WASH & Infrastructure Coordinator

About the role

The Country WASH & Infrastructure Coordinator works under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme in Sudan and provides technical leadership, strategic guidance and quality assurance for the DRC Sudan WASH and WASH infrastructure portfolio, covering emergency, nexus and long-term WASH, water resources, sanitation and hygiene, climate resilience and preparedness, and WASH in institutions. The post holder acts as the national technical advisor for WASH, supporting programme development and positioning with technical and area teams, global advisors and partners.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and update the WASH strategy under the Sudan Country Strategy, and produce standards, guidance, tools and standard operating procedures aligned with Sphere, national codes, Cluster guidance and DRC frameworks.
• Ensure coherent approaches across emergency, protracted-displacement and nexus/long-term WASH, integrating WASH with Protection, Shelter/Site Management and Economic Recovery, including cholera response.
• Advise on water supply and resources (hydrogeological assessments, groundwater and surface water options, solar systems, water quality, conflict-sensitive access, IWRM), sanitation, hygiene promotion and behaviour change, and community-led approaches such as CLTS and WASH committees.
• Support field teams in needs identification and rapid needs assessments, conduct field visits (including Darfur) or remote follow-up to quality-assure design, construction and implementation.
• Integrate climate risk, disaster risk reduction, nature-based solutions and anticipatory action into WASH strategy and design, and lead preparedness and contingency planning for floods, drought and cholera.
• Lead technical review of designs, drawings, BoQs and specifications, and guide tendering, contracting, supervision, quality control, handover and O&M.
• Contribute technical inputs to proposals, budgets, donor reports and advocacy, and work with MEAL teams to ensure projects meet DRC and donor standards.
• Ensure accountability mechanisms and mainstreaming of protection, gender, disability and PSEA; design and deliver capacity building for DRC and partner staff.
• Represent DRC in WASH Cluster and coordination forums, build relationships with authorities, donors and UN agencies, and advise on technical recruitment.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering (or Water/Environmental Engineering); a Master's in WASH, water resources management, hydrogeology or a related field is desirable.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant WASH experience, including at least 3 in a technical advisory or coordination role.
• Proven experience in complex emergency and protracted-displacement contexts (Sudan/Darfur or comparable).
• Ability to live and work in an unstable, insecure environment.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English; fluency in Arabic is desirable.

Required skills

• Solid engineering background: technical design and review of BoQs, specifications and drawings for water supply, sanitation and WASH in schools and public institutions.
• Strong knowledge of sanitation, hygiene and behaviour change, community-led approaches, cholera response, water resources management, climate-resilient WASH and anticipatory action.
• Experience in standards and tool development, proposals, donor reporting and WASH Cluster coordination.

What we offer

• One-year contract with possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance.
• Salary and conditions according to the Danish Refugee Council's Terms of Employment for International staff, graded at Band NM.
• Duty station Khartoum with regular field travel; start date December 2026.