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For every child, the right to Clean Environment 

 

Purpose

UNICEF South Sudan is seeking a WASH Cluster Coordinator required to support a coherent, strategic, coordinated, effective and efficient system of partnerships to maximize reach, with limited resources; ensuring that those in need are well served, at standard, by WASH partners. On behalf of UNICEF as the lead agency for the IASC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Cluster, and in collaboration with the State Authorities, provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, coherent, strategic, and effective WASH response in South Sudan. In support of the national government, act as interface between humanitarian WASH partners and duty bearers to ensure WASH related needs of the affected population are properly covered.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

The post holder is responsible for providing predictable, timely and strategic leadership and representation for the Cluster to ensure a timely and effective Cluster response. The post holder is responsible for leading multiple stakeholders, beyond their immediate team of direct reports, to work collectively towards the realization of a shared goal based on evidence in a complex humanitarian environment.

The post holder's main tasks and responsibilities will include but not be limited to: 

 Coordination

• Provide a platform that ensures service delivery is driven by the prioritised Humanitarian Needs Response Plan (HNRP) and strategic priorities. Represent WASH cluster at Inter Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), Area Based Coordination and other Technical and Operational Interagency Working Groups
• Ensure the inclusion of key WASH humanitarian partners in a way that respects their mandates and programme priorities, as well as national and local authorities, other governmental actors, civil society and other actors working and related to the WASH sectoral response.
• Promote WASH emergency response actions while at the same time considering WASH within early recovery planning as well as prevention and risk reduction concerns.
• Ensure appropriate coordination mechanisms between all WASH humanitarian partners are in place, including effective links, communication and information management, as well as technical working groups and/or sub-national coordination platforms as appropriate.
• Cluster/sector meetings organized with minutes and action points and frequency and structure of meetings is in line with needs for coordination.
• Strategic decisions for the cluster / sector are taken by a group of partners representing the interest of all the WASH Stakeholders involved in the response (for instance, a Strategic Advisory Group (SAG).
• Secure commitments from WASH humanitarian partners in responding to needs and filling gaps, ensuring an appropriate distribution of responsibilities within the WASH Cluster, with clearly defined focal points for specific issues where necessary.
• Ensure effective links with other Cluster/sector groups such as nutrition, food security, health, logistics, shelter, education, protection etc
• Ensure that WASH coordination mechanisms are adapted over time to reflect the capacities of local actors and the engagement of development partners
• Ensure information on all current and potential WASH partners, their capacities and areas of work (including Who, What, Where and When) are properly collected, analyzed and feedback to partners. Develop mechanisms to eliminate duplication of service delivery.
• Participate in the national cluster meetings with inputs/feedback from the sub-national cluster.
• Represent the interests of the WASH Cluster/Sector in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator and other stakeholders on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy

Needs assessment, analysis, preparedness and response planning and strategy development

• Ensure effective and coherent WASH assessment, analysis and feedback involving all relevant partners, including the identification of gaps and conceptualize how sectoral needs can be met through collective delivery, involving all relevant partners and ensuring complementarity of their actions.
• Lead and coordinate the process of WASH cluster preparedness and response planning using globally and nationally adopted tools and methodologies and respecting timelines for HNRP

Formulate priorities on the basis of analysis

Facilitate WASH cluster/sector and its members/partners:

• develop/update agreed WASH response strategies and action plans and ensure these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies and appeals.
• are aware of relevant policies, guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government/concerned authorities have undertaken under international human rights law; and that sectoral response is in line with them.
• standard WASH indicators have been agreed by WASH cluster/sector partners and have been integrated into various multi-sector data collection initiatives (DTM, CCCM tracking, SMART Surveys)
• ensure a cluster/sector mechanism or protocol to collect assessment data from partners.
• use of participatory and community-based approaches in WASH needs assessments, analysis, planning, monitoring and response as well as the utilization of participatory and community-based approaches in WASH in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WASH response.

Participatory and community-based approaches

• Ensure utilization of participatory and community-based approaches in WASH related assessments, analysis, planning, monitoring and response.

Accountability to Affected Population

• Ensuring that women, men, girls and boys of all ages and diversity backgrounds including vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities (PWDs), affected by a crisis have equitable and meaningful access to:

Appropriate, relevant and timely information

• Two-way communications channels that facilitate feedback and complaints and provide redress for complaints.
• Means to participate in decisions that affect them, including fair and transparent systems of representation; and
• Active involvement in the design, monitoring and evaluation of the goals and objectives of programmes.
• Ensure the WASH cluster/sector has conducted training or orientation on AAP including inclusion on humanitarian action (PWDs) and AAP remains a standing agenda item during coordination meetings.
• Develop / update WASH cluster/sector specific policy or guidance for the meaningful and relevant means of communication with affected communities.

Attention to priority cross-cutting issues

• Ensure integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues in WASH assessments, analysis, planning, monitoring and response (e.g. age, diversity, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS and human rights)
• Ensure specific cluster/sector focal points for cross-cutting issues have been identified and are equipped and capacitated to lead on the cross-cutting area.

Emergency preparedness

• Ensure adequate WASH-related contingency planning and preparedness for potential significant changes in the nature of the emergency and for high risk or recurring disasters (for example Floods).
• Identify hazard, assessment and monitoring of risk is undertaken as part of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle or on a needs basis and reflected into the national WASH Cluster contingency plans.
• Ensure that IOM is supported to manage core-pipeline and gaps managed.

Planning and strategy development: Ensure predictable WASH action within

• Develop sectoral plans, objectives and indicators that directly support realization of the overall response’s strategic objectives.
• Apply and adhere to common standards and guidelines.
• Clarify funding requirements, help to set priorities, and generally contribute contributions to the HC’s overall humanitarian funding proposals.
• Ensure WASH standards and guidelines for humanitarian response have been collected and agreed by partners and are based on national standards where applicable (or global otherwise) with consideration made for the local context
• Draw lessons learned from past WASH activities and revising strategies and action plans accordingly
• Developing an exit, or transition, strategy for the WASH interventions and key Cluster/sector partners.

Application of standards

• Ensure that WASH cluster/sector participants are aware of relevant policy guidance, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government/concerned authorities have undertaken under international human rights law;
• Ensure that WASH responses are in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government human rights legal obligations.
• Ensure critical WASH issues are identified and brought to the attention of the relevant stakeholders
• Undertake advocacy initiatives when required to communicate these WASH issues to key stakeholders (HCT, Donors, CLA, Government etc.)

Monitoring and reporting

• Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place to review impact of WASH interventions and progress against implementation plans. This specifically needs to include an analytical interpretation of best available information in order to benchmark progress of the emergency response over time. That is – monitoring indicators (quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost. Target population data including desegregation by sex, age etc...) of service delivery which are derived from working towards meeting previously defined standards.
• Measure progress against the cluster strategy and agreed results and recommend corrective action where necessary.
• Ensure mechanisms are in place to monitor the quality of WASH services delivered to the affected population against established standards (relevance, quantity, quality, continuity of WASH services)
• Ensure adequate WASH related reporting and effective information sharing (with OCHA support) to demonstrate the closing of gaps.
• Ensure creating opportunities for cross learning and documentation on best practices, tested models within the cluster and with other clusters. Initiate and sustain regular cluster briefs for various audiences with the focus on advocacy & transparency.

Advocacy and resource mobilization

• Identify core advocacy concerns, including resource requirements, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the HC, UNICEF and other actors
• Advocate for donors to fund WASH actors to carry out priority WASH activities, while at the same time encouraging WASH actors to mobilize resources for their activities through their usual channels.

Training and capacity building

• Identify capacity gaps and needs of the WASH cluster/sector partners, including national authorities
• Promote and support training of WASH humanitarian personnel and capacity building of humanitarian partners, based on the mapping and understanding of available capacity
• Support efforts to strengthen the WASH capacity of the national/local authorities and relevant development capacity development action plan and initiative.
• Develop an exit/transition strategy for the WASH sector and key sector partners

Transition planning

• Leads and facilitates early recovery transition strategies for the cluster/sector including linkages with other sectoral recovery, response and development phases and disaster risk reduction initiatives. Ideally this will involve working closely with national counterparts and development partners to:
• Adopt a longer-term perspective in coordination mechanisms.
• Promote early recovery approaches as a strategy to support the development of sustainable WASH interventions and services as a last resort strategy to reinforce the resilience of populations.
• Work with national and/or local authorities and development partners on early recovery and development planning and implementation mechanisms and cluster membership should change as the humanitarian emergency subsides.

Advocate for provision of assistance or services as last resort

Where critical gaps in addressing WASH priorities are identified the WASH Cluster Coordinator will:

• Lobby for implementing humanitarian partners (including UNICEF) to address the critical gaps
• With advice/support from the HC and support from other humanitarian partners, as appropriate, on the adequate provision of resources and safe access.
• If persistent gaps remain then with the full support of the UNICEF Country Office, specifically request that the UNICEF take action to fill the critical gaps through direct implementation action, where funds and access allows

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

  Advanced University Degree qualification desirably in subjects/areas of WASH, Public Health Promotion or Education, Civil or Public Health Engineering, Public Health (MPH), Environmental Health. Note that work experience may substitute for higher degree qualification.

• Work Experience: 

  A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in a relevant field such as WASH emergency, coordination, program planning and management is required at the national or international level. Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.

  Experience of working in the humanitarian coordination system is required.

  Experience in humanitarian contexts is required. Experience in development contexts is an added advantage.

Skills. Computer skills: proficiency in the office pack (Word, Excel, Power Point, Internet browsing, etc.), Teams and Outlook.

• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic or a local language is an asset.
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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 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.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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 consultant 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 consultant 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. The vaccine mandate, 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.