Position: Program Specialist (WASH & Disability Inclusion) – pro bono

Summary of key functions

Actionreach is a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice through development, relief, and advocacy. In Zambia, Actionreach works across 15 districts to provide long-term development support in health and nutrition, resilience and livelihoods, sanitation and hygiene, education, disability-inclusive development, and emergency response. Actionreach collaborates with communities, the government, sponsors, donors, civil society, and the private sector to reach the most vulnerable children because we believe every child deserves life in all its fullness. Actionreach serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

The incumbent will be responsible for disability inclusion and development, among other programs. AR takes note of the fact that children with disabilities are among the most marginalized and unnoticed members of society. They are subjected to widespread discrimination, stigma, and environments that are inaccessible, which causes them to be excluded from a variety of essential services and opportunities while also exposing them to increased risks and vulnerabilities, which are exacerbated in humanitarian crises and fragile contexts. Girls with disabilities and children with disabilities who belong to marginalized groups suffer compounding challenges and risks. This includes the disproportionate number of children with disabilities who live in institutions and are deprived of family care.

Additionally, the incumbent will also oversee the WASH program. Actionreach incorporates strengthened programming on disability rights across all, the goal areas. Many of Actionreach’s programs, including those operating in humanitarian crises and other unstable environments, are using a dual-pronged strategy to ensure that children and caregivers with disabilities have access to inclusive and barrier-free services and support. These services and supports include primary health care, early childhood development (ECD), education, and child protection services, as well as accessible WASH facilities.

The Program Specialist is responsible for the effective management of a portfolio of WASH and Disability Inclusion in order to provide substantive programmatic support, policy advice and oversight to programs.

Key functions include:

Provides support to program design and implementation under the Zambia program portfolio:

• Reviews and analyzes country office program performance to assess impact and ensure compliance with development goals and result-based performance indicators; monitors country office operations management and proposes remedial actions, participates in Country Reviews, evaluation, and other major events.
• On behalf of country offices, negotiates with clients and stakeholders to secure necessary support on program issues, participates in the corporate task forces, responds to ad hoc requests for information, briefs/reports on the regional and country specific programs;
• As a “one-stop-shop” facilitator, provides substantive conceptual and policy support to country offices during the formulation, approval, implementation of programming and reporting; preparation of briefs, position papers and reports of the Executive board
• Supports the assigned portfolio in all aspects of the program cycle, including preparation of the Country Program Documents, Country Program Action Plan and Annual Work Plans. Ensuring timely submission of the Country Program Documents to the Executive Board
• Researches and prepares thematic reports, meeting briefs and analytical notes on development issues and performance

Provides oversight on Disability Inclusion activities

• Working with DPOs, government agencies and country teams support the provision of right based services and disability inclusion.
• Prepare written contributions and knowledge products for various purposes, i.e. Case studies, speeches, briefings to leadership, and related products for wider dissemination, as needed.
• Support resource mobilization in the area of disability inclusion by developing funding proposals and other documents, where appropriate.
• Conduct research and analysis of global, regional and national trends, as appropriate.

Proves oversight on WASH activities:

• Ensure program efficiency and delivery through a rigorous and transparent approach to evaluation.
• Participation in major evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual sector review meetings with government counterparts.
• Ensure the preparation of annual WASH sector status reports for the Sanitation WASH in Institutions sub-sectors.
• Promote the organizational goals of AR through advocacy and policy dialogue through active engagement in communication, networking, and participation at every opportunity inside and outside AR, leveraging the strength of AR mission, goals and programs, and with reference to the WASH Strategy.

Requirements

• A university degree in social sciences
• Over 5 years work experience in international development, focusing on disability inclusion and WASH programs.
• Advanced knowledge of program development and management
• Excellent communication skills
• Proficient in business development (proposal design and development)
• Gender and diversity awareness
• Aged between 25-40