Consultancy Title: WASH FIT – French Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Wash Section - Programme Division, NYHQ

Duration: March 1, 2025 to December 15, 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

 

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For over 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

 

BACKGROUND

Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is foundational to the provision of quality healthcare. Yet healthcare facilities across low- and middle-income countries are without these basic services. A 2022 progress report  from the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene on WASH in healthcare facilities found that worldwide, 1 in 5 healthcare facilities (HCF) lack basic water services, 1 in 2 lack basic hand hygiene services, and 1 in 10 lack toilets. These poor conditions put more than 1.7 billion people at risk of contracting an infection while receiving care and put healthcare workers in dangerous environments to provide healthcare.

In the least developed countries, the problem is even greater: half of HCF lack basic water services. Furthermore, the extent of the problem remains hidden because major gaps in data persist, especially on environmental cleaning. COVID-19 has exposed key vulnerabilities in health systems, such as inadequate infection prevention and control. WASH services in HCF, so often taken for granted, are needed more than ever to protect vulnerable health workers and patients. Inadequate WASH conditions undermine not only quality care, but also impact initiatives aimed at improving maternal and child health and reducing antimicrobial resistance.  

Progress has been made since the 2018 Global Call to Action on WASH in HCF issued by the UN Secretary-General which has elevated the programme among all UN agencies, partners, and Member States. Building upon this Global Call, all 194 WHO Member States unanimously approved a resolution on WASH in HCF at the 2019 World Health Assembly and in 2019, WHO and UNICEF published the Eight Practical Steps for universal WASH access. In 2023, the UN General Assembly passed another resolution in support of the issue. 

There are already existing tools and resources to help strengthen capacities of governments and other partners, and amongst UNICEF staff. For instance, in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF developed the WASHFIT tool to help government and partners make incremental improvements and scale up WASH in HCFs. For the past several years, UNICEF has been supporting countries to build capacities of staff and governments to undertake WASHFIT implementation reaching over 60 countries. Since then, there has been unprecedented increase in demand from countries for WASHFIT implementation and so UNICEF intends to continue to build capacities of governments, partners and UNICEF staff to apply tool in HCFs and provide technical support on the Eight Practical Steps to scale up WASH services in HCFs.

This consultant will support the WASH Section at UNICEF HQ and UNICEF WCARO to provide technical support on WASH FIT training and implementation to Francophone countries.

 

The consultant will complete the following tasks:

WASH FIT training: 

• Identification of a francophone regional educational institution (university, institute, training centre, etc.) interested in developing a partnership with UNICEF for the organisation of WASH-FIT trainings

• Development / adaptation of the francophone WASH FIT training package in collaboration with the above-mentioned institution

• Strengthen capacity of the above-mentioned institution in WASH FIT

• Implementation of a regional francophone WASH FIT training-of-trainers in collaboration with the above-mentioned institution

• Provide guidance and coaching to regional and country offices seeking to roll out trainings on WASH FIT and facilitate liaison between CO and the above-mentioned institution

• As requested, facilitate in-country WASH FIT trainings in collaboration with regional and country offices in collaboration with the above-mentioned institution

WASH FIT monitoring and KM: 

• Maintain the 8 steps tracker on UNICEF’s SharePoint to monitor WASH FIT implementation in countries 

• Analyse tracker’s results to identify weaknesses and support CO to develop plans/roadmaps to address these weaknesses 

• Provide guidance to CO for supporting government counterparts in strengthening national WiH monitoring systems

• Support countries to document experiences and lessons from WASH FIT implementation in selected facilities including the development of at least 3 KM products

• Support regional and global webinars to facilitate cross countries experiences, best practices and lessons

 

Work Assignment Overview

Deliverables/ Outputs Delivery deadline

Preparation phase

- Inception report and workplan

1 April 2025

Training

1. Training on partnership agreement between UNICEF and a regional educational institution on WASH-FIT 

2. adapted/improved francophone WASH FIT training package 

3. training report of the francophone WASH FIT training-of-trainers 

4. Coaching report for country offices on WASH FIT trainings 

5. up to 6 reports of in-country WASH FIT trainings delivered

15 December 2025

Monitoring and Knowledge Management

6. updated and shared 8 steps tracker on UNICEF’s SharePoint 

7. tracker’s analysis report for francophone countries showing strengths and weaknesses

8. up to 8 country roadmaps to address above-mentioned weaknesses

9. guidance document on national WiH monitoring systems

10. 3 KM products documenting experiences and lessons from WASH FIT implementation 

11. 1 regional and 2 global webinars to facilitate cross countries experiences, best practices and lessons

15 December 2025

Final report

- Final consultancy report, including a summary of lessons learned on WASH FIT implementation

December 15, 2025

 

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s) – preferred but not required – in Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Social Sciences, Statistics, Economics, or related field.

 

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• 10 years of experience in WASH or health fields

• At least two years of experience working on WASH in healthcare facilities. 

• Prior experience using the WASH FIT tool.

• Significant prior experience facilitating trainings or workshops. 

• Prior experience working for the United Nations an added advantage.

• Must be fluent in French and can communicate in English. 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills required.

• Demonstrated capacity to work in a dynamic environment coordinating across different teams and sectors.

• Good interpersonal skills.

 

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and 

- Upload copy of academic credentials 

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

o the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.

o travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR. 

o Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.

o Indicate your availability 

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant. 

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).    

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

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.