Job Description

Dowa Integrated Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Program (DI-WASH Phase 3)

Background
United Purpose (UP) Malawi is an international non-governmental organisation working to create opportunities for lasting improvement in peoples’ lives. We work in partnership with others to support a range of livelihoods and food security, WASH and health, sustainable energy and gender equality programmes reaching over 1,000,000 people a year across Malawi. Globally, we work in nine countries across Africa, Asia and South America, however our Malawi programme is by far and away our largest and most established country programme. UP currently operates in 17 districts in Malawi, supporting 24 on-going projects, and a team of 180.

Since 2012, we have distributed emergency food and cash assistance to over 1 million people making us one of the key emergency response players in the country. This includes reaching over 200,000 people after the devastating 2019 floods with immediate supplies, coordinating WASH in evacuation camps, and recovery support across nine districts and being one of the first responders in WASH during the COVID-19 outbreak in Malawi.

UP Malawi is seeking to recruit a talented and dynamic team to start work 1st February 2021 for our Charity: Water funded WASH programme, called Dowa Integrated Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (DI-WASH). Since January 2019, UP has been implementing the first two phases of DI-WASH in Dowa District primarily targeting underserved communities in four TA’s in close collaboration with relevant Government line ministries’ and WASH actors. UP will be implementing phase 3 of the DI-WASH Program effective 1st January 2021. The goal of the program is to reduce morbidity and mortality of rural people of Dowa, especially under five children caused by WASH related diseases. The objective is to increase access to safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices in target communities and selected schools and ensure sustainable operation and maintenance of WASH facilities by beneficiaries in partnership with the district councils and private sector. The project is targeting population of over 55,000 people with an annual budget of $1,000,000.

The team we are recruiting must all be firmly committed to delivering lasting positive improvements to the communities that we serve, and delivering UP’s mission and upholding our values of integrity, dignity, and environmental respect. The contracts will run until approximately December 2021 performance and funding). UP invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons to fill the following vacancies:

The availability of these positions are contingent upon contract signing and funding disbursement to UP Malawi.

WASH Communications and Promotional Officer (1 x based in Lilongwe with extensive travel)

Job purpose:
Reporting to the Operations Manager, the WASH Communications and Promotional Officer will be involved in a variety of communications assignments, primarily focusing on WASH Program documentation and the development of visibility materials for both internal and external audiences, as well as assisting with various on-going communications activities. S/he will be involved with informing donors and partners through our website and social media on all WASH activities and achievements. S/he is also expected to provide leadership and participate in hygiene promotion campaigns, prepare written material for the field, elaborate clear and adapted messages for beneficiaries.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Support the documentation of shared lessons and best practices across the country programme’s projects for both internal and external audiences
• Ensure all communication adheres to UP’s safe media guidelines and acts as a catalyst in promoting these guidelines.
• Support the development of printed communication and visibility materials, including content development, design and layout, to improve national visibility, including but not limited to developing brochures/posters, multimedia content and writing newspaper and magazine articles
• Collect, write, and archive case studies, including the development of both narrative and photographic content for donors and wider consumption to showcase and publicise UP work
• Conduct desk research relevant to UP’s activities for inclusion in various communications materials
• Scout relevant WASH publications at national and international levels to enhance in-house learning and programme improvement
• Liaise with the UK Office to build UP Malawi’s social media and online presence
• Complete other tasks and activities as assigned according to needs within the organisation
• Ensure that all communications materials are compliant with UP’s safeguarding, communications and branding standards
• Strengthen UP’s relationship with media players to raise the profile of WASH issues and other UP’s work
• Provide support during national campaigns and WASH-related commemoration days (e.g. World Water Day, World Toilet Day, Global Hand Washing Day and so forth)
• Produce case stories and success stories for WASH Projects
• Develop and implement Social Behavioural change and Communication Strategy for the program
• Participate in hygiene campaign, doing shows in schools and at community level.
• Development of hygiene promotion topics, hygiene sessions and IEC materials.
• Design & evaluate the necessary materials for the various campaigns/activities.
• Coordinate with WASH facilitators to ensure that the various aspects of the WASH Program are integrated.

The successful candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications or Journalism and/or Marketing from recognised University
• Minimum of 3 years of communications experience, including developing visibility materials and written content for external audiences
• Experience in the WASH sector, including knowledge about sanitation and behaviour-change communication approaches
• Demonstrable understanding of safeguarding risks and mitigating actions.
• Fluency in English and impeccable written communication
• Photography skills preferred and ability to use both video and photo editing packages
• Effective communicator of verbal and written concepts to a wide range of audiences
• Ability to prioritise, quickly understand instructions, ask for clarification when needed and work independently to produce timely results
• Ability to work odd hours in order to meet strict deadlines

How to apply:
Qualified and interested candidates who meets the stated requirements must submit a completed Application Form.

Please note that CVs and cover letters will not be accepted. Please visit http://united-purpose.org/s/Job-ApplicationForm.doc to download the Application Form, and then submit the completed form via email only to [email protected]. When submitting, please put YOUR NAME [POSITION APPLIED] in the email title. Any applications that do not include this in the title will not be considered.
No hard copy / physical applications will be accepted.

Closing date for the receipt of completed application forms is mid-day of Thursday 10th December 2020. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For more information about UP, please visit our website at www.unitedpurpose.org/malawi/.

UP is an equal opportunity employer, and women are particularly encouraged to apply.