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For every child, Results
The UNICEF Programme of Cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) is designed to address and mitigate the threat of poverty the country's children face, while responding to the needs with interventions addressing the multiple causative factors.
To find out more about UNICEF's work in Zambia, please visit UNICEF Zambia
How can you make a difference
The UNICEF Zambia WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) section is working towards creating an enabling environment for sustainable WASH services in Zambia. In Zambia commercial water utilities (CU’s) have a mandate to ensure safely managed water and sanitation for everyone in an entire province. Yet, many CUs operations are not financially viable even in the most densely populated urban areas. UNICEF is striving to strengthen rural water and sanitation systems and support the CUs to fulfill their rural mandate, while remaining commercially solvent. UNICEF aims to achieve this target through support to National and Subnational government structures including local authorities as well as through regulators (NWASCO and WARMA) and commercial utilities (CUs). Some of the key activities being done include developing a water treatment chemicals sustainability strategy, providing technical assistance to commercial utilities to ensure efficiency of operations in delivering clean and safe water to all, exploring models for rural operation and maintenance, and promoting private sector engagement in rural small, piped water schemes and handpump sustainability.
A high-level WASH expert with proven experience in multiple countries, improving sustainable operation and maintenance of rural water systems, with private sector actors is required to work closely with the UNICEF team to improve water system functionality in rural Zambia. Therefore, UNICEF Zambia seeks a consultant to work part-time over a 36-month period on an as needed basis.
The purpose of this assignment is for a consultant to conduct assessments, analyze data, design strategies, draft technical documents, to improve rural water system operation and maintenance in Luapula and other rural provinces on a need’s basis.
Scope of Work:
More specifically the WASH Expert will perform the following tasks:
1. Conduct Assessments of specific technical areas, such as private sector engagement in rural WASH operations, profitability of specific activities such as area pump minders, costs required for Village Water System maintenance, water point user group functionality, spare part supply chain viability, appropriate rural tariffs, and asset register reliability. Assessments should review similar work from other countries and complete literature reviews of high-quality peer reviewed papers. Lessons learned from other countries, in UNICEF and other organizations should be incorporated into assessments.
2. Analyse Data sets to understand the effectiveness of interventions; model economics required for water point collection fees; review viability of area pump minder, water kiosk, co-op and private sector businesses; explore open defecation free slippage information; and understand healthcare and school WASH expenditures. Clear graphics must be prepared for high-level advocacy. Expert should bring in examples and data sets from other countries to ensure a rigorous analysis is completed.
3. Design Strategies using lean start up and agile approaches to propose improvements for rural water system operation and maintenance using commercial utilities, hardware stores and other private sector actors. As well as design strategies to review Private Sector, NGO, and government Drillers’ licenses, capacity, compliance, enforcement together with the Water Resources Management Authority and determine the capacity gaps of District/Town Council and Commercial Utility staff in procurement and administering mechanised/manual drilling and small piped water scheme contracts and Environmental and Social Safeguards, as it relates to constituency development funds. This may include workplans, budgets, monitoring and evaluation plans, and supply plans.
4. Draft Documents such as technical papers, UNICEF formatted notes, peer reviewed articles, and reports as part of proposals, presentations, lessons learned, and policy review. These documents should build on experience throughout the WASH sector internationally and be adapted to a variety of dissemination strategies to ensure sustainable sectoral improvements.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Civil Engineering, Public Health, Business, or Behaviour change.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required
- For candidates with a PhD: a minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in the WASH sector
- For candidates with a master’s degree: A minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience in the WASH sector.
- For candidates with a bachelor’s degree: A minimum of 25 years of relevant professional experience in the WASH sector.
- Proven experience conducting assessments, analysing data, designing strategies, and draft documents.
- Experience working with government institutions, utilities, and/or non-governmental organizations in the WASH sector contexts similar to Zambia.
- Strong understanding of WASH private sector approaches, including commercial utilities.
- Excellent facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
- Successful publications, proposal design, and proven leadership in the WASH sector is a benefit.
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
The 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 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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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 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:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Please remember to express your financial proposals (and/or professional consultancy fees) in ZMW (Zambian Kwacha) for Zambia and USD for non-Zambian.
UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.
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.