Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Do you have:

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, Water Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Health, Environmental Engineering, or related discipline.

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in WASH programming within humanitarian and/or fragile contexts.

• Demonstrated experience managing emergency WASH responses for displaced populations, refugees, or crisis-affected communities.

What we are looking for:

We are looking for a WASH Team Leader who will:

• lead on the delivery of high quality, inclusive and climate resilient WASH Programme that respond to humanitarian needs, strengthen local systems, and contribute to sustainable WASH service provision in South Sudan

The Role:

The WASH Team Leader will provide strategic, technical, operational, and people management leadership for the implementation of Oxfam's GFFO-funded emergency WASH response in South Sudan. The position is responsible for ensuring timely, effective, accountable, and high-quality delivery of emergency water supply, sanitation, hygiene promotion, and public health interventions for refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and vulnerable host communities affected by the Sudan crisis and recurrent shocks in Jonglei and Upper Nile.

The role combines programme leadership, public health expertise, people management, partnership management, and WASH technical oversight to ensure interventions meet Sphere standards, South Sudan WASH Cluster guidance, donor requirements, and Oxfam quality standards. The Team Lead will ensure that emergency WASH services contribute to disease prevention, protection, gender equality, community participation, and resilience-building while creating synergies with longer-term recovery and systems-strengthening initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Programme Leadership and Management

• Lead the planning, implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management of all GFFO-funded WASH activities in assigned project locations.
• Develop detailed implementation plans, workplans, staffing plans, procurement plans, and spending forecasts to ensure timely project delivery.
• Ensure project targets, indicators, and donor commitments are achieved within agreed timelines and budgets.
• Lead regular project review meetings and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Promote integrated programming approaches linking WASH with public health, protection, gender, MEAL, EFSVL, and other sectors where relevant.
• Ensure activities are implemented in line with humanitarian principles, Sphere standards, South Sudan WASH Cluster standards, and Oxfam policies.
• Identify implementation risks and develop mitigation measures to ensure continuity of operations in complex and rapidly changing environments.

2. Technical Leadership for Emergency WASH Response

• Provide technical leadership for emergency WASH interventions. Ensure adequate quantity, quality, reliability, and equitable access to water and sanitation in accordance with Sphere standards.
• Plan and manage WASH program in a phased and prioritized manner with full consultation and coordination with Oxfam staff and other agencies both governmental and non-governmental.
• Ensure gender is fully considered throughout the project cycle with women being enabled to influence decision- making around WASH issues.
• Ensure active and meaningful community engagement for target selection, culturally appropriate, safe, dignified and inclusive design of WASH facilities, monitoring and operations and maintenance of WASH facilities.
• Coordinate with the Logistics Team for procurement of goods and services needed for WASH activities.
• Design and develop appropriate supervisory, monitoring and evaluation systems for WASH interventions and ensure regular monitoring of the quality of construction and the progress of project/works implementation.
• Ensure all personnel related issues for the staff of the designated project(s) are carried out in accordance with Oxfam guidelines
• Monitor the spending of the designated project(s) to ensure they operate in line with Oxfam and donor guidelines for financial accounting and reporting practices
• Provide regular updates on progress to response lead, Country WASH lead, MEAL and other team members, including other departments and sectors as appropriate.
• Prepare weekly reports for the WASH Manager(s) to document office and site activities, including communications with external actors, action points, decisions / changes made, and progress, including post-impact monitoring. 
• Ensure regular and timely reporting of problems, potential delays or risks to project implementation to the relevant supervisor, and support in the development and execution of solutions and mitigating actions.
• Take lead or part in preparation of donor report and regular Sitrep

3. Team Leadership and Human Resource Management

• Provide effective leadership, supervision, coaching, and performance management for WASH project staff.
• Establish clear performance objectives and conduct regular performance reviews.
• Foster a positive, inclusive, accountable, and high-performing team culture. Identify staff capacity gaps and develop capacity-building plans.
• Support staff wellbeing, duty of care, safeguarding, and adherence to organisational values and policies.
• Ensure staff understand and comply with Oxfam's Code of Conduct, safeguarding standards, anti-fraud policies, and humanitarian principles.

4. Partnership Management and Capacity Strengthening

• Provide technical oversight and support to local implementing partners. Assess partner technical capacity and identify institutional strengthening needs.
• Develop and implement partner capacity development plans covering emergency WASH programming, public health approaches, community engagement, monitoring and reporting accountability and safeguarding.
• Promote knowledge sharing and joint learning between Oxfam and partner teams.
• Support partners to comply with donor and Oxfam quality standards.

5. Assessment, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)

• Lead WASH needs assessments, technical assessments, public health assessments, and rapid emergency assessments.
• Ensure assessment findings are translated into evidence-based programme design and adaptation.
• Work closely with MEAL teams to develop monitoring frameworks and quality benchmarks.
• Ensure field monitoring systems effectively track outputs, outcomes, service quality, and user satisfaction.
• Analyse programme performance data and recommend improvements.
• Promote accountability to affected populations through community feedback and complaint mechanisms.
• Document lessons learned, best practices, and innovations for organisational learning.

6. Coordination, Representation and Advocacy

• Represent Oxfam in WASH Cluster coordination meetings at national and sub-national level and relevant technical working groups at field level.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with government authorities, humanitarian agencies, community leaders, UN agencies, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Participate in inter-agency assessments and coordination initiatives.
• Ensure regular sharing of technical information, response updates, and operational challenges with relevant stakeholders.
• Advocate for humanitarian principles, equitable WASH access, protection-sensitive programming, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups.

7. Financial and Resource Management

• Manage project budgets and ensure expenditure remains within approved budgets and donor requirements.
• Monitor budget utilisation and support timely forecasting and reforecasting exercises.
• Ensure value for money, cost-effectiveness, and efficient utilisation of project resources.
• Work closely with logistics, procurement, and finance teams to ensure timely delivery of goods and services.
• Review technical specifications, bills of quantities, scopes of work, and tender documents for WASH-related procurements.

8. Proposal Development and Programme Growth

• Contribute to the design and development of emergency, transitional, and resilience-focused WASH projects.
• Support technical assessments and proposal development processes.
• Provide technical inputs into concept notes, project designs, budgets, log frames, and donor reports.
• Ensure learning from the GFFO project informs future programming and strategic planning.
• Promote complementarity and coordination with ongoing BMZ TDA, GAC, and other WASH and resilience programmes.

9. Reporting

• Ensure timely submission of high-quality monthly, quarterly, and donor reports.
• Provide regular programme updates to management and technical leadership.
• Prepare technical reports, assessment reports, project briefs, sitreps, and case studies as required.
• Ensure project documentation is maintained in accordance with organisational and donor requirements

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

If you have any questions about this role, we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at recruitmentteam@oxfam.org.uk , making sure you include the job title of the role you're asking abou

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.