POSITION DESCRIPTION
Job title: Regional Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist
Work station: The MDG center regional offices in Dakar, Senegal
The MDG Centre West Africa
The MDG Centre was established in July 2004 by The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the UN Millennium Project with a broad purpose of assisting countries to develop operational strategies for achieving the MDGs, and to support their implementation at both local and national levels.
In early 2006, The MDG Centre reorganized to establish two sub-regional centers covering East and Southern Africa (based in Nairobi) and West and Central Africa (based in Bamako). The MDG Centre West and Central Africa (WCA) is currently working in the following countries: Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal and its rapidly expanding to other countries in the region.
The West Africa MDG Centre focuses on two complementary scales:
At the national level,  provide support to national Governments to develop Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)-based national strategies and plans; 
At the sub national level, assist local governments to develop and implement MDG-based local development plans and strategies and assist pilot Millennium Villages Project (MVP) sites and Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) to achieve MDGs at local level. .
Job Summary and Reporting
Under the guidance and supervision of the Director and the Regional health Advisor of the MDG Centre WCA,  the Regional Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist will work in close collaboration with the Regional Water and Sanitation team, governmental and non-governmental organizations in Health in countries where MVP is being implemented to contribute to the achievement of  the MDG Goal in Provision of Universal Health;
Duties and responsibilities
Design, manage, and oversee a package of WASH interventions (e.g., household water treatment and safe storage, generating demand for sanitation, handwashing with soap and hygiene promotion)
Training of health coordinators and facilitators
Monitor and analyze trends; provide technical assistance to field teams
Conduct field visits to supervise WASH activities at sites
Collaborate and coordinate with sectors at MDG Center and site-level (e.g., Infrastructure/Water, Education, Community Development)
Supervise 6-8 WASH facilitators at the site-level
Presentations at conferences and MVP retreat
Qualifications and skills
Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, Environmental Health, or related field
5 or more years of experience in strategic planning, implementation and management of sanitation and hygiene programs in the field
Expertise in behavior change, participatory education methods, and community development
Familiarity with hygiene promotion, sanitation technologies and community-led methodologies (e.g., CLTS, PHASE, PHAST)
Knowledge of demand creation through social marketing, and understanding of formative research and multi channels of communications for behaviour change
Demonstrated skill in critical analysis and evaluation of technical and programmatic aspects of public health interventions
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts ;
Ability to effectively manage relationships with senior government officials, key stakeholders  and to work as part of a team;
Team spirit with personal skills in communication and dissemination of knowledge;
Demonstrate organization and problem solving skills, flexibility, and ability to work under pressure;
Proficiency in computer skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French;
Willingness  to travel between 30-50% of the time in the region,
Terms of offer
CIP/MDG Center offers a regionally competitive salary with an excellent benefits package. The employment contract is for a period of one year with the possibility of renewal.CIP/ MDG prides itself on its collegial, supportive and gender sensitive working environment and believes that staff diversity promotes excellence. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications
Applicants should apply by email, sending a cover letter summarizing their relevance to this position, a full C.V. names and contact information of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to: ibrahim.tounkara@mdgwca.org . With a copy to recruitment@mdgwca.org . “Application for Regional Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist MDG-WCA” should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message.
Applications will be considered until 30th May 2012 or until the position is filled.
Only short-listed applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.
We invite you to learn more about us at:
www.mdgwca.org
www.millenniumpromise.org,
www.unmillenniumproject.org,
www.mdgwca.org