Job Title: Venezuela Earthquake Response Technical Advisor I-WASH
Reports to: Technical Advisor II/Program Quality & with a dotted line to the HRD WASH Team Lead
Department: Humanitarian Response Department
Salary Grade: 9
Job Summary
EMPOWER (Empowering Partner Organizations Working in Emergency Response) is a CRS program under the Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) that strengthens local humanitarian actors’ leadership, coordination, institutional capacity, and access to humanitarian funding. In Venezuela, EMPOWER will support a six-month, DHR-funded emergency response led by CRS and Cáritas Venezuela following the June 2026 earthquakes, which caused significant damage, displacement, and urgent needs across affected areas. The response will provide life-saving assistance in WASH, food assistance, emergency shelter and non-food items, and protection/MHPSS, while building on CRS and Cáritas Venezuela’s existing partnership, parish-based structures, volunteer networks, and emergency response systems.
You will provide technical advice and support as part of the response to the Venezuela Earthquake Emergency to a range of project design and implementation issues in the area of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to Caritas Venezuela teams to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Your advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS’ WASH programming is across the globe.
Roles and Key Responsibilities
1. Technical quality and program cycle support
- Provide technical solutions for WASH components across the program cycle (strategic planning, design, implementation, MEAL), from emergency response through recovery/nexus and longer-term development.
- Provide technical solutions to CP teams, on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
- Conduct sectoral assessments (water resources, sanitation infrastructure, hygiene practices, markets), develop intervention strategies, and support implementation and monitoring.
- Conduct program evaluations and support corrective actions.
- Align with Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere Minimum Standards for WASH, the Venezuela ASH (WASH) Cluster operational guidance, CRS Protection and Gender Equality guidelines, and donor requirements.
- Ensure a cross-sectoral approach that integrates gender, protection mainstreaming, disability inclusion, and disaster risk reduction in all WASH interventions.
2. Engineering design and water supply
- Design water supply systems and treatment solutions (rehabilitation of systems, water trucking specifications, storage, distribution points, chlorination — including on-site hypochlorite generation) with technical drawings and BOQs.
- Incorporate water quality surveillance (residual chlorine, bacteriological, turbidity) into all water interventions, with clear monitoring protocols and data-sharing with the ASH Cluster.
- Promote innovative, sustainable and market-based water delivery solutions, including operation and maintenance arrangements with hidrológicas, municipalities and community water committees (Mesas Técnicas de Agua).
- Analyze water and sanitation governance institutions (state and municipal utilities, private providers, community-managed services) to inform intervention design and sustainability strategies.
3. Sanitation and hygiene promotion
- Ensure sustainable sanitation targeting, including onsite sanitation technology, fecal sludge management, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management, in both emergency and non-emergency settings.
- Extend sanitation beyond communities to key institutions (schools, health facilities, hospitals, collective shelters) as much as possible in collaboration with municipal authorities.
- Design hygiene promotion and community engagement activities complementary to hardware implementations (including Vector Control, MHM, and Environmental Health), using harmonized ASH Cluster key messages.
4. Integrated programming and coordination
- Work closely with the Shelter sector to integrate solution strategies, implementation approaches and expected holistic impact (e.g., WASH in collective centers and transitional sites).
- Coordinate and plan activities with other CRS/Cáritas sectors in the earthquake response (food security, protection/MHPSS, cash) to strengthen integrated programming and impact.
- Promote active CRS participation in the Venezuela ASH Cluster and relevant technical working groups; represent CRS in coordination forums, contribute quality data to the 4W, and support geographic de-confliction with other actors.
- Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations and government counterparts; share best practices and promote CRS' work.
5. Capacity strengthening and partnership
- Support capacity strengthening initiatives in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programming for partners through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and coaching in coordination with CRS HRD WASH Team.
- Provide on-the-job training to Country Program staff and partners, including water quality monitoring, safe chlorination, infrastructure supervision, and community mobilization.
6. Learning, MEAL and business development
- Collect and analyze program data, capture and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to WASH learning agenda.
- Support WASH proposals processes (or WASH sections in multi-sectoral proposals).
- Support the development and contribute to the implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools and best practices in WASH that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments.
- Keep up to date on policies and best practices; disseminate agency wide.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in civil/process/mechanical or environmental engineering, hydrogeology/geology or relevant experience in the field of WASH.
- Minimum of three to five years of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, UN or private companies working in areas related to Water & Sanitation.
- Demonstrated experience in humanitarian/emergency WASH response
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in water and sanitation engineering, civil engineering, hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental engineering, process engineering, or mechanical engineering. Experience in earthquake or rapid-onset disaster response and in urban WASH contexts.
- Experience working with local faith-based partners and/or the Caritas network; familiarity with cluster coordination mechanisms.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.
- Proficient in AutoCad and/or other engineering, hydraulics or aquifer modelling software programs.
- Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in WASH. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure a proper cross-sectoral approach.
- Knowledge of capacity-strengthening best practices.
- Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.
- Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
- Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings
- Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
- Good technical writing skills
- Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented
- Required Languages: Professional fluency in Spanish (working language of the response) and English (reporting and coordination with HRD and donors).
Travel: Must be deploy to the field 85% of the time and have the ability to live and work in disaster affected areas.
Interpersonal & Leadership Skills
- Excellent diplomacy, negotiation, and conflict management skills; ability to move groups toward consensus.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; understands relationship management best practices; relates well to all levels of the organization and diverse partners.
- Proactive and solution-oriented; seeks innovative, practical, cost-effective, and culturally appropriate solutions using locally available resources.
- Strong team player.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings
- Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
- Good technical writing skills
- Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
- Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented
Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Key Working Relationships: Internal: EMPOWER LACRO Team, HRD WASH Team External: Caritas Venezuela, peer agencies involved in emergency and non-emergency support, donors and local and national governments stakeholders.
Responsibilities
CRS JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Venezuela Earthquake Response Technical Advisor I-WASH
Reports to: Technical Advisor II/Program Quality & with a dotted line to the HRD WASH Team Lead
Department: Humanitarian Response Department
Salary Grade: 9
Job Summary
EMPOWER (Empowering Partner Organizations Working in Emergency Response) is a CRS program under the Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) that strengthens local humanitarian actors’ leadership, coordination, institutional capacity, and access to humanitarian funding. In Venezuela, EMPOWER will support a six-month, DHR-funded emergency response led by CRS and Cáritas Venezuela following the June 2026 earthquakes, which caused significant damage, displacement, and urgent needs across affected areas. The response will provide life-saving assistance in WASH, food assistance, emergency shelter and non-food items, and protection/MHPSS, while building on CRS and Cáritas Venezuela’s existing partnership, parish-based structures, volunteer networks, and emergency response systems.
You will provide technical advice and support as part of the response to the Venezuela Earthquake Emergency to a range of project design and implementation issues in the area of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to Caritas Venezuela teams to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Your advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS’ WASH programming is across the globe.
Roles and Key Responsibilities
1. Technical quality and program cycle support
- Provide technical solutions for WASH components across the program cycle (strategic planning, design, implementation, MEAL), from emergency response through recovery/nexus and longer-term development.
- Provide technical solutions to CP teams, on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools and M&E, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
- Conduct sectoral assessments (water resources, sanitation infrastructure, hygiene practices, markets), develop intervention strategies, and support implementation and monitoring.
- Conduct program evaluations and support corrective actions.
- Align with Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere Minimum Standards for WASH, the Venezuela ASH (WASH) Cluster operational guidance, CRS Protection and Gender Equality guidelines, and donor requirements.
- Ensure a cross-sectoral approach that integrates gender, protection mainstreaming, disability inclusion, and disaster risk reduction in all WASH interventions.
2. Engineering design and water supply
- Design water supply systems and treatment solutions (rehabilitation of systems, water trucking specifications, storage, distribution points, chlorination — including on-site hypochlorite generation) with technical drawings and BOQs.
- Incorporate water quality surveillance (residual chlorine, bacteriological, turbidity) into all water interventions, with clear monitoring protocols and data-sharing with the ASH Cluster.
- Promote innovative, sustainable and market-based water delivery solutions, including operation and maintenance arrangements with hidrológicas, municipalities and community water committees (Mesas Técnicas de Agua).
- Analyze water and sanitation governance institutions (state and municipal utilities, private providers, community-managed services) to inform intervention design and sustainability strategies.
3. Sanitation and hygiene promotion
- Ensure sustainable sanitation targeting, including onsite sanitation technology, fecal sludge management, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management, in both emergency and non-emergency settings.
- Extend sanitation beyond communities to key institutions (schools, health facilities, hospitals, collective shelters) as much as possible in collaboration with municipal authorities.
- Design hygiene promotion and community engagement activities complementary to hardware implementations (including Vector Control, MHM, and Environmental Health), using harmonized ASH Cluster key messages.
4. Integrated programming and coordination
- Work closely with the Shelter sector to integrate solution strategies, implementation approaches and expected holistic impact (e.g., WASH in collective centers and transitional sites).
- Coordinate and plan activities with other CRS/Cáritas sectors in the earthquake response (food security, protection/MHPSS, cash) to strengthen integrated programming and impact.
- Promote active CRS participation in the Venezuela ASH Cluster and relevant technical working groups; represent CRS in coordination forums, contribute quality data to the 4W, and support geographic de-confliction with other actors.
- Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations and government counterparts; share best practices and promote CRS' work.
5. Capacity strengthening and partnership
- Support capacity strengthening initiatives in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programming for partners through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and coaching in coordination with CRS HRD WASH Team.
- Provide on-the-job training to Country Program staff and partners, including water quality monitoring, safe chlorination, infrastructure supervision, and community mobilization.
6. Learning, MEAL and business development
- Collect and analyze program data, capture and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to WASH learning agenda.
- Support WASH proposals processes (or WASH sections in multi-sectoral proposals).
- Support the development and contribute to the implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools and best practices in WASH that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments.
- Keep up to date on policies and best practices; disseminate agency wide.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in civil/process/mechanical or environmental engineering, hydrogeology/geology or relevant experience in the field of WASH.
- Minimum of three to five years of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, UN or private companies working in areas related to Water & Sanitation.
- Demonstrated experience in humanitarian/emergency WASH response
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in water and sanitation engineering, civil engineering, hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental engineering, process engineering, or mechanical engineering. Experience in earthquake or rapid-onset disaster response and in urban WASH contexts.
- Experience working with local faith-based partners and/or the Caritas network; familiarity with cluster coordination mechanisms.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.
- Proficient in AutoCad and/or other engineering, hydraulics or aquifer modelling software programs.
- Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in WASH. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure a proper cross-sectoral approach.
- Knowledge of capacity-strengthening best practices.
- Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.
- Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
- Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings
- Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
- Good technical writing skills
- Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented
- Required Languages: Professional fluency in Spanish (working language of the response) and English (reporting and coordination with HRD and donors).
Travel: Must be deploy to the field 85% of the time and have the ability to live and work in disaster affected areas.
Interpersonal & Leadership Skills
- Excellent diplomacy, negotiation, and conflict management skills; ability to move groups toward consensus.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; understands relationship management best practices; relates well to all levels of the organization and diverse partners.
- Proactive and solution-oriented; seeks innovative, practical, cost-effective, and culturally appropriate solutions using locally available resources.
- Strong team player.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings
- Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
- Good technical writing skills
- Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
- Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented
Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Key Working Relationships: Internal: EMPOWER LACRO Team, HRD WASH Team External: Caritas Venezuela, peer agencies involved in emergency and non-emergency support, donors and local and national governments stakeholders.
Organization context
General Requirements
CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements. All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.
CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.
