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.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Resilience

How can you make a difference?

You, as the Chief of WASH reports to the Deputy Representative and provides strategic leadership, overall management and technical direction for the WASH programme. The role is responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring and reporting across all stages of the programme, from strategic formulation to delivery of agreed outcomes and outputs, in both humanitarian and development settings. You will lead and manage the WASH team, ensures effective coordination with government counterparts, UN agencies and partners, and promotes integrated, cross‑sectoral approaches with Health, Nutrition, Education and Child Protection. The position is accountable for achieving results in line with approved plans and budgets, results‑based management principles, UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, Core Commitments for Children, and organizational standards of quality, accountability and risk management, with particular attention to equity, access in insecure areas, emergency preparedness and climate resilience.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Managerial leadership
2. Programme development and planning
3. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
4. Advisory services and technical support
5. Advocacy, networking and partnership building
6. Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response
7. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Job Description

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree (Master) in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field. Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are required.
• Work Experience: DEVELOPMENTAL: A minimum of eight years of professional experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required. One year of deployment in a developing country is required. Proven ability to effectively lead a team to deliver results is required. HUMANITARIAN:  At least one year of work in humanitarian situations, including one three-month mission deployment (with UN-Govt-INGO) is required.
• Skills: 

Basic to expert knowledge of all components: 
- Rural water supply for low- and middle-income countries - including water safety, sustainability
- Rural sanitation for low- and middle-income countries, incl sustainability; applying CATS principles
- Urban sanitation for low- and middle-income countries, incl sustainability
- Handwashing with soap
- WASH-in-Schools and Health Centres
- Menstrual hygiene management
- National government WASH policies, plans and strategies

In-depth knowledge of both components:
- Humanitarian WASH - preparedness, response and recovery

In-depth knowledge of concept and UNICEF role: 
-  Humanitarian WASH – coordination of the response

Expert knowledge of two components and basic knowledge of the other two components
- Programme/project management
- Capacity development
- Knowledge management
- Monitoring and evaluation

In-depth knowledge
- Human rights and WASH
- Gender equality and WASH

• Language Requirements : Fluency in English and French is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Experience in WASH-BAT, humanitarian WASH coordination, donor fundraising, and climate-resilient WASH programming is highly desirable.
• 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
(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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct.UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these 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, 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 are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

Please note that the title of this position may be revised from Chief of WASH to WASH Manager, effective January 2027, subject to final organizational approval.

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 female candidates 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.

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.