Job Description

Position duration: (Tentative July 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027)

Note: Position is contingent on funding.

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

The Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) provides leadership and support to CRS emergency programming. The HRD strengthens CRS’ impact through high quality, innovative programs; improved technical and management capacity at the field level; and active engagement in global efforts to promote excellence and learning in humanitarian response. The HRD has technical staff that supports emergency program planning, rapid response, and capacity strengthening of staff and partners worldwide.

The Technical Advisor I, WASH provides technical support and advice to project & Country Program (CP) teams and partners in the design and implementation of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming, in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles, donor guidelines, and recognized industry best practices. The role supports the application and adaptation of established WASH standards, tools, and approaches across humanitarian, nexus, and development contexts. The Technical Advisor I contributes to high-quality program design, implementation, learning, and capacity strengthening efforts to serve poor and vulnerable communities.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools and best practices in WASH that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.

• Provide technical solutions to CP teams, remotely and 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.

• Contribute technical inputs to project concept notes and proposals, including drafting WASH sections and supporting proposal development teams to align with donor strategies, priorities, and technical requirements.

• Support capacity strengthening efforts for staff and partners by contributing to the development and delivery of trainings, workshops, learning activities, and on‑the‑job coaching in WASH programming.
  Collect, review, and analyze program data; document lessons learned and promising practices from WASH projects; and contribute to internal learning and knowledge‑sharing efforts.

• Participate in coordination forums, communities of practice, and technical working groups related to WASH, as assigned, to support information exchange and continuous learning.

• Collaborate with other technical to support integrated programming approaches and outcomes.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• 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.

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications,

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft technical content with guidance.

• Ability to work collaboratively with and build relationships among colleagues and partners across diverse cultural and geographic contexts. Ability to use negotiation and conflict management skills to promote group consensus.

• Analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with the ability to manage tasks and priorities effectively.

• Proactive, resourceful, and results oriented approach with the ability to seek and develop innovative, practical, cost effective, and culturally appropriate solutions.

• Good presentation, facilitation, and technical writing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in water and sanitation engineering, civil engineering, hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental engineering, process engineering, mechanical engineering, or related field.
• Experience working in an international NGO or humanitarian or fragile contexts.
• Familiarity with CRS programming contexts or similar faith ‑based or international development organizations.
• Located in or able to cover UTC +0 – UTC +4 time zones preferred.

Required Languages Fluency in English and French.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 50% and can live and work in disaster-affected areas.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No

Basic Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in water and sanitation engineering, civil engineering, hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental engineering, process engineering, mechanical engineering, or related field.

• Minimum of five years of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities in areas related to water and sanitation.

• Experience with AutoCAD or other engineering, hydraulics or aquifer modelling software programs.

• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.

Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

What we offer

CRS offers U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan. Salary and Benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will perform the role. CRS´ work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.