Contract Duration: 15.5 months

Working arrangement: remote

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.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide the technical, facilitation and knowledge-management support that enables ASWA and other UNICEF country programmes to increasingly integrate gender-intentional approaches in their WASH programmes, while consolidating, disseminating and advocating with the evidence and practice on gender-equitable WASH generated through ASWA implementation.

The Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA) programme supports 8 countries [Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Tanzania and Somalia] strengthen WASH systems and accelerate progress toward universal access. The absence of gender-sensitive policies in the WASH sector leaves unaddressed the disproportionate WASH-related workload that falls on women and girls: physical burden and time loss from water collection, heightened risk of violence and harassment when travelling away from home, care burdens linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation, and negative impacts on girls' school performance and retention where gender-separated sanitation and menstrual hygiene facilities are lacking. As stewards of water, women and girls also confront the impacts of climate change daily yet frequently lack decision-making power over water security decisions and finance commitments.

UNICEF addresses these structural barriers through gender-intentional WASH programming in line with its Gender Equality Action Plan 2026-2029, working with governments and partners to transform the power structures that underpin unequal gender relations and norms. Under ASWA, country teams have undertaken WASH Gender Landscape Analysis (GALA) Action Plans, generating a substantial body of experience, tools and evidence on gender-intentional WASH programming.

This consultancy provides the technical, facilitation and knowledge-management capacity to do so across three reinforcing outputs: (i) thought leadership, knowledge and evidence generation; (ii) advocacy and influence; and (iii) capacity building and technical support to country offices. As the programme moves toward consolidation, country teams need dedicated support to operationalise their gender action plans, document and learn from their work, and embed gender equality more deliberately in ASWA programming. There is also a strategic opportunity to position ASWA's gender evidence within UNICEF's broader global agenda — including the WASH-GAP 2030 — and to ensure lessons are shared across sectors and with the wider WASH community.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0004424 ToR.pdf

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Masters’ degree in gender studies, social sciences, public health, water and sanitation, civil engineering, international development or a related field.
• Work Experience:
  • At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in WASH programming, including in integrating gender-intentional approaches in WASH programmes.
• Language requirement:
  • Fluency in English required;
  • working knowledge of French or another UN language an asset

•     Skills:

•     Good understanding of the global WASH international development community architecture and stakeholders, with ability to identify appropriate gender advocacy entry points.

•     Experience of knowledge management, evidence generation and production of high-quality reports and knowledge products, preferably in the WASH sector.

•     Experience delivering capacity building and technical assistance to country teams across multiple regions and contexts.

•     Excellent facilitation, communication and advocacy skills, including representation in global interagency forums and conferences.

Desirables:

• Familiarity with the ASWA programme and the GALA methodology is a strong asset.
• Prior work experience with UNICEF or other UN organizations is an asset.

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 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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal  TMC0004424 Financial Proposal Template.xlsx
• Technical proposal requirement:

 The consultant shall demonstrate the technical capacity, methodology, and experience to deliver the following requirements:

Requirement 1. Thought Leadership, Knowledge and Evidence Generation

The technical proposal should describe how the bidder will:

• Provide technical leadership to strengthen gender equality within the ASWA Programme through evidence generation, knowledge management and cross-sectoral collaboration.
• Engage with UNICEF Communities of Practice and facilitate collaboration across WASH, Climate, Health and Nutrition to develop joint knowledge products.
• Produce high-quality technical briefs, presentations, learning products and other knowledge resources for dissemination through webinars, conferences and other global platforms.
• Document programme experiences, lessons learned, evidence and results, including the proposed methodology for preparing a comprehensive final ASWA Report.
• Ensure that all knowledge products are technically robust, evidence-based and aligned with UNICEF quality standards

Requirement 2. Advocacy, Partnerships and Strategic Influence

The technical proposal should describe how the bidder will:

• Support UNICEF's advocacy objectives by representing and presenting ASWA gender approaches and results at global and regional events during the consultancy period.
• Develop and communicate evidence-based advocacy messages and knowledge products that promote ASWA achievements and influence sector dialogue.
• Engage with relevant global coordination mechanisms and interagency platforms, including SWA, GTFCC, UN-Water, Green Climate Fund communities of practice and WASH-GAP 2030 initiatives.
• Capture and document outcomes from advocacy engagements through event reports, recommendations and follow-up actions.
• Design and maintain an approach for monitoring visibility, knowledge dissemination, uptake and influence of ASWA gender products, including alignment with the WASH-GAP 2030 MERV architecture.

 Requirement 3. Capacity Building and Technical Support

The technical proposal should describe how the bidder will:

• Provide ongoing technical assistance to UNICEF Country Offices to strengthen implementation of gender-equitable WASH programming.
• Support implementation and monitoring of GALA Action Plans and promote replication of the GALA methodology in additional Country Offices.
• Design and deliver technical guidance, coaching, training and peer-learning activities under the WASH-GAP 2030 Shift 4 agenda and WASH Academia.
• Describe the proposed approach for providing remote technical support, quality assurance and responsive advisory services throughout the assignment.
• Outline the proposed reporting and communication approach, including regular progress reporting, documentation of technical support provided, and mechanisms for tracking results and follow-up actions.

The technical proposal should be a maximum of 10 pages.

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.