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For every child, the right to a Future

The WASH Officer reports to the WASH Specialist who is at level 3 or 4 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 output results of the country programme.

Ukraine's water supply and sanitation sector is at a critical inflection point, with RDNA5 (February 2026) estimating USD 8.4 billion in damage and losses in the WSS sub-sector alone. Formally appointed by the Ministry of Development (November 2025) as the lead technical assistance partner for WSS recovery, UNICEF deploys around 30 national experts embedded across MinDev — spanning the Water Recovery and EU Integration Office, State Programme teams under Enerhovoda and Ecostoky, the E-Water/M&E platform team, and the EIB-funded Programme Management and Support Unit (PMSU). This position provides the coordination backbone that this multi-track architecture currently lacks, ensuring coherence across workstreams and supporting UNICEF's institutional credibility with donors financing the EUR 125 million EIB facility.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Programme development and planning
   Develops and updates WASH situation analyses, researches sector trends, and prepares technical documentation to support the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of WASH programmes. Provides technical and administrative support throughout the programming cycle, tracks deliverables, and promotes coordination and coherence across approximately 30 embedded WASH specialists and key sector platforms
2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

   Collaborates with colleagues, government counterparts, and partners to collect, analyze, and share programme implementation information, identify solutions to routine challenges, and support evidence-based decision-making while maintaining records of reports, assessments, and lessons learned. Supports monitoring, evaluation, programme reviews, and resource tracking; prepares progress reports for management, donors, and partners; and ensures compliance with approved allocations, organizational procedures, and accountability standards.

3. Technical and operational support for programme implementation
   Conducts field visits and surveys to monitor programme implementation, collect data, and share findings with partners and stakeholders, while identifying and escalating critical issues, bottlenecks, and risks for timely resolution. Provides technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN agencies, and donors on UNICEF WASH policies, strategies, processes, and best practices to strengthen programme delivery and results.
4. Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response

   Prepares requisitions for supplies, services, long-term agreements, and partnership arrangements to support UNICEF’s readiness and capacity to deliver WASH interventions during emergencies. Maintains knowledge of UNICEF emergency response procedures and contributes to emergency response and early recovery efforts by providing operational and programme support as required.

5. Networking and partnership building
   Builds and maintains effective partnerships with government counterparts, donors, UN agencies, and other stakeholders to support WASH programme implementation, capacity building, advocacy, and resource mobilization, including the preparation of communication materials and fundraising briefs. Supports partner engagement and donor co-financing discussions, contributes to inter-agency coordination and planning processes, and provides secretariat support to sectoral working groups and technical sub-groups to promote collaboration and sector transformation.
6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
   Assists in the development, implementation, monitoring, and documentation of WASH-related research and innovation initiatives, while identifying and promoting good practices and lessons learned to support sector development. Contributes to knowledge management and capacity-building activities by preparing learning materials, facilitating learning opportunities for UNICEF staff, and supporting the development of stakeholder competencies through training and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

The support provided by the WASH officer will enable the country office to achieve the WASH-related output results of the country programme.  This, in turn, will contribute to the achievement of the outcome results of the country programme document.  When done effectively, the achievement of the outcome results will improve child survival, growth and development, and reduce inequalities in the country. 

Effective coordination directly protects the credibility and reporting integrity underpinning the EUR 125 million EIB Ukraine Water Recovery Programme and supports UNICEF's positioning to secure sustained donor financing for the sector's technical assistance architecture as the country advances EU accession-linked reforms.

https://youtu.be/f9XTLDoVB60?si=xyz-XkOucDTf_7Yh

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  WASH Officer NO2.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in Public Health, Social Science, Engineering, sanitary engineering, behavior change communication, environmental engineering, civil engineering, water resources engineering, public policy and any other related fields.
• Work Experience: 2 years of relevant work experience in WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), water sanitation and hygiene, programme management, monitoring and evaluation, humanitarian response, partnership management, donor relations, capacity building, policy analysis, coordination, knowledge management and any other related fields.
• Skills: Approval Processes, Behavior Change Communication, Facilitate, Monitoring and Evaluation, Prepare Reports, Programme Management, Public Health, Sanitary Engineering, Social Sciences
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• EU Water Framework Directive, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, EU acquis alignment, EIB programme experience, World Bank engagement, EBRD engagement, Donor coordination
• Familiarity with Ukraine's water sector legal and institutional reform environment (e.g., Law No. 4196-IX on corporatization, Law No. 4777-IX on tariff authority transfer) and EU acquis alignment (Water Framework Directive, UWWTD) is an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

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