Programme Background:

Under the Austrian Development Cooperation funded Institutional Support Programme (ISP), the Palestinian Water Authority intends to hire national senior experts to provide additional human resources to PWA in critical areas and further develop the capacity of PWA staff and junior specialists to be hired under the ISP.

The Institutional Support Programme (ISP) will assist the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) "to fulfil its functions as per the Water Law 2014 through strengthened and effective institutional capacities in the areas of strategic planning, policy formulation, coordination, monitoring, reporting, and resource mobilization" (outcome). Over three years the intervention will contribute to putting an "effective institutional framework in place for improving water security and sustainable management of water and wastewater services (SDG 6) in Palestine through a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach (impact).

The program's key emphasis will be on enhancing human resources while also allocating resources for operational purposes, research, and the implementation of a Management Information System (MIS).

The water sector receives support from various donors to facilitate essential infrastructure developments, considering the diverse range of contributors involved. The programme will support further institutional development of the PWA.

Scope of Work:

The overall objective of the specialist is to support ISP Output 4 – Strategic Planning and Monitoring

Output 4 combines support in strategic planning - ensuring the linkage and information flow from water resource monitoring to projects planning and aid coordination - with the development of IT capacities including a Management Information System (MIS). These could be treated as two independent outputs but were combined as they are both under the responsibility of the existing Administration for Strategic Planning.

Indeed, there is a close link between the strategic planning tasks and the management of the needed information. However, the design and usage of the MIS will not be limited to the Administration of Strategic Planning but will consider the information requirements of other administrations and units of PWA As need for an MIS has been clearly confirmed during the preparatory consultations, its development is proposed as one of the activities under this output. Details on the scope, priority functionalities and implementation approach for the MIS are being assessed through a separate preparatory assignment.

The General Directorate of Strategic Planning is in the PWA-ISP focus, and capacity support to the Directorate will be implemented by employing two Senior Experts and two Junior Specialists.

This describes the requirements for the Wastewater Senior specialist.

The Directorate reports directly to the Head of the Palestinian Water Authority. The General Directorate is responsible for developing the water and geographic information system for the water sector and all information systems supporting the work of specialized departments in PWA, in addition to providing technical support in the field of maintaining operating software and information systems and providing appropriate networks for the work of organizational units.

The wastewater department is responsible for the development of sanitation services and wastewater reuse by proposing development plans and policies and supporting partners and service providers to develop master schemes and plans for the development of wastewater.

The expert will report directly to the Director of the strategic planning directorate and work closely with the junior specialist in the unit and the entire project team while – with the support of the Organizational Development Advisor – applying a well-thought-through and systematic capacity development approach to the benefit of dedicated ISP specialists and PWA staff.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The specialist will be responsible for the following overall tasks (to be specified at the onset of the assignment and periodically reviewed and updated):

1. Developing sanitation services and wastewater reuse by proposing development plans and policies aimed at this, and supporting partners and service providers to propose master schemes and plans for the development of wastewater.
2. Supervising the development of master plans in the sanitation sector for the Palestinian regions at the national, regional and local levels, aiming at providing an integrated infrastructure for the water sector in Palestine.
3. Supporting local authorities and service providers in developing master, developmental and emergency plans for sanitation in their regions, in line with the approved national development plans.
4. Studying and defining development priorities and selecting wastewater projects aimed at ensuring the sustainability of services and their access to all users.
5. Managing and coordinating pilot schemes for all levels of planning at the national level and proposing wastewater projects.
6. Develop and supervise the implementation of strategies for the reuse of treated wastewater in the agricultural sector in full coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and other related authorities in this field.
7. Preparing plans for sanitation projects approved within the master plan and following up on their inclusion within the projects to be implemented through the Project Management Unit, various service providers or the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Specialist will be responsible for the following deliverables (to be specified at the onset of the assignment):

• 48hrs to 72hrs for urgent opinions
• Develop a comprehensive strategy for wastewater management that aligns with national priorities and international best practices. The strategy should outline approaches for treatment, disposal, and reuse, considering environmental and public health concerns
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, international partners, and local communities, to ensure alignment of wastewater projects with broader development goals
• General Wastewater Environmental and Social Framework Monitoring Plan
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
• Provide technical inputs for the development and enhancement of wastewater management policies, regulations, and standards
• Wastewater database and coverage report

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Experience & Qualifications:

• Minimum academic qualification: Bachelors’ Degree in Civil Engineering, Wastewater treatment, Environmental Science or a related field.
• Master degree is preferable.
• 5 years’ experience working in a relevant position.
• Extensive experience in design and operation of WWTP, sewerage system, domestic and industrial water collecting and treatment, reuse, irrigation, and planning.
• Experience in pollution abatement specifically in wastewater management and wastewater treatment technologies and sludge disposal.
• Good strategic planning and coordination skills.
• Familiarity with budgeting and financial management processes.
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills.
• Excellent command of MS Office and ability to create well-formatted, edited and visually appealing graphs, documents and tables.
• Experience and ability in meeting and workshop facilitation and documentation.
• Excellent command of English language (written and verbal).

The contract will be for 1 year extendable as demand necessity, on a full-time basis. The expected start date for the position is the 01st of April 2024

Interested consultants shall submit her/his applications including (Cover letter, CV describing similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc.) which must be delivered by email addressed below no later than 14/03/2024.

[email protected]