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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 results.

Sanitation and hygiene, as well as water, are critical pillars for public health and sustainable development. Access to safely managed sanitation is not only a fundamental human right, but also a prerequisite for improved health outcomes, social equity, dignity, and economic productivity. Over the past decade, UNICEF has supported the Government of Ghana (GoG), with a range of impactful initiatives that have contributed significantly to promoting improved sanitation and hygiene practices in targeted districts.  One of such impactful initiatives is an aggregation model to accelerate service delivery. The aggregation model requires an effective regulatory framework and adequate capacity within government and the private sector to facilitate compliance with requirements.

The sanitation regulatory environment is however weak, limiting the country’s ability to sustain and scale interventions. Effective regulation will provide the foundation for setting service standards, clarifying institutional roles, and ensuring compliance. Without a coherent and effective regulatory framework, service delivery will remain inadequate and unreliable, with serious public health implications.

Ghana’s sanitation regulatory landscape involves several actors, including the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Justice, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Ghana Standards Authority, and Engineering Council. While each plays a vital role, unclear mandates, weak coordination, and limited enforcement have undermined effective regulation of sanitation in Ghana. These challenges are further compounded by inadequate capacity among sanitation actors and related institutions.

Despite the existence of some regulatory frameworks and guidelines, the sanitation regulatory ecosystem is weakened by several critical gaps and inefficiencies. The existing regulatory landscape is fragmented, with guidelines and regulations that are insufficiently harmonized and lack cohesive alignment. Some of these guidelines are outdated, with approaches that do not sufficiently balance incentives and sanctions as a means of ensuring compliance. In addition, limited implementation and under-utilised opportunities for collaboration have further constrained progress in regulating sanitation service delivery. Collectively, these issues have undermined sanitation regulation and effective governance and continue to impede the efficient and equitable delivery of sanitation services.

To maximise the impact of investments and ensure sustainable sanitation services, UNICEF is supporting the Government of Ghana to urgently tackle these regulatory challenges through a series of strategic interventions to strengthen institutional coordination, build capacity, and promote learning across the sector.  

This intervention is part of three interrelated activities (aggregation, capacity development and regulation) geared towards strengthening the system for accelerated delivery of safely managed sanitation. Following the development of the framework, these initiatives will be demonstrated at district level and refined for sector uptake.

How can you make a difference? 

In collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, UNICEF seeks to procure the services of a consultant to develop a regulatory framework with guidelines to enhance regulation. The services are in two phases in alignment with the GoG-UNICEF annual programme and funding cycle. The consultancy contract will be signed in two phases with Phase II being subject to performance of the selected consultant, continued relevance of the assignment and availability of funds. The scope of work is outlined below.

Scope of Work:

Phase I (November 2025- October 2026)

1. Provide technical support to the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) to establish a multi-sectoral regulatory working group on sanitation and undertake a participatory assessment of sanitation regulation in Ghana as a baseline for the development of a national regulatory framework.
2. Support the regulation working group to develop a framework and action plan for sanitation regulation
3. Facilitate engagements between the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources (MWHWR) and Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) to develop and operationalise guidelines that integrate sanitation and housing regulation in collaboration with MMDAs.

Phase II (September 2026- September 2027)

1. Facilitate the review and update of the ODF protocol into a National Sanitation Protocol with provision for all regulatory measures
2. Facilitate the packaging of all tools for decentralised planning, service delivery, monitoring and assessments into a framework to be used to assess maturity level of each programme component, identify regulatory challenges and plan for course correction
3. Support the Office of the Heads of Civil Service and Local Government Service to review and update the competency framework, job descriptions and performance management arrangements for all staff involved in sanitation service delivery in line with existing regulations covering professional roles and responsibilities

Requirements for Application

In applying for this assignment, interested persons are to provide a methodology outlining tasks for each deliverable and a workplan clearly depicting the duration over which each task is expected to be completed. The applicant is also required to present a price quotation which clearly states the expected man-days for each task, his/her daily professional fee, DSA and kilometric transportation rates for road transport

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR - Development of Sanitation Regulatory Framework.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced Degree in Civil Engineering, Public Health Engineering, Planning or related field
• Minimum of 8 years professional experience in WASH
• Experience working with national institutions on sanitation
• Knowledge of Sanitation or WASH Regulation
• Experience with facilitating participatory approaches for the review of programmes and development of strategies and guidelines
• Language Requirements: Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

Desirables:

• Experience working with district assemblies (MMDA) in the implementation of WASH activities

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

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 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 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.

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.