WASH Specialist at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential - to the benefit of a better world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: WASH Specialist - NOC

Job Number: 511032
Location: Enugu, Nigeria
Work Type: Fixed Term Staff

Key Functions, Accountabilities and Related Duties/Tasks
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Programme development and planning
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
• Technical and operational support for programme implementation
• Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response
• Networking and partnership building
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Programme Development and Planning:

• Draft the WASH inputs for the situation analysis.  Provide timely, comprehensive and current data to inform WASH policy and programme development, planning, management and implementation. Keep abreast of WASH sector development trends, for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in programme design, management and implementation.
• Participate in strategic WASH programme planning discussions. Prepare WASH donor proposals, ensuring alignment with the UNICEF's Strategic Plan, UNICEF's global WASH strategy and the Country Programme as well as government plans and priorities, and the role of other external support agencies.
• Assist in the formulation of the WASH outcome and output results, related indicators, baselines, targets and means of verification. Prepare required documentation for programme reviews.
• Work with internal and external colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies for the achievement of WASH output results in the country programme.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes and ensure integration, coherence and harmonization of WASH with other UNICEF sectors, for the achievement of the WASH output results.
• Draft assigned sections of the annual work plan, in close cooperation with government and other counterparts.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results:

• With other external support agencies, strengthen national government WASH sector monitoring systems, with a focus on WASH outcomes (behaviors), using bottleneck analysis tools available in the sector (WASH-BAT, CSOs, SDAs).Â
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare reports on results for required action/interventions at the higher level of program management.
• Prepare/assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths/weaknesses in programmes and management, identify and document lessons learned.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to enable timely resolution by management/stakeholders.
• Prepare sectoral progress reports for management, donors and partners.

Technical and operational support for programme implementation:

• Actively monitor UNICEF-supported activities through field visits, surveys and exchange of information with partners, to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely interventions.
• Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in WASH, to support programme implementation.
• Plan for use of technical experts from the Regional Office and HQ, as and where appropriate in the WASH programme, through remote support and on-site visits.Â
• Participate in WASH programme meetings, to review progress, with government, other sector agencies and implementation partners, involved at various stages of WASH programme implementation, to provide expert advice and guidance.
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic materials for use by management, donors, UNICEF regional office and headquarters.

Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response:

• Prepare requisitions for supplies, services, long-term agreements and partnership agreements to ensure UNICEF is prepared to deliver on its commitments for WASH in case of an emergency.
• Contribute to the coordination arrangement for humanitarian WASH, for instant robust coordination in case of an emergency.Â
• Ensure that all UNICEF WASH staff are familiar with UNICEF’s procedures for responding in an emergency.
• Take up support roles in an emergency response and early recovery, as and when the need arises.Â

Networking and partnership building:

• Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve WASH output results.
• Prepare materials for WASH programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund-raising.
• Participate in inter-agency discussions, ensuring that UNICEF’s position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNDAF development planning and agenda setting.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Lead the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH action research and innovation (technical or systems).
• Prepare learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, to support overall WASH sector development.
• Create and deliver learning opportunities for UNICEF WASH staff, to ensure our sector capacity remains up-to-date with latest developments.
• Contribute to the systematic assessment of WASH sector capacity gap analysis, in collaboration with government and other stakeholders, and support the design of initiative to strengthen capacities systematically.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

Impact of Results

• The support provided by the level 3 WASH specialist will enable the Country Office to achieve the WASH-related output results of the country programme.  This, in turn, will contribute to the achievement of the outcome results of the Country Programme Document. 
• When done effectively, the achievement of the outcome results will improve child survival, growth and development and reduce inequalities in the country.

Competencies and level of proficiency required (based on UNICEF Professional Competency Profiles
Core Values:

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies:

• Communication (II)
• Working with people (II)
• Drive for results (II)

Functional Competencies:

• Leading and Supervising (I)
• Formulating strategies and concepts (II)
• Analyzing (III)
• Applying technical expertise (III)
• Relating and networking (II)
• Deciding and Initiating action (II)

Recruitment Qualifications
Education:

• Master's Degree in Public health, Social sciences, Behavior change communication, Sanitary engineering or other specialist field related to WASH is required.

Experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries, including one year deployment in a developing country.

Language Requirements:

• Oral and written proficiency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Technical Requirements

Expert knowledge of three components and basic knowledge of three components:

• Rural water supply for low- and middle-income countries - including water safety, sustainability
• Rural sanitation for low- and middle-income countries, incl sustainability; applying CATS principles
• Urban sanitation for low- and middle-income countries, incl sustainability
• Handwashing with soap
• WASH-in-Schools and Health Centres
• Menstrual hygiene management
• National government WASH policies, plans and strategies
• Analysis of national budgets and expenditure for basic WASH, and related advocacy

Basic knowledge of both components:

• Humanitarian WASH - preparedness
• Humanitarian WASH - response and recovery

Expert knowledge of two components and basic knowledge of the other two components

• Programme/project management
• Capacity development
• Knowledge management
• Monitoring and evaluation

In-depth knowledge:

• Human rights and WASH
• Gender equality and WASH

Application Closing Date
5th March, 2018.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online