Cluster (Community Promoter)

Project background

The Clean Faces, Clean Environment – A Path to Sustaining Trachoma Elimination is a 5-year project funded by the Fred Hollows Foundation. The [project aims to accelerate and sustain the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region. Trachoma remains a leading cause of preventable blindness, primarily linked to poor hygiene and environmental sanitation.

Building on the WASH for Trachoma Elimination (WASHTra I & II) initiatives, the project promotes facial cleanliness, hygiene behaviour, and community-led waste management. It applies SNV’s Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A) approach and the Behaviour Centred Design (BCD) framework to ensure lasting behavioural change. The project aligns with the national SAFE strategy and the Total Sanitation to End Open Defecation and Urination (TSEDU)–Ethiopia initiative.

The project adopts a five-year phased leadership transition from SNV to the Oromia Health Bureau (OHB): SNV leads and builds capacity (Years 1–3), followed by joint implementation (Year 4), OHB-led activities with SNV support and full OHB leadership with SNV advisory (Year 5). The project aligns with government-led initiatives, including the One WASH National Program, a national campaign aimed at eliminating open defecation by 2030 and one of the Bureau of Health’s key priorities.

The project will be implemented in 49 woredas across six zones of Oromia Regional State: Arsi, East Hararghe, East Shewa, Guji, Jimma, and West Hararghe.

Purpose of the Job

The Woreda Community Promoter will be responsible for coordinating and supervising all project activities across a cluster of woredas. The role ensures strong collaboration among sector offices, facilitates community engagement, and provides technical and operational support to achieve the project’s outcomes in hygiene behavior change, WASH–NTD integration, and sustainable trachoma elimination. They will work closely with woreda-level government offices including Health, Water, Education, Finance and Economic Development, Labour and Social Affairs, and Women and Children Affairs to integrate hygiene and trachoma prevention efforts into broader development agendas.

Community Promoters will cover a cluster of 3-4 woredas. The role supports community-based structures, including Health Extension Workers (HEWs), Women’s Development Army (WDA) leaders, kebele administrators, and school principals. Their role will extend beyond technical backstopping to include motivating and mobilizing these actors to champion behavior change interventions

Job Description

Project Coordination and Implementation

• Coordinate and oversee all project activities within assigned woredas in line with annual work plans.
• Facilitate integration of Facial Cleanliness (F) and Environmental Improvement (E) components into existing woreda-level WASH and NTD programs.
• Ensure timely and quality implementation of sanitation, hygiene, and behavior change interventions in collaboration with Health Extension Workers (HEWs), schools, WASHCOs, and community structures.
• Support the organization of community dialogues, school campaigns, and model household demonstrations.
• With the guidance of the SBCC Advisor, Marketing and Capacity Building Advisor and the Water and Sanitation Engineer, identify, examine, and identify the barriers, enablers, influencers, channels, and opportunities for behaviour change and all water and sanitation infrastructure development and proper use by the community.
• Implement periodic project monitoring to ensure targets are being met and where needed re-alignment of project interventions to meet targets.
• In coordination with the Project Advisors ensure that all reports are accurate and submitted in a timely manner.

Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the focal point between SNV, woreda sector offices, and local partners.
• Strengthen multi-sectoral coordination through regular meetings with Health, Water, Education, Finance, and Women and Children Affairs offices.
• Engage community leaders, Women’s Development Army (WDA) leaders, and local influencers in promoting hygiene and sanitation practices.
• Facilitate effective collaboration with NGOs, TSEDU and OWNP program offices, and private sector actors.
• Participate in a regular sector coordination with community, woreda and zone coordination fora,
• Work with Woreda Water office and Kebele leaders to create WASH Committees/Water Users Associations and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs).
• Provide regular support and supervision to these structures so they are effective and sustainable.
• Closely work with the Woreda Health office, Health Extension Workers (HEWs), Women Development Army (WDA), disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) and local leader to promote proper hygiene and sanitation practices so that project OD kebeles are certified for Basic Sanitation status.
• Ensure the quality and timeliness of all deliverables indicated in the Project PDD document.

Capacity Building and Technical Support:

• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to HEWs, WASHCOs, and local facilitators on hygiene and trachoma prevention approaches.
• Support delivery of woreda-level training and workshops in collaboration with the Capacity Building Advisor.
• Encourage community ownership and local leadership in sustaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and sustained hygienic behaviour.

Knowledge Management, Learning and Innovation:

• In Coordination with the Communication Intern and SBCC Advisor and GESI officer, capture lessons learned, stimulate internal and external knowledge exchange, and suggest ways how to translate this into practice to the PM.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the PM/Water sector Lead.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in public health, Behavioural change Communication (BCC), relevant Environmental Health and Hygiene related disciplines.
• At least 3 years of community-based experience.
• Proven experience in undertaking activities aimed at Behaviour Communication Change (BCC), Capacity Building of government staff and institution to effectively construct, manage and maintain WASH services.
• Fluency in local language of the project implementation area and English languages is essential as a working language of SNV.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and a strong track record in meeting deliverables deadlines.
• Strong English and communication skills, both interpersonal and written.
• Strong data analysis and reporting skills.
• Commercial drive and quality orientation.
• Competent and motivated.
• Ability to work independently and under stressful conditions.
• Team player and able and willing to perform tasks to make WASHTRA project successful.
• Assignments are usually broad in nature and require originality and ingenuity. Additionally, the work requires ability to work independently and under stressful conditions and team player and able and willing to perform tasks to make WASHTRA phase 2 project successful.

Competencies:

• Communication
• Flexibility
• Perseverance
• Result orientation

Skills Required:

• Environmental / Natural / Resource
• Health / Medical