WASH Specialist, NOC, Nairobi, Kenya #90691 (Open to Kenyan Nationals Only) at UNICEF

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.

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 (behaviours), 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.

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.

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.

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.

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, behaviour change communication, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field.

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. Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are a strong asset.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as 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 water supply for low- and middle-income countries
• Urban sanitation for low- and middle-income countries
• National and county government WASH policies, financing, planning processes, strategy development, sector coordination, Joint Sector Reviews
• Analysis of national budgets and expenditure for basic WASH, and related advocacy
• Expert knowledge of three components and basic knowledge of three components
• Humanitarian WASH - preparedness
• Humanitarian WASH - response and recovery
• Basic knowledge of both components
• Humanitarian WASH – coordination of the response
• Basic knowledge
• Programme/project management
• Capacity development
• Knowledge management
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Expert knowledge of two components and basic knowledge of the other two components
• Human rights and WASH
• Gender equality and WASH
• In-depth knowledge

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies required for this post are...

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