Titre du poste

Consultancy for Technical Assistance To the MoWRS - Freetown

Description

Position : Consultancy for Technical Assistance To the MoWRS - Freetown

Project Title: Strengthening WASH Systems for HealthPosition Title: Technical Assistant (TA) for Sanitation Transition SupportLocation: Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (MoWRS), Freetown, Sierra LeoneDuration: Two years (subject to renewal based on performance).
Project Partners: WASHNet Sierra Leone, GOAL Sierra LeoneStart Date: February 2025.

  1. Background

Historically, the hitherto Ministry of Health and Sanitation has overseen sanitation services in Sierra Leone, focusing primarily on sanitation as a public health priority. While this approach has seen some success, it has also presented challenges, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, where communities often face limitations in sustainable access to safe water and sanitation services. Integrating sanitation within the Ministry of Water Resources, the government seeks to enable a more comprehensive approach to sanitation delivery and improve outcomes in hygiene, public health, and sustainable water management.
In September of 2023, the Government of Sierra Leone initiated this critical sector reform, aimed at transitioning the mandate of sanitation from the Ministry of Health (MoH) to now, the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (MoWRS). This shift aligns with national priorities aligned with the Medium Term National Development Plan, to improve the management of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services, ensuring a more integrated approach to sustainable service delivery. To support this transition, the WASH Systems Strengthening for Health project, jointly implemented by WASHNet in partnership with GOAL, seeks to embed a Technical Assistant (TA) within the MoWRS.
Despite the many challenges that the WASH sector grapples with, the Government of Sierra Leone has expressed heightened commitments to improving the health and well-being of all citizens through integrated water sanitation and hygiene management.
Summary  of Job Description
The Technical Assistant will play a pivotal role in facilitating the transfer of responsibilities, providing technical guidance, and supporting the implementation of necessary sector reforms while at the same time looking at major gaps and providing support to enhance the Ministry’s performance and effectiveness – including exploring financing options, multi-stakeholder engagement and identifying and prioritizing key sanitation interventions that offer the greatest potential for improving health outcomes and economic development in target areas. The position is crucial in building the capacity of MoWRS to effectively lead the sanitation mandate, ensuring coordination, policy coherence, and improved service delivery.
The transition of the sanitation mandate requires a carefully planned and phased approach to ensure minimal disruption to services while laying the groundwork for long-term impacts. This holistic approach therefore fosters alignment, strengthens institutional capacity, and promotes coordination between ministries and stakeholders to enhance sanitation services across Sierra Leone.
The role of WASHNet and GOAL in supporting the transition will be critical in supporting the MoWRS through advocacy for sustained and increased sector financing as well as targeted policy implementation in addition to providing technical guidance, and capacity building to strengthen both national and district-level systems. With a clear, phased implementation plan being worked on by GOAL and WASHNet, the project aims to empower the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation with the necessary resources, skills, and frameworks to effectively assume and fulfill its expanded mandates and functions.

  1. Objective of the Assignment

The primary objective of the Technical Assistant role is to provide strategic and technical support to the MoWRS and MoH in reviewing, developing, and implementing key policies, reforms and actions that facilitate the effective transition of the sanitation mandate from MoH to MoWRS. This includes capacity building, policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, coordination with both the ministeries, and strengthening coordination mechanisms across the WASH sector.

  1. Scope of Work

The Technical Assistant will be responsible for the following tasks:

  1. Policy Review and Dissemination
  • Conduct a comprehensive review of existing sanitation policies, frameworks, and guidelines within the MoH and align them with the new mandate under MoWRS.
  • Support the dissemination and supportive follow-up actions of the sector-specific policies, strategies, and operational guidelines that reflect the expanded mandates and functions of MoWRS in managing a sustainable sanitation service delivery model.
  • Support the drafting of a national sanitation road map and action plan, that focuses on increasing sanitation coverage in the country as well as addressing the gaps identified in the WASH-Norms survey such as social equity, inclusivity, and sustainability.
  • Support MoH and MoWRS to identify the actions to be executed to complete the mandate transfer such as transfer of sanitation officiers from MoH to MoWRS.
  • Engage with the DHMT and District counsil to define actions to executed to complete the mandate transfer at both level – national and sub-national including transfer of sanitation Officers from DHMT to Water Directorate at the district level.
  1. Capacity Building
  • Identify capacity gaps within the MoWRS related to the new sanitation mandates and develop a targeted capacity-building plan including HR, technical expertise, process, and mechanism.
  • Recommend and facilitate capacity strengthening options for MoWRS staff on sanitation management, Community-Led Total Sanitation Plus Plus, Market-Based Sanitation, Safely-Managed Sanitation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions.
  • Develop and deliver training materials, toolkits, and technical manuals for use by MoWRS and local councils’ staff.
  1. Stakeholder Coordination and Engagement
  • Facilitate a multi-sectoral coordination platform for key stakeholders, including MoH, local councils, WASH sector partners, and donor agencies, to ensure a smooth transition of the mandates at national and subnational levels.
  • Act as a liaison between MoWRS and key stakeholders, supporting effective communication, information sharing, and collaborative problem-solving.
  • Support the organization and facilitation of regular stakeholder meetings and joint planning sessions.
  1. Implementation Support
  • Provide hands-on support to MoWRS in implementing sector reforms, including the roll-out of new guidelines, standards, and operational procedures for sanitation services and approaches.
  • Monitor the progress of the transition process, identify bottlenecks, and recommend actionable solutions to address challenges.
  • Lead the development of a results-based framework for tracking progress and measuring the impact of the transition activities.
  • Develop or update the monitoring indicators for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene services.
  • Support the Green and Clean Salone campaign to end open defecation in Sierra Leone.
  • Develop a process for informed decision-making that ensures the participation of sector players, community people, and others.
  1. Reporting and Documentation
  • Prepare regular progress reports, technical briefs, and policy papers for MoWRS and project partners.
  • Document lessons learned and best practices from the transition process to inform future sector reforms.
  • Contribute to the development of project reports, ensuring alignment with donor requirements and timelines.
  1. Deliverables

The Technical Assistant is expected to deliver the following:

  1. Determine the necessary actions/steps that both the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (MoWRS) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) need to take to complete the transfer of the sanitation mandate as well as get both ministeries develop consensus on these steps and actions.
  2. Determine the actions to be executed at the sub-national level from both ministeries to complete this mandate transfer
  3. Comprehensive review report of existing sanitation policies and frameworks.
  4. Updated national sanitation roadmap and action plan for MoWRS.
  5. Capacity-building plan and training materials for MoWRS staff.
  6. Regular progress reports, policy briefs, and technical papers.
  7. Coordination platforms supported with active engagement from key stakeholders- relating to processes and mechanisms.
  8. Results-based monitoring framework for the transition process including the process  of  adapting  and  learning
  9. The final end-of-assignment report detailing achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations.

Required profile for job ad : Consultancy for Technical Assistance To the MoWRS - Freetown

  1. Qualifications and Experience
  • Advanced degree in Public Health, Environmental Engineering, WASH, Development Studies, or a related field.
  • At least 7 years of professional experience in the WASH sector, with a focus on policy development, sector reform, and institutional strengthening.
  • Proven experience in providing technical assistance to government ministries, preferably in the context of sectoral transitions.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of WASH policies, strategies, and frameworks in Sierra Leone or a similar context.
  • Strong facilitation, capacity-building, and training skills.
  • Excellent stakeholder engagement, coordination, and communication skills.
  • Proficiency in report writing and documentation of best practices.
  • Fluency in English (spoken and written) and knowledge of local languages is an asset.
  1. Management and Supervision

The Technical Assistant will be embedded within the MoWRS and report directly to the Chief Director (Professional Head) and the WASHNet Team Lead. The TA will work closely with relevant MoWRS departments and liaise regularly with WASHNet, GOAL, and other project stakeholders. Monthly progress meetings will be held with WASHNet and GOAL representatives to review the progress of activities and provide strategic guidance.

  1. Duration and Terms of Engagement

The position is full-time for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of renewal based on performance and availability of funding. The role requires a significant presence within the Ministry, with occasional travel to project sites as necessary.

  1. Application Process

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents:

  • A cover letter outlining your suitability for the role.
  • An up-to-date CV highlighting relevant experience.
  • Contact details of three professional referees.
  1. Evaluation Criteria

Candidates will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Relevant academic qualifications (20%)
  • Professional experience and track record in similar roles (40%)
  • Demonstrated skills in policy development and technical/institutional capacity building (20%)
  • Experience in stakeholder coordination and engagement (20%)

Job criteria for job ad : Consultancy for Technical Assistance To the MoWRS - Freetown

  • Job category : Sales
  • Industries : Electricity, water, gas, nuclear, energy
  • Employment type : Fixed-term contract
  • Region : Freetown
  • City : Freetown
  • Remote work :
    No
  • Experience level : 5 to 10 years - More than 10 years
  • Educational level : High school - Technical school - College - HND - Bachelor - Master - Doctorate
  • Spoken language :
    english > fluent
  • Number of Position(s) : 1
  • Team management :
    No
  • Sales
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Type de poste
Temps plein
Lieu du poste
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Date de publication
22 janvier 2025
Valide jusqu’au
23 mars 2025
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