Deadline to Apply: 9th July 2014
Start Date: ASAP
Location: Nairobi
About Innovations for Poverty Action:
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit research organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development problems and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors around the world.
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit research organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development problems and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors around the world.
About Evidence Action:
We are assuming management and growth responsibility for two programs tested and incubated at Innovations for Poverty Action that are currently making a difference in the lives of millions of people in Africa and Asia: the Deworm the World Initiative (DTW) and Dispensers for Safe Water Initiative (DSW). Evidence Action scales proven development interventions and crafts resilient business models for long run success.
We are assuming management and growth responsibility for two programs tested and incubated at Innovations for Poverty Action that are currently making a difference in the lives of millions of people in Africa and Asia: the Deworm the World Initiative (DTW) and Dispensers for Safe Water Initiative (DSW). Evidence Action scales proven development interventions and crafts resilient business models for long run success.
About Dispensers for Safe Water:
Each year, over 1.8 million children under the age of five die from diarrhea, a leading cause of which is unsafe drinking water. DSW is an entrepreneurial team tasked with scaling the Chlorine Dispenser System (CDS) – a proven innovation for dramatically expanding access to water treatment at extremely low cost.
Each year, over 1.8 million children under the age of five die from diarrhea, a leading cause of which is unsafe drinking water. DSW is an entrepreneurial team tasked with scaling the Chlorine Dispenser System (CDS) – a proven innovation for dramatically expanding access to water treatment at extremely low cost.
DSW’s work is growing rapidly – we currently serve over 1 million people in Kenya, our primary country of operations, and plan to reach 25 million in the next 5 years. Our program has ambitious plans to expand in 2-3 countries in the coming 2 years.
Our work is based on strong proof of Chlorine Dispenser impact – a randomized controlled trial in Western Kenya demonstrated a six-fold increase in the number of households treating their water with chlorine.
Such a dramatic expansion in safe water usage will prevent over 1.4 million cases of diarrhea and 1,300 child deaths each year once we reach our Kenya target of 5 million people served.
About the Hardware: The chlorine dispenser hardware is designed to deliver a metered dose of dilute chlorine at communal water sources, where the reminder to treat is most salient and where the visibility of dosing promotes social norm formation.
The hardware itself consists of a blow-molded HDPE tank filled with 1.25% sodium hypochlorite, a ball valve that delivers the appropriate dose of chlorine for a standard water collection container, and an injection-molded casing that is mounted on a concrete base near the water point using a standard PVC pipe.
The current design is a simple, affordable, user-friendly product that shifts water treatment activity from the point of use to the point of collection while also protecting household drinking water against recontamination during storage.Job Purpose: The Technician will be part of the program’s Engineering and Research team, playing an important role in dispenser production and assembly at Nairobi workshop in the industrial area.
The technician will be responsible for the assembly and packaging of the Chlorine Dispenser kits for local use and export and ensuring that high quality products reach our field program.
They will also be part of the Engineering and Research team, and provide data collection support on research projects as needed.
Description of Duties
Dispenser Workshop Tasks:
Dispenser Workshop Tasks:
- Responsible for the chlorine dispenser assembly in the workshop within quality standards including but not limited to drilling, riveting, and sheet metal stamping and forming
- Workshop inventory and maintaining appropriate security during Chlorine assembly and after
- Mentor casual/temporary staffs to ensure focus on efficiency and quality.
- Monitoring the operation of tools and equipment and advice if defective for them to be repaired.
- Packaging of the Chlorine Dispenser for export in their packages.
- Following protocols to inspect parts for quality control as directed by the Associate: Engineering and Research
Hardware Design:
- General support to engineering team by raising engineering technical defects on the hardware parts
- Supporting ongoing research projects by following data collection protocols as needed
Hardware Maintenance:
- Monitoring hardware components failure/defects during assembly and informing the E&R Associate
Professional qualifications
- A Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or Mechatronics.
- Higher Diploma is desirable.
Relevant Experience and Key Skills:
- Experience in light manufacture.
- At least 1 year work experience
- Contacts with manufactures in Nairobi is desirable.
Personal Attributes
- Tanking pride in quality of work
- Independent, proactive and willing to take initiative
- Hands-on, strong knowledge of tools and manufacturing processes supply and logistics duties
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 3 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address.
Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 3 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address.
Your CV should include details about your academic qualifications and any relevant work experience.
Applications can be submitted by email to jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org, please ensure that the subject line reads: “Technician: Engineering and Research” REF NO: DSW-2014-06-03.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by phone and email for an interview.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a ROLLING BASIS
