WASH Officer, NOB (FT) -UNICEF

Application close Jan 27 2023 India 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.

WASH Officer, NOB (FT), Kolkata, India, SAR Post Number 104063 (This vacancy is open for Indian Nationals Only)

For every child, AN ADVOCATE:

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, 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 all 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.

Click here to learn more about what makes us proud working for UNICEF!

How can you make a difference?

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children in the world’s thereby ensuring a better future for every child, this is the chance to make a difference.

Job Organizational Context

West Bengal is the 4th most populous and 2nd most densely populated state in India.

Urban population is at 31.89% of the total population. About 68% of the total and about 84% of the urban population of the state is concentrated in 10 river-bank districts.

West Bengal is situated in eastern part of India stretching from Himalayas crossing the Ganges up to the Bay of Bengal. The state has three international boundaries with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Because of its varied geography, the state is vulnerable to different types of recurring natural hazards such as floods, cyclones, droughts and landslides exacerbated by climate change impact. This vulnerability and emerging environmental degradation also leads to vector borne diseases and nutrition crisis in certain pockets of state including urban.

In view of the complex state scenario in terms of overall development indicators and WASH indicators in particular, and also on account of the ‘partner of preference’ status accorded to UNICEF in the state, there is huge expectation from nodal Departments for comprehensive support to the Government of West Bengal.

WASH program narrative in the state is evolving in terms of addressing comprehensive environmental sanitation, cleanliness and hygiene beyond toilets, providing access to household and institutional tap connections for running water as per defined standards, expanding from rural centric interventions to including most vulnerable urban population segments, prioritizing infection prevention control in critical institutions and in communities, addressing climate change resiliency and risk informed components in all planned interventions.

UNICEF West Bengal intends to effectively respond to these emerging requirements while factoring equity, gender and risk informed development planning for sustainable service delivery to at risk communities.

Purpose of the job:

The WASH Officer reports to the WASH Specialist at NOC level for supervision. The WASH Officer provides technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the WASH programming process. The Officer prepares, manages and implements a variety of technical and administrative tasks, related to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WASH, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability (CCES)  output results of the country programme.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Programme development and planning.
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.
• Technical and operational support to programme implementation.
• Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response.
• Networking and partnership building.
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building.

1. Programme development and planning

• Draft updates for WASH and CCES in the situation analysis, to inform the development of WASH-related outcome and output results. Research and report on trends in WASH and CCES, for use in programme development, management, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevance of information.
• Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH and CCES -related outcome and output results, as well as related strategies, through analysis of WASH and CCES sector needs and priorities.
• Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical programme transactions, preparing materials/documentations, complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support progress towards the WASH and CCES -related outcome and/or output results in the country programme.
  Prepare required documentations/materials to facilitate review and approval processes.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect/analyze/ share information on implementation issues, provide solutions on routine programme implementation and alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level interventions and/or decisions. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• 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.
• 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 to programme implementation

• Undertake field visits and surveys, collect and share reports with partners/stakeholders. Report critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems to supervisor, for timely action.
• 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 and CCES, to support programme implementation.

4. Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response

• Draft 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.
• Study and fully understand 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 and CCES output results.
• Draft communication and information materials for WASH and CCES programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund-raising for WASH and CCES.
• Participate in inter-agency meetings on UNDAF planning, to integrate and harmonize UNICEF output results and implementation strategies with UNDAF development and planning processes.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Assist in the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH and CCES action research and innovation (technical or systems).
• Assist in the preparation of learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, to support overall WASH and CCES sector development.
• Assist in creating and delivering learning opportunities for UNICEF WASH and CCES staff, to ensure our sector capacity remains up-to-date with latest developments.
• 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…

Requirements of the position (QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES):

Education:

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering, water resource engineering or another relevant technical field.

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

Experience:

A minimum of two years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.

HUMANITARIAN: nil

Language Requirements:

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: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

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)
Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

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

• UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
• We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
• 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

• The position is based in Kolkata India.
• This post is open for Indian Nationals only.
• The selected applicant will have an initial two (2) year fixed-term contract, with the possibility of extension, subject to satisfactory performance.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

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/.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, including application, interview, meeting, traveling, processing, training, etc. UNICEF is a nonsmoking working environment.

For more information about UNICEF India, please refer to the link:- http://unicef.in/Wherewework