Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation) (P-5) at UNICEF

How can you make a difference?

As Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation), you will provide strategic leadership and technical assistance to governments and UNICEF Country Offices to accelerate progress toward safely managed sanitation services at scale. You will help strengthen sanitation systems, institutions, governance, financing, and service delivery, while ensuring that climate-resilient sanitation approaches are integrated into WASH programming. Through technical guidance, policy support, innovation, evidence generation, and partnership building, you will contribute to expanding sustainable access to sanitation services for the most vulnerable children and families in both development and humanitarian contexts. 

You will support governments to design and scale effective sanitation solutions, strengthen sector planning and financing, advance institutional reforms, promote digital innovations, and ensure equitable access for children, women, persons with disabilities, and communities affected by fragility and conflict. In addition, you will lead advocacy efforts, foster strategic partnerships, support emergency preparedness and response, and provide technical support to UNICEF Country Offices, helping translate global commitments into tangible results that accelerate progress toward UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

By leveraging evidence, innovation, and high-level partnerships, you will help mobilize resources, strengthen national WASH systems, and advance resilient, inclusive, and sustainable sanitation services that leave no one behind.

Join UNICEF’s Global WASH Practice and play a leadership role in advancing safely managed, climate-resilient sanitation services for children and communities worldwide. As Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation), you will provide strategic guidance and technical assistance to governments and UNICEF Country Offices to strengthen sanitation systems, mobilize financing, and accelerate results at scale in both development and humanitarian settings.  The role also contributes to advocacy, partnerships, resource mobilization, emergency preparedness, and knowledge generation, while promoting climate resilience, inclusion, gender equality, and disability inclusion across WASH programming. Through technical leadership, innovation, and collaboration, you will help drive sustainable and equitable WASH outcomes that support UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and leave no one behind You will lead efforts in

• At-scale sanitation system design
• Sanitation system planning and readiness assessment
• Quality improvement through digital solutions
• Equitable access to safely managed sanitation
• Act as Country Office Focal Point Support

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in civil or environmental engineering, natural or social sciences,environmental or public health, water resource management, or another relevant technical fieldl engineering, environmental science, water resources management and any other related fields.
  A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 10 years of working experience in national and international organizations infinancing, project management, consulting, technical assistance, research in Water, Sanitation andHygiene (WASH) or closely related areas
• Skills: Ability to conceptualize, plan and execute ideas
  • Ability to manage projects
  • Ability to work effectively in teams
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Strategic thinking skills
  • Global thinking skills
  • Analyitical skills
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Experience implementing complex/large-scale development/humanitarian WASH projects indeveloping countries
• Experience supporting WASH governance and system strengthening for both urban and rural areas
• Experience implementing WASH projects/programmes in different country contexts, including lower income countries
• Experience developing high level partnerships and advocacy, and representation at global/regional level
• Experience in/knowledge of the United Nations system
• In-dept understanding and relevant experience of UNICEF initiatives and programming
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.