WASH Specialist P3 Vacancy-Job Ref: BJELUNICEF/2007/2025820

WASH Specialist P3 Vacancy-Job Ref: BJELUNICEF/2007/2025820

Dili (East Timor)

Job Description

Overview

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Health

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the Organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism.

To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give more children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries.

This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference?

Under supervision of Deputy representative provide support on 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 facilitate the administration and achievement of the WASH-related output results in the country programme and supports the mainstreaming, development and preparation of Climate and Environmental strategies and programmes across the CO sections and programmes.

Key Functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. 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 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 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.

Ensure that UNICEF Timor-Leste’s engagement in the area of climate and environment is well coordinated within and outside UNICEF, and that UNICEF Timor-Leste progressively integrates climate resilience into programs and develop funding proposals that are based on sound risk assessments and strong climate rationale.

Support Education, Health & Nutrition, Child Protection and Social Policy sections in identifying UNICEF Timor-Leste’s niche for addressing Climate Change and Environment impacts on children, awareness raising and design of programmes to support the rights of children, and support risk informed programming in their sectors.

2. 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).
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 programme 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.
3. 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.

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 offices and headquarters.

4. 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.

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.
5. 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.
Liaise with other stakeholders active in climate change and environmental sustainability in Timor-Leste and EAP region for coordination, lessons learned and good practices and ensure linkages/knowledge exchange with national, regional and global stakeholders.

Participate in development partners’ and joint UN climate action working groups.
Maintain overall knowledge leadership on the policy, institutions and programmatic activities (e.g. Climate Landscape Analysis for Children).
Establish climate and environment focused partnerships with CSO, Government, UN and development partners.
Identify how UNICEF programmes can support climate funding and financing priorities by establishing partnerships with relevant focal points and potential partners for UNICEF.
Advocate for improved child-focus of climate finance investments in Cambodia among partners.
Develop concept notes for fundraising for climate change adaptation and mitigation proposals as well as inputs to proposals from all sections as needed.
Support section focal points in the coordination and implementation of approved climate and environment focused proposals.

6. 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.
Support communication and policy advocacy regarding climate change, environmental degradation and child rights in Cambodia, and input into key national climate and environment policy dialogues (National Action Plans, Nationally Determined Contributions and national climate strategies).
Identify objectives, actions and best practices for protecting children from climate change and environmental risk and work with sections on implementation strategies.

Identify partners and entry points for strategic engagement regarding climate change impact on children as well as strategic entry points for engagement with the government.

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

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field.
Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are a strong asset.
A minimum of five years of professional experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.

Experience in climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions is an asset.
One year of deployment in a developing country is required.
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Please click on the button below to Apply.