Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is an international, non-profitable, non-governmental humanitarian relief organization with its head quarter in Birmingham, UK. It enjoys consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and is a signatory to the Code of Conduct for International Red Cross and red Crescent Moments and NGOs in Disaster Relief. Islamic Relief has been working in Afghanistan for more than 23 years, providing emergency relief and implementing life-changing development projects for some of the most vulnerable people in the country. Islamic Relief set up our first Afghanistan office in 1999. Since then, IRA continued providing assistances in emergency relief, food security, livelihood, education, health, nutrition, shelter, orphan sponsorship, Ramadan and Qurbani programmes

To ensure timely, effective, and quality implementation of WASH interventions in response to returnees in line with AHF donor requirements and WASH Cluster technical standards. The Senior Project Officer (WASH) will lead and manage activities including water supply, new construction, rehabilitation, sanitation facilities construction, and hygiene promotion, ensuring that earthquake-affected and returnees and host community households have access to safe, inclusive, and sustainable WASH services. The position supervises two WASH Engineers and reports administratively to the Provincial Manager and technically to the Senior Program Officer (Shelter and Infrastructure). This role requires strong technical leadership, coordination, and accountability at the provincial and regional levels, in close collaboration with the WASH Cluster, local authorities, and affected communities.

• Lead planning and implementation of WASH interventions for earthquake-affected and returnees populations in Kandahar and Herat , ensuring alignment with MRRD technical manuals, WASH Cluster guidelines and AHF requirements.
• Able to support WASH Engineer in developing the design package (Technical specification, Calculation, Drawing, BoQ ) and implementation on the ground.
• Conduct and supervise WASH needs assessments, including water source evaluations, sanitation coverage, hygiene behavior surveys, and beneficiary selection in coordination with clusters and local authorities.
• Provide technical oversight for new construction/rehabilitation of water supply systems, construction of sanitation facilities, and design/rollout of hygiene promotion campaigns.
• Supervise and guide two WASH Engineers, hygiene promoters, and community mobilizers, ensuring quality technical implementation and capacity building of staff.
• Ensure WASH interventions mainstream protection, gender, disability inclusion, and environmental considerations as per AHF and Cluster standards.
• Coordinate with logistics, procurement, and finance teams to ensure timely delivery of WASH supplies, construction materials, and construction support.
• Monitor implementation closely through regular site visits, ensuring quality control, adherence to technical specifications, and accountability to beneficiaries.
• Actively represent IRW in WASH Cluster and relevant coordination forums at provincial and regional levels, sharing updates to avoid duplication and ensure harmonization.
• Prepare and submit timely technical and narrative reports to the Provincial Manager (administrative line) and Senior Program Officer (Shelter and Infrastructure) for technical oversight, ensuring compliance with AHF requirements.
• Ensure reporting is in line with AHF standards, including submission of 5Ws to the WASH Cluster, situation reports, progress updates, and donor-specific reporting formats.
• Provide inputs for donor reporting on indicators, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned; ensure timely documentation of success stories and case studies.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with communities, CDCs, local authorities, and humanitarian partners to ensure acceptance, ownership, and sustainability.
• Support accountability mechanisms, including feedback and complaint response systems, to ensure transparency and beneficiary satisfaction.
• Integrate MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) systems into WASH interventions, ensuring regular data collection, beneficiary feedback, and documentation of learning.
• Collaborate with the MEAL team to ensure tracking of indicators, water quality monitoring, hygiene promotion monitoring, and evaluation surveys aligned with AHF and Cluster requirements.
• Prepare RH selection criteria and ensure to meet and adhere to donor and WASH cluster requirements.
• Perform other tasks assigned by line management (technical and administrative) relevant to enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the WASH response.

It is essential that the post holder shows a good understanding and sympathy with Islamic values and principles as well as commitment to Islamic Relief Worldwide's vision, mission and core values.

Essential:

Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications (Bullet Points)

• Graduate from Civil Engineering Faculty or equivalent Degree in Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Engineering.
• Understanding and ability to smoothly design water supply networks using WaterGEMS, AutoCAD, and similar software tools.
• At least 4–6 years of proven technical supervision experience in WASH interventions, preferably at least 2 years in emergency/earthquake contexts.
• Fluency in English, both in verbal communication and writing.
• Previous successful experience implementing WASH projects funded by AHF/UNOCHA or other humanitarian donors.
• Demonstrated knowledge of WASH Cluster standards, water supply systems, sanitation infrastructure, and hygiene promotion methodologies.
• High level of communication, interpersonal, representation, and negotiation skills.
• Experience in capacity building, supervision of engineers, and training delivery.
• Good understanding of cross-cutting issues including gender, protection, disability inclusion, and environment.
• Knowledge of safety and security measures in field operations.

Key Personal Qualities (Bullet Points)

• Strong communication skills with the ability to effectively engage local communities.
• Ability to work in high-stress environments and meet deadlines.
• Excellent time management, planning, and organizational skills.
• Commitment to Islamic Relief’s values, vision, and humanitarian principles.

Interested and qualified national candidates should submit a cover letter explaining their motivation and an updated CV to the following link:

https://jobs.af/jobs/senior-project-officer-wash

The closing date for accepting applications is 19 October 2025.

Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be considered, and only short-listed candidates will be called for written test.