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 a Future

How can you make a difference?

1. Technical Leadership on Ebola preparedness, risk assessment and readiness planning
2. Strengthen WASH and IPC systems for Ebola preparedness
3. Capacity building and technical support to Government and partners
4. Coordination, cross-border preparedness, emergency response support and reporting

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), coupled with recurrent outbreaks of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) in the region, presents a significant public health risk to South Sudan. Western Equatoria State is among the highest priority preparedness locations due to its proximity to DRC, porous borders, active population movements, informal crossing points, trade corridors, and historical linkages to previous Ebola outbreaks. Yambio, Tambura, Ezo, Nagero and Maridi counties are particularly vulnerable because of their extensive cross-border interactions and movement of populations across DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.
The Government of South Sudan, WHO, UNICEF and partners have established Infectious Disease Units (IDUs) and strengthened preparedness measures in high-risk areas. Effective Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and WASH systems are central pillars of Ebola preparedness and response, ensuring safe health facility operations, reducing healthcare-associated infections, protecting frontline workers, and minimizing community transmission risks. Ebola preparedness requires strong IPC governance, surveillance-linked IPC measures, environmental cleaning and disinfection systems, safe management of healthcare waste, water quality monitoring, hand hygiene compliance, and preparedness of health facilities and points of entry.
UNICEF seeks a highly qualified WASH/IPC Specialist to be based in Yambio to lead and coordinate Ebola preparedness and response interventions across Western Equatoria, working closely with government authorities, WHO, health partners, and humanitarian actors to strengthen IPC and WASH readiness in high-risk locations.
Therefore the purpose of the post will be under the direct technical supervision of the Chief of WASH and matrix technical coordination with Emergency Health team and daily administrative supervision of the Chief of UNICEF field office in Yambio, the WASH/IPC Specialist will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for Ebola preparedness and readiness plan implementation and in case there will be any suspected/confirmed case during this assignment s/he will lead on response interventions focused on IPC and WASH.
The incumbent will support preparedness and response activities in health facilities, Infectious Disease Units (IDUs), communities, points of entry and high-risk border locations, ensuring alignment with national preparedness plans, WHO guidance and UNICEF emergency response approaches. The position will strengthen health system readiness, reduce transmission risks, improve protection of health workers and communities, and enhance cross-border preparedness coordination in Western Equatoria State.
Frequent travel to high-risk counties, border areas and points of entry will be required.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  WASH_IPC Specialist TOR_Yambio_06082026 .pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Public Health, Environmental Health, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Epidemiology, Health Sciences, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Public Health Engineering, Environmental Engineering or another closely related field is required.
• Work Experience: A minimum of five years of professional experience in public health emergency preparedness and response, WASH in Emergencies (WiE), IPC, outbreak response, health systems strengthening, or related areas. In addition to demonstrated experience supporting preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), Cholera, COVID-19, Mpox, Yellow Fever, or other epidemic-prone diseases is required.
  Strong experience in capacity building, mentoring, and training of healthcare workers, government counterparts, and implementing partners on IPC and emergency WASH interventions is required.
  Experience coordinating with Ministries of Health, WHO, UN agencies, NGOs, and emergency response partners within a multi-sectoral outbreak response framework.
  Proven experience leading or supporting health facility WASH (HF-WASH) and IPC improvement programmes, including water supply, sanitation, environmental cleaning, healthcare waste management, hand hygiene systems, and decontamination protocols is directly relevant.
  
• Skills: Capacity Building, Mentoring are required.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Candidates with academic and/or on job training directly relevant to public health emergency preparedness and response, health facility WASH, outbreak prevention and control, infectious disease management, and Ebola/Viral Haemorrhagic Fever preparedness will be strongly preferred.
• Experience in South Sudan or any similar context 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.

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:

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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member's original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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.

Eligible staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions in a duty station designated as L2/L3, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements, subject to approval by their Head of Office. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.

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.