WASH Specialist,(P3) Temporary Appointment For 6 months Banjul, The Gambia, #107272 160 views0 applications

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.

And we never give up.

For every child, clean water and sanitation

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.

Job organizational context: The WASH Specialist is to be used in a Country Office (CO) where the WASH Programme is a major component of the Country Programme (or CCPD). The WASH Specialist reports to the CSD manager

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the job: The WASH Specialist reports to the CSD Manager for guidance and general supervision. The Specialist supports 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.

Specifically, in the context of The Gambia, JMP SDG baseline and 2018 updates shows that only 1 per cent of the population of The Gambia is practicing open defecation- zero in urban and 2 percent in rural. In population terms, this 1 percent translates to approximately 19,910 people. With such a low rate, The Gambia has potential to reach zero open defecation rates. However, reaching the target is always a challenge and require strong push especially since sanitation facilities in Urban (Market places, ferry crossings etc) and institutional (schools, madrassahs and Health facilities) settings still need a lot of support. The urgency and need for a more focused intervention underscore the need for additional capacity to support implementation of this plan if ODF last mile is to be achieved. In this context, The WASH specialist will provide the necessary technical support to government to ensuring successful implementation of proposed strategies.

Besides the direct ODF agenda, support to other WASH interventions (WASH in Schools, clinics, emergencies) and specifically capacity building and support to Section staff will be critical elements of expected outputs.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Influencing Policy: Analyses existing WASH sector policies and policy environment, governance and institutional bottlenecks, systems of management, risk allocation and coordination systems around WASH sector programmes relevant for children in the Line ministry.
• Work planning and Implementation of RWP with a special focus for the development and implementation of a strategically well focused convergent WASH programme leading to improved (flagship) government water and sanitation and hygiene education programmes
• Programme management, Capacity building, monitoring and delivery of results: Provide technical advice and support to UNICEF office, government authorities and Line ministry institutes to plan and organize capacity building programmes for community water management, water quality surveillance and response planning, sanitation and hygiene promotion. Identifies training needs for the purpose of capacity building and sustainability of programme/projects.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response: Ensure that CCCs are met following a major disaster through strengthening of strategic preparedness plans and capacity building. Facilitates mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change initiatives in sector programmes
• Networking and partnership building Effective communication and networking achieved through partnership and collaboration, especially towards sectoral support and institutional development. Proactively collaborates within Line ministry and/or sector with programme colleagues to give and receive knowledge and assistance. Pooling resources for more effective programming across the Line ministry.
• Influencing Policy:
• Recommends corrective actions to be taken by the line ministry and UNICEF to improve efficiency and effectiveness of WASH sector programmes to ensure adequate focus on SDGs.
• Convenes strategic partnerships to impact on overall children’s policies, to support WASH programmes and resources in the Line ministry. Interacts with national and international agencies and commissions, on the advocacy and management of policies/programme/projects.
• Participates in meetings with Ministries/Departments/stakeholders responsible for programme/project review, and follows up on implementation of recommendations and agreements.

Assists in the development and/or introduction of new approaches, methods and practices in project management and evaluation for replication by the Line ministry.

2. Work planning and Implementation of RWP

• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• Prepare sectoral progress reports for management, donors and partners.
• Draft assigned sections of the annual work plan, in close cooperation with government and other counterparts.

Specifically, for CLTS – ODF, the following are the key accountabilities:

• CLTS data base updated and regional maps showing both ODF and OD communities on monthly basis
• Regular meetings of National Taskforce Improved coordination and information sharing among stakeholders
• Reports on Monthly Monitoring visits to district with OD communities to support the follow-up on households as well as assess progress and propose solutions to address constraints
• Communication campaign rolled out clearly defining engagement of community, religious leaders and district authorities
• Verification and certification of ODF communities
• Social/anthropological study to assess why some communities, tribes or groups of people have still not stopped open defecation including identifying bottlenecks under implementation
• List of urban and institutional settings where sanitation facilities are required
• Survey report clearly defining WASH facilities in Urban/Institutional (schools, madrassahs. Health facilities) settings
• Costed implementation plan available to address WASH facilities in Urban, Institutional settings
• Cost recovery model for Urban toilets
• Mechanisms for monitoring sustainability of ODF status (Rural, Urban, Institutional)
• Support to other WASH interventions (WASH in Schools, clinics, emergencies) and specifically, capacity building of WASH/CSD staff
• Coordinates with Operations/Supply staff/programme support on supply and non-supply assistance activities ensuring proper and timely UNICEF and Government accountability.
• Certifies and reports disbursements and use of funds, as per UNICEF rules and procedures. Supervise and be responsible for the implementation of assurance activities

3. Programme management, Capacity building, monitoring and delivery of results:

• Identifies training needs for the purpose of capacity building and sustainability of programme/projects, special focus for national wash team.
• Provides technical expertise as required, facilitates learning exchanges as well as policy influencing.
• Ensure critical gaps in information, knowledge and understanding relating to water supply, water safety, water resource management and sanitation and hygiene promotion are recognized and addressed by stakeholders in the Line ministries.
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

4. Emergency 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

• Enhance 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 and UNICEF staff to achieve WASH output results.
• Prepare in close collaboration with the WASH team 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.

Impact of results:

The support provided by the WASH specialist will enable the country office to achieve the WASH-related outputs with higher focus on CLTS/ODF agenda 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.

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.
• DEVELOPMENTAL: a minimum of five years of professional experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.
• One year of deployment in a developing country is required.
• HUMANITARIAN: At least one three-month deployment mission in a humanitarian situation (with UN-Govt-INGO) is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language of the duty station is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The technical competencies required for this post are….

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

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

For full details on this position, please see attached Job Description : WASH Specialist Level 3- TA.doc

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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.