With the Response Coordinator, establish systems and controls for site supervision, including daily site checks and documentation of the ongoing work.
• Act as key focal person with contractors, ensuring positive, transparent and accountable working relationships.
• Maintain regular contact with the beneficiaries, including IDPs and Returnees representatives, peer group members, and the wider community members, with particular attention to vulnerable groups.
• Work with the programme team to define the methods of community participation that ensure the greatest possible participation of vulnerable groups. Mentor team members in engagement approaches and provide feedback.
• Support capacity building for community focal points and peer group members and facilitate consultations on project activities and integrate community feedback into project activities.
• Contribute to monitoring learning and developments of community focal points and groups, impact of activities and adapt project activities and approaches accordingly in coordination with the HPM and relevant technical advisors.
• To ensure full monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning practises are integrated into programme implementation, including closely monitoring of outputs, documenting lessons learned and monitoring and resolving non-compliance with the support of PMEAL team.

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  Programme approach:

• To be familiar with and abide by international humanitarian standards, including the NGO/Red Cross Code of Conduct, the People in Aid Code, Oxfam International procedures and ensure these are applied in the implementation of PHE activities, including raising awareness and building the capacity of Oxfam staff on these standards and how to action them.
• To be familiar with and abide by the Oxfam partnership principals and approach.
• Ensure accountability to beneficiaries, designing and implementing regular, transparent and two-way communication with Oxfam’s beneficiaries and key stakeholders, including refugee representatives and peer group members. This should include active community participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of activities with a specific focus on vulnerable/marginalised groups, ensuring feedback is incorporated into Oxfam’s programming.
• Reflect on national and international WASH programme experience to contribute to PHE /WASH learning reviews and actively participate in monthly programme quality meetings.
• To support the mainstreaming of gender into all activities including the introduction of mechanisms to enable women to participate in decision making around public health engineering issues.

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  Management

• Direct Management of Public Health Engineer officer and Assistants, as applicable
• Provide overall day to day support and management of the Public Health Engineer officers, Assistants and volunteers where applicable including performance management.
• Ensure that all members of the works supervision team contribute to maintaining a positive relationship with contractors, Partner staff, beneficiaries and other key stakeholders.

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  Coordination

• As requested, participate in WaSH working group meetings and relevant sector task forces (at sub-national level and at national level if needed), WaSH field-based meetings with other stakeholders, and coordination and communication with the Water Establishment and municipalities.
• Ensure appropriate internal and external representation, sharing regular reports to HPM and attending external meetings with key stakeholders e.g. Government, UN, NGOs.

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  Your commitment to Oxfam

• Required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles