WASH Officer – UNICEF
Job Description
| Job no: | 551447 |
| Position type: | Temporary Appointment |
| Location: | Fiji/Pacific Island Countries |
| Division/Equivalent: | Bangkok (EAPRO), Thailand |
| School/Unit: | Fiji (Pacific Islands) – MCP |
| Department/Office: | Tonga, Pacific Islands |
| Categories: | WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) |
| Advertised: | Jun 16 2022 Fiji Standard Time |
| Application close: | Jun 23 2022 Fiji Standard Time |
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, water
The UNICEF Pacific Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme as an integral part of the Pacific Multi Country Programme helps to ensure that the right of all children to a safe and clean environment both in times of stability and during crisis. The overall aim of the WASH programme is that “All Pacific children and their families, particularly the most vulnerable, are accessing adequate, equitable, affordable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene”. The programme aligns with 14 Pacific Island’s government priorities and plans for improving access to water and sanitation. The programme covers the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Together, these 14 countries and territories are home to 2.45 million people, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean.
The UNICEF WASH section in the Pacific aims to provide in-country WASH technical support to government counterparts to strengthen WASH response, recovery and rehabiliation in the aftermath of the HTHH Volcanic Eruption and Tonga Tsunami up to 13 February 2022 and State of emergency for COVID 19 since March 2020. WASH is one of the key areas of required response and rehabilitation after the volcanic eruption / tsunami, as well as pert of COVID-19 response and schools readiness efforts. The position will work closely with Ministry counterparts and other UN agencies to support the WASH components of the United Nations Pacific Strategy.
To support the ongoing activities including the expansion of WASH field actions, there is need for a dedicated WASH technical implementation support in the Environmental Health Division in the MoH in WASH assessment, planning, monitoring, and coordination of UNICEF WASH support for restoration and rehabilitation of WASH systems at community, households, schools and heath care facilities in areas affected by the volcanic eruption and tsunami. A solid knowledge of the in-country WASH institutional arrangements in Tonga, connection with local partners and ability for hands on technical implementation support to the Environmental Health division in MoH are critical requirements for the desired profile. This on-the-ground technical capacity will complement the support from UNICEF Suva to the MoH in Tonga. This will help build the capacity within the Ministry of Health and will increase accountability and ownership of activities that has been undertaken, ongoing and planned through UNICEF support.
UNICEF works with and for disadvantaged children and adolescents across 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Our ambition is to get to each entire country, and the entire Pacific Region, working together – as one – on behalf of its most vulnerable children. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here https://www.unicef.org/pacificislands/what-we-do
How can you make a difference?
The WASH Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the WASH programming process, through the application of theoretical and practical technical skills in researching, collecting, analyzing and presenting programme information while learning organizational rules, regulations and procedures to support the development, implementation and monitoring of the WASH output results of the Country Programme.
Specifically, in Tonga, this technical support will serve as an Environment Health Division & MoH Tonga WASH Cluster WASH focal point in the MoH; this officer will support the ongoing assessments, monitoring and reporting on the WASH response and recovery actions, including provision of supplies and logistics as well as information on immediate and long-term plans in addressing the WASH services as UNICEF WASH focal person.
This on-the-ground technical capacity will complement the support from UNICEF Suva to the MoH in Tonga; this technical support shall be based at the MoH office in Tonga.
On day-to-day basis, this officer will report to and work with the Heald of the Environmental Health & Climate Change and Disaster section in the Ministry of Health; additionally, the WASH Officer reports to the Chief of WASH or WASH focal point for Tonga in Suva, Fiji.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
- Programme development and planning, including support the ongoing Detailed damage Assessment
- Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results, with focus to ensure timely delivery of assistance and WASH supplies to affected communities, monitor and provide technical support, as needed, in the implementation of UNICEF-funded activities and monitors the appropriate and effective use of UNICEF WASH and other resources
- Technical and operational support for programme implementation, to the Environmental Health division in MOH on WASH plan implementation
- Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response, support MoH in coordination to help avoiding duplication and gaps
- Networking and partnership building, including facilitate effectively use and transfer information to, from and between WASH cluster participants and other stakeholders
- Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building, and support in identifying and delivering of learning opportunities for MoH, education and other partners on key WASH areas
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- A university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, environmental health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field.
- While university degrees for WASH positions are strongly preferable, offices are able to request a university degree at this level if they find difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of candidates)
- Additional relevant WASH training courses that complement/supplement the main degree is a strong asset.
- DEVELOPMENTAL: a minimum of one year of professional experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.
- A solid knowledge of the in-country WASH institutional arrangements in Tonga, connection with local partners and ability for hands on technical implementation support to the Environmental Health division in MoH are key requirements for the desired profile
- Desired experience in Development Programmes (disaster and climate change programmes), related to WASH and Environment technical areas, or experience in planning, coordination, monitoring and reporting.
- Analytical skills with ability to compile and analyse data and present results through tables and visual mapping. The consultant is expected to receive, analyse, and synthesize the information gathered from emergency taskforces and relevant departments and provide regular updates and suggestions to the WASH management in MoH, NEMO, UNICEF WASH.
- national with excellent analytical and communication skills to liaise with different WASH, MoH departments and external partners.
- Fluency in English is required.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
- Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
- Works Collaboratively with others (1)
- Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
- Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
- Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
- Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
- Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.
UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
The VA is open to all internal and external candidates.
Advertised: Jun 16 2022 Fiji Standard Time
Application close: Jun 23 2022 Fiji Standard Time
