Senior Officer

Posiiton: Senior Officer, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
Vacancy No.: S18627
Category of Contract: National
Position Type: National
Application Deadline: 25/09/2026
Duty Station: Bidur, Nuwakot, Nepal
Country: NEPAL
Grade: National Staff
Duty Station Status: N/A
Accompanied Status: N/A
Duration: 12

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.

The IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The IFRC is currently present in Nepal through a Country Delegation (CD – first established in 1965 with a presence through regional representation at times), providing support to Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) programmes and National Society development (NSD) amongst as well as emergency response, other areas. The longer-term mission of the Nepal Delegation is to facilitate organisational growth, technical capacities, partnerships, and resource mobilisation that enable Nepal Red Cross Society to deliver on its humanitarian mandate in the country through the provision of technical support, advocacy, representation and coordination functions, in accordance with Strategy 2030, the IFRC Renewal and annual Operational Plans.

The Country Delegation also provides integration services to six IFRC members with a presence in Nepal.

On 26 August 2026, a major ice-rock avalanche occurred in the upper Bhote Koshi watershed near the China–Nepal border, resulting in an historically powerful flash flood that advanced from the border down the entire length of Nepal along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli River basins.

Due to the evolving operational requirements of the Rasuwa Flash Flood 2026 response operation, this role profile provides an overview of the principal responsibilities and functions associated with this position within a Federation-coordinated operation.

Job Purpose

Senior Officer, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is a member who supports the IFRC’s programmatic vision for WASH and its translation into programmatic interventions, in close collaboration and coordination with NSs, by providing technical advice, support and coordination to the Federation’s programmes in the area of WASH throughout the resilience continuum (in emergency, recovery and development contexts).

The person will be the principal representative in executing the WASH activities at field level and report to Operations Manager. The main objective of the Sr. WASH Officer is to establish strong coordination among stakeholders and linkages with NRCS technical leads in the field to ensure that program activities are implemented successfully.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Enable RCRC to be a global leading player in the WASH sector

• Contribute to and support the coordination of the work of RCRC at relevant regional, ensuring interventions are in line with global and regional strategic directions and advocacy themes.
• Contribute to the development of global policies, strategies, guidelines and tools as well as the integration of these standards into the work of RCRC to ensure sound and sustainable WASH programmes and effective public health outcomes.
• Work closely with other members of the WASH team and relevant colleagues at the IFRC CCSTs/COs, contributing to ensuring appropriate visibility, resource mobilization and public awareness of the work of IFRC/RCRC.

Support NSs to improve its emergency WASH performance

• Support the mapping of regional WASH programming, progress and best practices and priority needs of NSs especially in the context of emergency WASH and contribute to the development of project and programme proposals in line with best practice.
• Work closely with NSs and provide technical guidance to the planning process of emergency WASH activities.
• Contribute to providing specific technical support to ensure NSs are able to effectively incorporate WASH components/elements within each stage of the emergency cycle and along the resilience continuum: strengthening of WASH as part of prevention; WASH disaster preparedness; water quality monitoring as part of community disease detection and early warning; emergency WASH response including full spectrum of public health related WASH capacities and WASH during recovery aimed at ‘building back better’.
• Contribute to the four cross organizational WASH related work streams: WASH for development through expansion of GWSI; WASH in disasters; WASH during public health emergencies and WASH in Urban Settings.

Contribute to and backstop coordination of WASH during emergencies

• Provide technical input to emergency plans of action and engage with implementing NSs to support operations as appropriate including supporting the selection and deployment of surge personnel.
• When required and in line with other work priorities be available for direct deployment to support emergency response for up to 1 month.

Contribute to delivering quality emergency WASH programming

• Take an active role in the preparation and facilitation of related trainings organised by IFRC CCSTs/COs and NSs. Training preparation could include working on training modules/content, aligned with global policies, strategies, guidelines and tools, and strategies/priorities of the NSs.
• Contribute to the development of tools and guidelines in accordance with applicable international standards to enhance the quality of operations, and eventual dissemination to NSs and IFRC CCSTs/COs.
• Working in close collaboration with NSs and IFRC CCSTs/COs to put in place, where relevant and appropriate, a systematic approach to data collection and analysis, contributing to quality reporting.

Contribute to accountable emergency WASH programming

• Contribute to the preparation of terms of reference for monitoring and evaluation exercises and development of research questions and work to ensure implementation of recommendations for improvement.
• When appropriate and in line with other work priorities be available to participate as an evaluation team member.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Contribute to an effective, high-quality IFRC team:

• Be accountable to the Regional WASH Coordinator by providing regular progress reports on results against objectives.
• Be a proactive team member fostering a customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, high performance and cost effectiveness.
• Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the Region and with NSs including actors in the relevant external environment.
• Be responsible for the project management of sections of the regional project portfolio as required.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent higher education degree.
• Technical training courses linked to the post.

Experience

• 6-7 years’ experience in an adequate field
• Experience in the humanitarian or development sector, with a focus on WASH
• Demonstrated professional credibility in the sector and experience working in an international or cross-cultural environment.
• Experience working in a Red Cross or Red Crescent National Society and/or IFRC or ICRC

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Knowledge of WASH and public health and experience in practically applying this knowledge into policy, programmes and positioning
• Proactive, innovative, willing, and committed to stay and travel in the remote areas to work with poor and vulnerable communities.
• Programme and project management
• Results-oriented and demand-driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations.
• Demonstrated track record in innovating, contributing to a learning culture, sharing knowledge and new approaches to engaging partners.
• Professional credibility, able to work effectively at all levels across the organisation
• Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants.
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values.

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.

Tagged as: Nuwakot