WASH Officer

WASH Officer

Date: 10 Nov 2026

Location: Afar PA, Abala, Ethiopia

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 Officer will lead the implementation of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities in Abala Woreda and Town Afar Region. The role involves overseeing water supply system rehabilitation and expansion, water quality monitoring, hygiene promotion, sanitation campaigns, community mobilization, and environmental cleaning activities.

The position will strengthen community water management structures, supervise hygiene promoters, and coordinate cash assistance for hygiene and menstrual health kits for vulnerable households, girls and women. Working closely with government stakeholders, contractors, engineers  and communities the WASH Officer will ensure quality project delivery, accountability, and sustainable WASH services under the ECHO-funded humanitarian project while contributing to the achievement of project objectives throughout the project cycle.

Key Responsibilities:

Conduct WASH needs assessments, baseline surveys, and technical assessments to identify service gaps and community priorities.

Develop designs, drawings, bills of quantities, cost estimates, specifications, work plans, budgets, procurement plans, and implementation schedules.

Integrate gender, disability inclusion, protection, environmental sustainability, PSEA, and accountability into project design and delivery.

Supervise the rehabilitation and expansion of water systems, pipelines, and distribution networks, and the construction of inclusive latrines and handwashing facilities.

Monitor water quality and support safe water treatment, disinfection, and chemical management.

Strengthen WASH committees (WASHCOs) in operations, maintenance, financial management, repairs, and sustainable service delivery.

Plan and deliver hygiene promotion, sanitation campaigns, CLTS, behaviour change communication, and menstrual hygiene support.

Develop IEC/BCC materials and train, mentor, and supervise hygiene promoters and other community structures.

Conduct field monitoring, technical inspections, functionality assessments, and post-distribution monitoring; identify gaps and recommend corrective actions.

Collect, verify, analyze, and document programme data and indicators, disaggregating by sex, age, and disability where appropriate.

Prepare timely technical and donor reports, and maintain complete records of assessments, construction, water quality, beneficiaries, and project results.

Coordinate with government offices, partners, WASH stakeholders, service providers, and communities; support reviews, monitoring visits, sustainability planning, and handover.

The Individual

Qualifications/ Experience/Skills Essential:

Bachelor’s Degree in Water Resources Engineering, Civil Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Environmental Health, Sanitary Engineering and Public Health.

Minimum 3 years of experience in WASH programming.

Mandatory to have proven experience in the study, design, and construction supervision of multi-use solar-powered water systems and rural water supply systems (both for water supply and agriculture/irrigation)

Strong understanding of community-based WASH governance models with hands-on experience in hygiene promotion approaches and methodologies

Advantageous to have experience in integrating WASH with food security (multi-use water systems).

Strong experience in preparing BOQs, technical specifications, bid documents, evaluation, contract documents, and negotiation management.

Knowledge of national MoWE-MoA standards, Sphere, ECHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WASH Cluster standards.

Expertise in the study, design, construction supervision and governance of multi-use solar-powered water system infrastructure

Experience and knowledge of Water-CAD, AutoCAD, and related software is advantageous.

Knowledge of the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector.

In-depth knowledge of project cycle management and child-centered community development programming.

Knowledge of development issues, challenges, and opportunities relevant to WASH.

Familiarity with participatory Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research systems and processes.

Experience in solar project implementation is an advantage.

Gender awareness and commitment to child-centered development.

Languages required:

Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing is essential.

In addition, knowledge of local languages Afar-afh is desirable.

Safeguarding Children and Program Participants (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed per the appropriate procedures.

Ensures that all staff in the unit/function/department are properly inducted on and understand their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;

Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work.

Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted.

Location: Afar Program Area, Abala

Type of Role: Full time, Fixed term contract

Reports to: Emergency Project Coordinator

Grade: C1

Closing Date: 15 November 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.