Action Against Hunger-USA, a global humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting hunger and building community resilience, is seeking a qualified Senior Environmental Health Officer for its Ethiopia program. This position will be based in Hararghe – Girawa and is crucial for integrating environmental and public health principles into WASH programming.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.
Position: Senior Environmental Health Officer (SEHO)
- Work Base: Hararghe – Girawa
- Availability: As Soon As Possible
- Salary Scale: EMS–07
- Benefits: Life, Group Personal Accident and Medical Insurances (upon organization policies), Seniority Allowance (depending on years of service).
Summary of Position & Purpose:
The SEHO will support the operational implementation of ACF’s WASH strategy, focusing on efficiency and effectiveness in WASH service delivery, including sanitation and hygiene promotion, and water scheme management. This role involves coordinating with local partners, field teams, and participating in coordination platforms. The SEHO will be the primary focal person to integrate environmental health and public health principles into WASH programming, ensuring sustainable, safe, and health-focused interventions. This includes bridging technical environmental health aspects (water safety, sanitation engineering, waste management, environmental risk reduction) with public health-oriented WASH (hygiene promotion, disease prevention, and social behavior change). The SEHO ensures interventions are contextually appropriate, technically sound, and aligned with health and environmental sustainability principles, while addressing public health risks, outbreak prevention, and community engagement.
Engagement:
- Internal: Works closely with WASH Program Coordinator, Construction Supervisor, capital WASH team (Environmental Health Advisor), MEAL, Logistics, Finance, and HR.
- External: Represents ACF in local WASH cluster meetings, government coordination forums, technical working groups, collaborates with local authorities, community representatives, partner organizations, and strengthens engagement with community-based structures (WASH committees, health extension workers, women’s groups, volunteers).
Delivery (Key Performance Indicators):
- Timely and high-quality implementation of environmental health interventions.
- Effective monitoring and reporting on key environmental health and public health WASH indicators.
- Strengthened coordination and community engagement.
- Integration of environmental health approaches within nutrition, health, and food security programs.
- Capacity building of project staff, community health workers, and WASH committees.
Key Responsibilities and Objectives:
- Implementation & Technical Oversight: Lead hygiene promotion, environmental health and risk assessments, community mobilization, develop behavior change strategies, oversee NFI distribution, ensure gender-sensitive and inclusive WASH programming, conduct water quality testing, sanitation assessments, and environmental health risk mapping.
- Monitoring, Reporting, Accountability & Learning: (Specific responsibilities under this section were not fully detailed in the provided text, but implied by the title).
- Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement: Actively participate in WASH cluster coordination meetings, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, support local authorities/institutions/community-based structures.
- Capacity Building & Team Support: Provide technical guidance/mentorship, organize/facilitate training sessions, support local governance structures.
- Gender & Equality Commitments: Promote equal participation, ensure inclusive interventions, uphold ACF policies on gender equality, safeguarding, and PSEA.
- Safeguarding Commitments: Adhere to ACF’s zero tolerance policy for child safeguarding violation and SEA.
Working Conditions, Travel, and Environment:
- Field-based role with frequent travel (minimum 60%) to project sites, community meetings, and coordination forums.
- May involve working in remote and insecure locations.
- Expected to deploy rapidly in response to emerging public health WASH needs during humanitarian crises.
Required Qualifications & Experience:
- Education: MSc or B.Sc. degree in Environmental Health, Water Supply Management, Hydraulic Engineering, Water Resource Engineering, or any other related field from a recognized University.
- Experience:
- 5 years of relevant work experience for Bachelor’s degree holders.
- 3 years of relevant work experience for Master’s degree holders.
- Considerable experience in developing and adopting WASH-related manuals, policy briefs, guidelines, and work processes.
- Demonstrated experience in managing a team/program/project in a development or humanitarian context.
- Operational capacity and experience in managing staff from diverse backgrounds.
- Proven ability to work with partners at all levels.
- Expected to be well-versed with WASH programming, emotionally intelligent, and able to stay calm under pressure.
- Knowledge in matrix management and interdepartmental networking.
Required Skills & Competencies:
- Strong technical expertise in hygiene promotion, environmental health risk assessment, water safety planning, and sanitation improvement.
- Experience in designing and implementing behavior change strategies using participatory and community-led approaches.
- Knowledge of water quality testing, vector control, environmental sanitation, and emergency WASH responses.
- Proven ability to coordinate with government, humanitarian actors, and local stakeholders.
- Proficiency in data collection, analysis, and reporting tools relevant to WASH programming.
- Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
- Very good computer skills (Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, e-mail) and use of SPSS and related software.
- Strong critical thinking and proposal writing skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, ability to learn in a new environment.
- Required Skills: Strategic Management, Communication.
- Desired Skill: Leadership.
How To Apply:
If you are interested, please send your application composed of a non-returnable CV, a Covering Letter with “Senior Environmental Health Officer-Hararghe” written in the subject line, and three references.
Submit your application through: www.ethiojobs.net
Deadline: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Note: Action Against Hunger-USA provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or veteran status. They comply with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. As part of its recruitment process, ZOA carries out background and reference checks, including a written questionnaire regarding misconduct, which will be sent to past employers.