WASH and Environmental Health Officer

Date: 28 Jul 2026

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Company: Plan International

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected. 

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. 

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries. 

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The Opportunity

The WASH and Environmental Health Officer will lead the implementation of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) and environmental health interventions under Plan International Nigeria's Cholera Response Project in Borno State. The post holder will ensure the timely delivery of quality WASH services aimed at reducing cholera transmission and improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in targeted communities.

Working closely with government authorities, community structures, health facilities and project partners, the officer will oversee the rehabilitation and maintenance of water supply systems, construction and rehabilitation of sanitation facilities, environmental sanitation activities, hygiene promotion, water quality monitoring, and infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions. The role will ensure that all WASH activities are implemented in accordance with national standards, Sphere Standards and donor requirements while promoting community ownership, accountability and inclusion.

Key Responsibilities

WASH Programme Implementation

Plan, implement and monitor emergency WASH interventions in targeted communities and health facilities.

Supervise rehabilitation and maintenance of water supply systems, including boreholes and hand pumps.

Oversee construction and rehabilitation of emergency sanitation facilities where required.

Coordinate distribution of WASH and hygiene kits to vulnerable households.

Ensure timely implementation of environmental sanitation activities in high-risk cholera hotspot communities.

Support installation and maintenance of handwashing facilities in public places and health facilities.

Conduct regular water quality testing and ensure appropriate water treatment interventions.

Environmental Health

Lead environmental sanitation campaigns to reduce cholera transmission risks.

Promote proper solid waste management and safe disposal of human waste.

Support community-led environmental clean-up activities.

Monitor environmental health risks and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.

Ensure implementation of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures at supported health facilities.

Technical Supervision

Supervise WASH assistants, hygiene promoters, artisans and contractors.

Ensure construction and rehabilitation activities meet approved technical standards.

Conduct routine field monitoring and quality assurance visits.

Verify completed works prior to certification and payment.

Coordination

Coordinate closely with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies responsible for WASH and public health.

Participate in WASH Cluster, Health Cluster and technical coordination meetings as required.

Collaborate with community leaders and local structures to ensure sustainability of interventions.

Coordinate closely with RCCE and Health teams to ensure integrated cholera response programming.

Monitoring, Reporting and Documentation

Develop activity work plans and implementation schedules.

Monitor project indicators and maintain accurate programme records.

Prepare weekly, monthly and donor reports.

Document lessons learned, case studies and best practices.

Support WASH assessments, surveys and post-distribution monitoring.

Capacity Strengthening

Train community volunteers, Water Management Committees and local artisans on operation and maintenance of WASH facilities.

Build the capacity of community structures on environmental sanitation and hygiene promotion.

Support government counterparts through on-the-job mentoring where appropriate.

Safeguarding

The WASH and Environmental Health Officer shall:

Commit and contribute to an environment where children and programme participants feel respected, supported, safe and protected;

Never act or behave in a manner that results in violence against a child or programme participant or places a child or programme participant at risk of violence;

Be aware of and adhere to the provisions of the Global Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Code of Conduct including the PII Prevention of Sexual Harassment Exploitation and Abuse Policy in public and private life; and:

Report and respond to safeguarding concerns and breaches of the policies immediately in line with the applicable procedures of Plan International Nigeria.

Ensure children, programme participants and communities with whom we engage, work or are in contact are made aware of the provisions of the Safeguarding and PSHEA Policies to ensure they have the confidence and ability to report any incidents occurring against children and programme participants

Develop knowledge and skills for implementing safeguarding and PSHEA standards, including; Designing and Delivering Safe Programmes, Building Positive and Safe Relationships with Children and Programme Participants and other related standards.

Departmental/functional procedures and guidelines are adapted to incorporate Safeguarding and PSHEA measures.

Ensure risk assessments are routinely conducted for departmental/functional initiatives and mitigation measures applied in line with the standard “Identifying and Managing Safeguarding and SHEA Risks”.

About You

We are looking to recruit person(s) with;

Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Health, Public Health, Environmental Engineering or a related field.

Minimum of 3 years' professional experience implementing WASH programmes in humanitarian or development settings.

Previous experience in cholera or other disease outbreak responses is highly desirable.

Experience working in North-East Nigeria is an added advantage.

Experience working with INGOs, UN agencies or government institutions on emergency WASH programming.

Strong technical knowledge of emergency WASH programming and environmental health.

Experience in water supply systems, sanitation facility construction and rehabilitation.

Knowledge of water quality testing and water treatment.

Understanding of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) principles.

Experience supervising contractors and community-based workers.

Strong planning, coordination and report writing skills.

Ability to work in insecure and resource-constrained environments.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Fluency in English; knowledge of Hausa and/or Kanuri is an advantage

Knowledge of Sphere Standards and humanitarian principles.

Experience with community-led sanitation approaches and hygiene promotion.

Familiarity with Kobo Collect or other digital data collection platforms.

Certification or training in WASH in Emergencies or Environmental Health.

Experience with donor-funded emergency response projects.

 Please respond to the requirements of the role in your cover letter.

Only CVs and cover letters in English will be accepted. 

Location: Maiduguri, Borno state

Type of Role: Fixed-Term 

Closing Date: 7th August 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk. 

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.