Background

UN-HABITAT in association with the East African Community (EAC) Governments of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi through the Lake Victoria Basin Commission is currently implementing an important initiative to address the water and sanitation needs of the population, particularly the poor around Lake Victoria. In December, 2010, the AfDB approved a grant of US$110 million to support the implementation of the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation (LVWATSAN) Programme Phase II to 15 secondary towns in the 5 East African Community Countries. The grant includes an allocation to UN-HABITAT to provide implementation support and the Training and Capacity Building (TCB) for the expanded programme in the 15 secondary towns of the programme.

LVWATSAN programme has been designed to demonstrate that the MDG targets for water and sanitation can be met with modest investments targeted primarily to rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, with due emphasis on capacity building at local level to ensure both financial and services delivery sustainability. Achieving the MDG targets for water and sanitation in these towns could be an important entry point for addressing other MDGs related to poverty alleviation and integrated water resources management. The interventions in a few selected towns should also serve as a model-setting exercise that could inspire other towns and national authorities to replicate these interventions to create a basin-wide impact.

The Initiative has a clear pro-poor focus, and is intended to generate desirable outcomes that would have a lasting effect on the poor. Expected outcomes include improved access to water and sanitation services in the project towns, functional and gender focused arrangements for sustainably managing and monitoring the rehabilitated systems, institutionalised capacity building programmes to regularly update the capacity of stakeholders, and a contribution to the reduction in pollutant loads entering into the Lake Victoria. It is envisaged that these outcomes, within a reformed environment, would lead to improved health status and productivity of the population in the secondary towns participating in the programme. It presents a real opportunity to improve the situation on the ground by combining physical investments in infrastructure provision, with targeted capacity-building, while at the same time protecting the Lake environment on which the region depends for survival

The development objective of LVWATSAN is to improve living conditions in the secondary urban centres in the Lake Victoria Region through expanded access to water and sanitation, enhanced environmental sustainability and a reduction in poverty in the region.

Specific Objectives of the LVWATSAN Programme Phase II are to:

• Support pro-poor water and sanitation investments in the secondary urban centers in the Lake Victoria Region;
• Build institutional and human resource capacities at local and regional levels for the sustainability of improved water and sanitation services;
• Facilitate the benefits of upstream water sector reforms to reach the local level in the participating urban centers.
• Reduce the environmental impact of urbanization in the Lake Victoria Basin.

TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME (TCB)

The Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation (LVWATSAN) Programme Phase II Training and Capacity Building Component is designed to deliver an integrated package of capacity building interventions to improve service coverage, delivery and to ensure the long term sustainability of the investments. These small urban centers face unique problems in managing physical infrastructure because of their weak institutional framework, limited human resources capacity and lack of financial resources to sustain the operations and maintenance. The water sector reforms and the local government reforms started a few years ago in East Africa have intended to establish sustainable institutions within a decentralized governance framework to promote efficient services delivery at the town level.

The LVWATSAN Programme Phase II intends to implement the Training and Capacity Building framework through concrete measures precisely by maintaining the regional approach to training and capacity building, promoting cooperation among local regional African institutions, the establishment of town level institutions namely the Town Project Teams and Multi-Stakeholder Forums, a comprehensive programme of capacity enhancement for water utilities, local authorities, active community involvement through the multi-stake holder forums, community-based knowledge and awareness building activities in sanitation, hygiene promotion, environmental awareness and the management of water and sanitation facilities (such as water kiosks and public toilets).

Objectives of the Training and Capacity Building programme :

The main objectives of the TCB programme is to provide efficient and timely implementation of programme activities; enhance community participation and ownership of programme activities; ensure the financial and operational sustainability of the programme investments; and ensure that the poverty reduction and public health benefits of the programme are fully realized.

Under these objectives the Training and Capacity Building Programme will address the following five major focus areas: 1) Programme management, 2) Institutional capacity of service providers 3) Hygiene promotion and sanitation 4) Urban catchment management and 5) Monitoring and Evaluation System.

Duties and Responsibilities

In liaison with the Programme Manager; Chief Lake Victoria Section and under the overall guidance of UN-HABITAT LVWATSAN Programme Phase II the National Programme Officer will undertake the following specific tasks:

• Provide technical and administrative support for the planning and implementation of Training and Capacity Building (TCB) Activities under LVWATSAN Programme Phase II in Burundi
• Participate in all TCB assessment missions in Burundi and contribute to the preparation of Reports and TCB Plans
• Assist with the organization and implementation of UN-HABITAT Training and Capacity Building and training activities in Ngozi, Muyinga and Kayanza towns.
• Assist with the identification and selection of local partners, including NGOs and CBOs, as needed, to implement capacity building activities on behalf of UN-HABITAT
• Co-ordinate with the Implementing Agency- REGIDESO, and the Government of Burundi, the Water Sanitation and Hygiene Education national focal point to ensure timely implementation of the programme in the towns and represent UN-HABITAT at meetings of the National Programme Steering Committee for LVWATSAN Phase II;
• Assist with the planning and implementation of programme activities in close liaison with the Programme Management Unit, Town Project Teams and the Multi Stakeholder Forums and other relevant actors including non-governmental organizations in the water sector in Ngozi, Muyinga and Kayanza towns.
• Co-ordinate capacity building, advocacy, information and awareness components of the LVWATSAN Programme Phase II Training and Capacity Building programme in Ngozi, Muyinga and Kayanza Provinces.
• Prepare and submit to the programme Manager periodic progress reports.
• Manage and backstop LVWATSAN Section interventions in water supply, sanitation, water demand management, water education and urban catchments management in Ngozi, Muyinga and Kayanza towns.
• Supervise implementation of solid waste management demonstration project in selected communities in Ngozi town.
• Undertake monitoring and evaluation of the programme activities and recommend suitable interventions to the Programme Manager.
• Assist with needs assessments and the formulation of project proposals, including project proposals relating to the Lake Tanganyika Water and Sanitation Programme;
• Perform any other duties as directed by the Programme Manager
  

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Results-Based Programme Development and Management
Contributes into results through primary research and analysis

• Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work
• Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration
• Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation

• Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues
• Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders

• Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things

• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things

• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position.
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks.
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning.
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

• Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion.
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
• Self-development, initiative-taking
• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively
• Creating synergies through self-control
• Managing conflict
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
• Informed and transparent decision making

Other skills

• Knowledge of technical cooperation and development issues are required.
• Fully proficient in Word, Excel, Power Point, Email (Lotus Notes) and internet and experience with other relevant software and UN applications such as internal databases is desirable.
  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Post graduate university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Urban and Regional Planning, Social Sciences, Water Engineering, Economics or Environmental Sciences relevant to development and management of human settlements other relevant disciplines.
• A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional working experience with substantial recent work experience directly related to training and capacity development, experience with activities related to institutional strengthening projects and programmes at national level or similar experience at the regional level, experience in water and sanitation fields, projects/ programme design and implementation with the UN or other international agencies is desirable, experience in training design and delivery and development of indicators for learning results is an added advantage.

Language:

• English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat.
• For this post fluency in French, English and Kirundi both oral and written is required
• Knowledge of Swahili language is an advantage.