Civil Engineer ( Public Health Engineer ) Oxfam India

Job Title: Civil engineer – Public Health Engineer
Department: Programme & Advocacy
Location: Kolkata – Humanitarian Hub
Level / Pay Band: L-3
Contract: 3 Year Fixed Term (renewable)
Reports To: Humanitarian Programme Manager – Humanitarian Hub

Scope of Position:

The incumbent will manage staff in specialist disciplines during humanitarian response operations and project manage, or lead a small team. The objectives will mainly relate to the quality of programme work. The position requires diverse and complex problem-solving skills, requiring professional knowledge and field experience and an understanding of development and humanitarian work. It involves difficult decision-making which may not have a precedent, although difficult decisions taken with manager. Advice and solutions often have to be communicated over a distance with limited information and information sources are diverse. Thus requires a judgement based on credibility and accuracy of information. Work is of a non-routine nature and involves working under pressure. He/ She should provide complex technical information accessible in a simple way and create opportunities to develop work within a framework plan. The position requires a broad understanding of development and humanitarian work Decisions on programmes, especially if adviser is external to Oxfam India is involved in assessment, can be fundamental to the size and quality of the programme. In non-response time, he / she will develop and manage programmes and partners in Assam including realistic work plans, and coordination with other technical and support teams. 

Key Responsibilities: 

1. To carry out the selection, design and construction of water systems, using ground water or surface water, including abstraction, storage, treatment and distribution for new systems or rehabilitation of existing systems.
2. To select, design and implement the most appropriate form of sanitation system, in consultation with the beneficiaries, which includes excreta disposal, refuse disposal, vector control and drainage. 
3. Assess humanitarian public health situation of the people affected by emergencies in the India
4. Provide professional advice to senior managers on public health situation and engineering recommendations. 
5. Lead and manage staff in specialist disciplines WASH), at times from a distance, or project manage, including leading a small team in their own specialism.
6. Work patterns are not routine and often high pressure.
7. Makes complex technical information accessible and usable by non-specialist.
8. To liase closely with the Public Health Promotion Team throughout the planning, design and implementation stages of the Public Health Engineering Programme. Also contribute to design of Public health programme component and implementation process.
9. To assess emergency needs, as requested, especially taking in the broader perspective of Public Health. 
10. To report regularly, verbally and in writing to the Programme Coordinator and Humanitarian Response Manager or Team Leader and to represent Oxfam India to other NGO’s, agencies and Government authorities where requested.
11. To order equipment from Oxfam’s Purchasing Department as required. Occasionally to organise local purchasing and to keep accounts.
12. Personally co-ordinate a number of complex WASH funding proposals and manage WASH projects as appropriate.
13. To train and brief Oxfam staff on public health engineering issues.
14. To ensure that all programmes take gender issues fully into account. This includes the introduction of mechanisms to enable women to participate in decision making around public health engineering issues. 
15. To be familiar with and abide by the NGO/Red Cross Code of Conduct, the People in Aid Code, Oxfam International procedures and other regulatory codes (e.g. InterAction Field Co-operation Protocol). 
16. Will be Oxfam India interface in WASH Technical meetings, humanitarian component design and coordination processes. In the event of a shelter focused programme, the PHE would support in intermediate shelter development and implementation of the component. 
17. Actively participate in identifying partners in the context of priorities identified in the country strategy; develop new partnerships and support appropriate networks.
18. Manage partner interface for assigned disaster risk reduction projects in focused states of Oxfam India.. 
19. Work with partners and other stakeholders to actively identify and pursue opportunities for advocating improved development outcomes in programmes.
20. Undertake any other work as assigned by the manager

Qualifications and Experience:

1. Atleast 6 years experience in implementing and managing humanitarian responses.
2. A suitable qualification in any discipline relating to Public Health Engineering or civil engineering is the necessary educational background. Experience could substitute for a formal qualification, but not vice versa.
3. Most importantly, practical experience in appropriate water supplies, sanitation and hygiene promotion in humanitarian and development project.
4. The post holder should have a good understanding of the public health needs of poor rural and urban communities and of appropriate ways of tackling them. 
5. The post holder must be aware of and sensitive to the particular needs of women in this context.
6. The ability to present concise reports, sometimes at short notice, reflecting the problems and possible solutions for particular situations.
7. Diplomacy, tact and administrative skills in order to work with people at managerial and, on occasions, senior government levels. The post holder should also be at ease in working with local people. 
8. Willingness to travel at short notice, and often in difficult circumstances.
9. Well developed interpersonal and team skills and proven ability to be flexible in demanding situations.
10. Good written and spoken English is essential. Other language(s) essential (desirable) 
11. Sympathy with the aims and objectives of Oxfam India.
12. Commitment to humanitarian principles and action, and to Oxfam’s equal opportunity and gender policies.

Relocation:

During the course of employment the post holder may be required to move base on a temporary or permanent basis to any workplace controlled by Oxfam India

Travel: Ability to travel within country and abroad as required.

All applications should be sent to vacancies@oxfamindia.org
All applicants to put “Ref.Civil Engineer- Public Health Engineer ” as the subject line 
All applications should have the covering letter and the CV as a single document, in a word format. 
The deadline for receiving applications is 28th February 2014
Applications without the exact reference code will not be considered.
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified