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

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: WASH Specialist - P4

Job Number: 517226
Location: Abuja
Work Type: Fixed Term Staff

How can you make a Difference?

• The WASH Specialist reports to the Chief WASH Level 5 for general guidance and direction.
• The Specialist supports the Chief in managing the WASH section, and in leading the development, preparation, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WASH programme within the country programme.
• The Specialist provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes, to ensure the achievement of the WASH-related output results in the country programme.
• The Specialist provides authoritative advisory services to government and sector support agencies, and interacts with government at senior levels and with senior staff in the International Development Banks.

Key Function, Accountabilities and Related Duties/Tasks
Management support to the Chief of WASH:

• Advise the Chief of WASH in establishing the annual work plan and annual workplan outputs, activities and developmental priorities of WASH section staff, determining priorities and performance measurements. Monitor workplan implementation, to ensure that WASH output results are achieved to schedule and performance standards.  Report critical issues to the Chief of WASH for timely action.
• Provide technical advice to WASH section staff on all aspects of programming and implementation.

Programme development and planning:

• Draft the WASH inputs for the situation analysis.  Provide comprehensive and current data to inform WASH policy and programme development, planning, management and implementation. Keep abreast of WASH sector developments, for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in WASH programme design, management and implementation.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners to discuss national WASH priorities, resources, strategies and methodologies to ensure the most strategic use of the collective resources of external support agencies.
• Participate in strategic WASH programme planning discussions and the formulation of the WASH outcome and output results, related indicators, baselines, targets and means of verification, 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 WASH external support agencies.
• Prepare WASH donor proposals, ensuring alignment with the WASH output results in the country programme.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results:

• Draft documentation for programme reviews and analytical statements on progress and constraints of WASH outcome and output results.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes for the achievement of the WASH output results.  Ensure effective collaboration with other UNICEF sectors, where needed.
• With other external support agencies, analyze national government WASH sector programmes and projects, with a focus on WASH outcomes (behaviors), using bottleneck analysis tools available in the sector (WASH-BAT, CSOs, SDAs).
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other partners and prepare reports for the Chief of WASH and CO management.
• Monitor, report and certify 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 issues to the Chief of WASH, for timely resolution.
• Prepare sectoral progress reports for management, donors and partners.

Advisory services and technical support:

• Participate in strategic discussions to influence national WASH policies and strategies, including the reduction of inequalities, contributing global sector learning.
• Advise senior officials in government, NGOs, UN agencies and WASH sector donor agencies on WASH policies, strategies and best practices.
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic materials for use by management, donors, UNICEF regional office and headquarters.
• Plan for the 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.

Advocacy, networking and partnership building:

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with government counterparts, UN agencies, donor agencies, WASH institutions, NGOs, research institutes and the private sector to stimulate coordination and collaboration.
• Support analysis of national budgets for WASH, cost analysis and value-for-money studies, to advocate for improvements in sector efficiency.
• Produce 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 planning and agenda setting.
• Interact with global and regional initiatives and partnerships for WASH.

Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response:

• Manage all aspects of UNICEF's preparedness for WASH in emergencies.
• Ensure the coordination arrangements for humanitarian WASH are in place, for instant robust coordination in case of an emergency.
• Ensure that all UNICEF WASH staff are familiar with UNICEF's procedures for responding in an emergency.
• Take up leadership/managerial role in an emergency response and early recovery, as and when the need arises.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Manage the implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH action research and innovation (technical or systems), ensuring rigorous monitoring and wide sharing of results.
• Prepare learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, to support overall WASH sector development.
• Support the professional development of UNICEF WASH staff, to ensure our sector capacity remains up-to-date with latest developments.
• Initiate and 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.

Requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• A Master's Degree in public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or other specialist field related to WASH is required.
• A minimum of eight years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries, including one year deployment in a developing country.
• Oral and written proficiency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Technical requirements:

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

For every Child, you demonstrat

• UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at:
http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Application Closing Date
6th November, 2018 by 23:55:00 GMT+0100 (W. Central Africa Standard Time)

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
• UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.
• UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.