JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title
Health and Sanitation Officer
Reports to
WASH (water, sanitation & health education) Programme
Manager
Responsible for
Sanitation & health education
Location
Oxfam International PNG Arawa Office, Autonomous Region of
Bougainville
BACKGROUND
Oxfam is an international confederation which operates in over 90 countries around
the world. Oxfam takes a rights based approach to support the achievement of
human rights and build capacities that are essential for vulnerable and
disadvantaged people to be able to access resources and take advantage of
opportunities to improve their lives.
Oxfam New Zealand (ONZ) and Oxfam Australia established a programme in Papua
New Guinea in 2005 which operates under the auspices of Oxfam International (OI)
PNG. Both Oxfam affiliates support a PNG Country Office in Port Moresby and have
programme offices in Port Moresby, Sepik, Goroka and Bougainville which support,
advise and fund partners and communities involved in peace building, livelihoods,
HIV/AIDS education and water & sanitation, health and hygiene education (WASH)
activities.
ONZ established a new OI PNG programme office in Arawa in the Autonomous
Region of Bougainville to support its WASH work in the North and Central Regions.
The team comprises of a Water & Sanitation Health Education (WASH) Programme
Manager, Community Development Facilitator, Health & Sanitation Officer, Finance
& Admin Coordinator, Water Engineer (on short term stints), Health & Sanitation
Assistant, Driver, and Security Guards. Casual staff (engaged during construction
phases) include a Construction Supervisor and between 5 – 9 construction crew
(depending on project workloads).
The overall goal of the WASH Programme is to improve health in targeted rural
communities through improved access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene
education. The programme will now have a disaster risk reduction (DRR) component
that will require the Health & Sanitation Officer to be involved in other work related to
it. There will also be other sectors (including livelihoods) that may be integrated into
the WASH Programme that will also require involvement of the Health & Sanitation
Officer in the longer term.
JOB PURPOSE
Take the lead in educating rural communities on good health & hygiene practices,
through Improved knowledge and by changing of attitudes and behaviour of key
people within those communities. Typically this will include community based
preventative health education and sanitation education such as Participatory Health
and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) and Community Lead Total Sanitation
(CLTS) and ongoing promotion of health and hygiene messaging, training of Village
Health Volunteers and supporting communities to make improvements in sanitation
practices, including the elimination of open defecation in targeted rural areas.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Programme development
1. Support the development and use of methodologies for health and sanitation
project implementation.
2. Contribute to the development of tools and materials for community development,
preventative education and household sanitation (PHAST and CLTS).
3. Contribute to the monitoring of health and sanitation activities, evaluation and the
development and implementation of a learning framework for the Bougainville
WASH programme.
4. Contribute to the development of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs &
Trade (MFAT) Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) WASH Programme annual
implementation plan and to other funding proposals and reporting as required.
5. Contribute to programme advocacy and external representation on issues
relating to health education and sanitation.
Specific programme activities
6. Implement the health and sanitation activities in the Sustainable Development
Funded (SDF) WASH Programme including:
a. Conducting programme planning meetings with each of the programme
partners and other stakeholders in targeted communities where applicable.
b. Completing the demonstration latrines in target communities and facilitate
these communities to take ownership and responsibility to construct similar
latrines.
c. Participation in the selection and training of sanitation masons.
d. Arranging the promotion of sanitation options in target communities.
e. Assisting in the implementation of the demand led sanitation construction,
which includes the provision of information for materials supply &
procurement and ongoing financial management.
7. Undertake health and sanitation education and training activities. This includes:
a. Reviewing and making recommendations to improve existing health
education methodologies in use.
b. Conducting refresher health training to district health staff and partner
organisations.
c. Supervising trained Trainers and undertaking community outreach health
training as well as follow up training with target communities.
d. Facilitating community exchange visits to model health communities.
8. In close liaison with the WASH Programme Manager and Community
Development Facilitator, assist with monitoring & evaluating all health and
sanitation inputs and project outcomes, in accordance with the programme
indicators established.
9. Collate relevant information and assist with the reporting requirements to back
donors.
10. Keep in regular contact with the Bougainville Healthy Communities Programme,
Tulele Peisa, Osi Tanata and AT Projects and with other relevant partners,
associates or institutions as appropriate.
11. Undertake any other tasks that may be delegated by the WASH Programme
Manager that are in keeping with the scope of the role.
COMPETENCIES
Qualifications, knowledge and experience
 Tertiary qualification in a relevant technical discipline and/or qualifications in
health hygiene promotion, development studies or social sciences, or equivalent
commensurate experience
 Experience in the managing and implementing health promotion and/or sanitation
projects
 Sound understanding of a community development approach to water supply,
sanitation and hygiene promotion project work
 A sound understanding of financial control procedures, and experience of
developing and monitoring budgets
 Experience in undertaking participatory appraisal and monitoring and evaluation
 Experience of training design, delivery and facilitation
 An understanding of and commitment to social justice and community
development
 Experience of mentoring and building the capacity of communities and partners is
desirable
Professional attributes
 Sound report writing skills
 Strong verbal communication skills in English and Pidgin
 Good organisational and project management skills
 Computer literacy in Microsoft Word and Excel
 Good presentation skills and ability to communicate to varied audiences,
including those with limited literacy
Personal attributes
 Ability to work autonomously and as a member of a team
 Ability to plan own work, set priorities and manage time effectively
 Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
 Capacity to travel for long periods and walk in mountainous terrain, including
frequent overnight stays in communities
 Patience and tolerance for other perspectives
 Flexibility, adaptability and willingness to take on tasks and learn to apply new
health and hygiene methodologies in community settings
 Ability to quickly understand local cultural and customary norms
 A commitment to Oxfam’s values
TOIL
Out of hours or weekend work may be required from time to time for which
appropriate time off in lieu (TOIL) will be awarded in accordance with OI PNG TOIL
policy.
TRAVEL AND SECURITY
The Health and Sanitation Officer is expected to undertake some travel within the
year. Some of this travel will be unaccompanied and is likely to involve walking in
mountainous regions and some overnight stays in local villages.
Some areas supported by Oxfam are subject to civil conflict and/or natural disasters,
which could be hazardous. Oxfam New Zealand is committed to ensuring the
wellbeing of its staff. Staff are not permitted enter clearly hazardous or dangerous
areas. Staff must heed the advice of local authorities and Oxfam staff with
responsibilities for security management and abide by Oxfam’s security guidelines.
Staff must also be prepared to make their own assessments of potential hazards or
danger during work related trips in the knowledge that Oxfam will always respect and
support a decision to continue or withdraw from any part of a field trip for reasons
related to personal security.