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UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is responding to its 17th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, confirmed in May 2026 and affecting Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. The situation remains complex and evolving, with transmission occurring in both community and health-care settings. Response efforts are led by national authorities in a context shaped by health system limitations, logistical constraints, insecurity, displacement, and diverse community perceptions influencing health-seeking behaviors.
UNICEF supports the Government through a multi-sectoral approach, focusing on community engagement, surveillance, infection prevention, and the continuity of essential services for vulnerable populations.
This context requires strong coordination, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity to support effective and equitable response efforts, particularly for children and at-risk communities.

How can you make a difference?

The WASH/IPC Coordinator will provide technical leadership and operational coordination for UNICEF’s WASH/IPC response to the Ebola emergency, in support of the national response.

Based in Bunia, the incumbent will coordinate and oversee the rapid implementation of priority WASH/IPC interventions in affected and at-risk areas, while ensuring strong linkages with other response pillars, including RCCE, surveillance, case management, logistics and operations.

The post will ensure that UNICEF’s WASH/IPC support is timely, technically sound, well-coordinated and aligned with national protocols, UNICEF procedures, and emergency response standards.

The coordinator will also support planning, monitoring, partner engagement, supply follow-up, quality assurance and reporting for WASH/IPC interventions across health facilities, communities, schools and other priority sites affected by the outbreak. The role oversees the WASH/IPC response in all affected provinces.

Major duties and key responsibilities:

1. Provide technical leadership and day-to-day operational coordination for UNICEF’s WASH/IPC response to the Ebola outbreak in Bunia and other affected or at-risk areas.
2. Represent UNICEF in WASH/IPC coordination mechanisms at provincial level and support engagement with national coordination structures, health authorities, partners and other response pillars.
3. Support the implementation of UNICEF’s WASH/IPC response strategy, including prioritization of interventions, development of operational plans, and alignment with Ministry of Health protocols and UNICEF emergency procedures.
4. Coordinate assessments of WASH/IPC needs and gaps in health facilities, communities, schools and other priority sites, and use findings to guide planning, targeting and resource allocation.
5. Oversee and support implementing partners and field teams to ensure timely, quality and accountable delivery of WASH/IPC interventions, including infection prevention and control measures, water supply, sanitation, hygiene promotion and waste management.
6. Ensure effective coordination with RCCE, surveillance, case management, logistics, supply and operations teams to promote an integrated multisectoral Ebola response.
7. Monitor the availability, prepositioning, distribution and appropriate use of critical WASH/IPC supplies and equipment, including through end-user monitoring and timely follow-up on supply gaps.
8. Provide technical guidance, coaching and support to health authorities, partners and UNICEF-supported teams on WASH/IPC standards, protocols and safe implementation approaches.
9. Support preparation of concept notes, budgets, partner documents, donor inputs and other materials required for resource mobilization and operational planning.
10. Collect, analyse and use operational data to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, inform decision-making and contribute to SitReps, donor reports, management briefs and other institutional reporting requirements.
11. Promote the systematic integration of PSEA, accountability to affected populations, risk management, safety and duty of care considerations in all WASH/IPC interventions.
12. Ensure that all WASH/IPC activities are implemented in compliance with UNICEF procedures, partnership requirements, financial and supply management standards, and applicable SOPs for the Ebola response.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  07 - TA ToR P-4 Wash IPC Coordinator - Bunia.docx

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree in public health, environmental health, sanitary engineering, water and sanitation engineering, environmental engineering or Master in Humanitarian assistance with public health courses.
• Work Experience: A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in WASH, public health, environmental health, water quality, sanitation, hygiene promotion or infection prevention and control is required, including at least five years in complex humanitarian or public health emergency settings.  Demonstrated knowledge of IPC protocols and standards, including WHO and CDC guidance, experience managing teams and partners, and the ability to work under pressure in an insecure, rapidly changing and resource-constrained environments are required.
• Skills: operations in Complex Emergencies, Robust Monitoring, managing teams partners, Resource-Constrained Environment, work under pressure, rapidly changing environments .
• Language Requirements: Fluency in French is required.

Desirables:

1. 1. Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
   2. health emergencies training, Ebola preparedness, Ebola response, viral hemorrhagic fever, IPC protocols standards, WHO and CDC guidance, 
   3. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 
   4. Additional relevant postgraduate training in public health emergencies, infection prevention and control, epidemiology, humanitarian WASH or emergency response is considered a strong asset.
   5. Previous experience in Ebola preparedness or response, or in the control of viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, is highly desirable.

Other Skills and Competencies:

• Experience gained in a humanitarian, emergency, or public-health-emergency setting.
• Experience supporting an active outbreak or emergency response (e.g., Ebola, cholera, measles, mpox, displacement, or a declared L2/L3 emergency), preferably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or comparable fragile, conflict-affected, and resource-constrained environments.
• Experience working with and/or through counterparts (Government and decentralized authorities, UN agencies, cluster and coordination mechanisms, implementing partners) to deliver measurable results in insecure or hard-to-reach areas.

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: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

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

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Eligible staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions in a duty station designated as L2/L3, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements, subject to approval by their Head of Office. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.