WASH Officer

Description

Organizational Context/Project: (under this point, two types of issues could be addressed: a) the partners/organizations, besides the host agency, with which the UN Volunteer will be dealing/interacting with during the performance of the tasks under the assignment and the role of these partners in the development process/issue tackled by the project, and/or b) the brief description of the organization (host agency) in which the UN Volunteer will be working (number of units/divisions, etc) and description and role of the unit/department where the UN Volunteer will be placed)

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among others things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves.

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives - being in good health, immunised, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation, and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

Guided by the Pakistan Country Office WASH program strategic note (PSN) for 2023 – 2-27, UNICEF WASH works with provincial and federal governments in three thematic areas aimed at accelerating progress towards achieving SDG 6 targets forcusing on:

• System strengthening to foster a more enabling environment for the sector; Ensuring increased access to atleast basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services; Concerted efforts to address climate change, environmental degradation, and the need for disaster risk reduction (DRR).

UNICEF WASH Programme in Pakistan is highly influenced by the increasing impact of climate change on children and vulnerable groups. In addition to expanding access to gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and child-friendly WASH services—including menstrual health–in education and health facilities, UNICEF WASH focus on climate and environment action to reduce the risk of crisis and better link humanitarian and development programming. UNICEF also support local governments to address factors affecting the resilience of WASH systems through providing appropriate capacity building in water safety planning, water quality surveillance, low-cost water treatment solutions, decentralized wastewater treatment and faecal sludge management. The support is extended to government programs such as the Clean and Green Pakistan Initiative that fosters adolescent engagement for climate change solutions and the Pakistan Approach to Total Sanitation, which includes appropriate designs, sanitation, social marketing and evidence-informed communication to end open defecation. During the past decade, UNICEF has supported implementation of innovative WASH projects in all the provinces and these include decentralized waste water treatment plants for safely managed sanitation, solarization of water sources promoting use of clean energy and ground water recharge techniques to mitigate the impact of climate change on ground water

Description of tasks:

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent reports to the WASH Specialist working in close collaboration with the WASH Officers, Program Associate and Consultancies. The main responsibility of the UNV will be to help the WASH team document its efforts through developing various knowledge management products which include WASH technical papers, Field Notes, WASH Diaries or Case Studies to share the progress and impact of WASH projects with donors and stakeholders. The post will follow up on a number of programmatic responsibilities and provide support to both internal processes as well as external partnerships to contribute to the effective functioning of the Office of the Deputy Representative.

Summary of Key Functions:

The UNV will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Write technical papers on the various WASH projects implemented by the organization, including detailed descriptions of the projects, their impact on the target communities, and the technical details of the projects

• Using available research data collected by UNICEF through various studies, write research papers for submission to peer reviewed journals for publication

• Reviewing project documents, including project proposals, progress reports, and evaluation reports and document best practices and lessons learnt including recommendations for upscaling

• Support evidence based programming through WASH research

• Conducting field visits to project sites to collect data and information on the projects for WASH knowledge generation, documentation and sharing

• Analyzing data and information to develop technical papers on the projects

• Working closely with WASH team to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the technical papers

• Presenting the technical papers to the organization's staff and incorporating feedback and suggestions

• Prepare WASH presentations for various stakeholder/ review workshops organized by UNICEF

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark IVD);

• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;

• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;

• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Core Values

• Care

• Respect

• Integrity

• Trust

• Accountability

• Sustainability

Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Results/Expected Output:

• Well written and peer reviewed WASH Knowledge Management products comprising of Field notes, WASH Diaries, Case Studies and Technical papers on the various WASH projects implemented by the organization, including detailed descriptions of the projects, their impact on the target communities, and the technical details of the projects (Please complete with the required information )

• WASH papers published in established peer reviewed journals

• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Qualifications/Requirements:

The ideal candidate for this assignment should have the following qualifications:

• An MSc/ PhD degree in a relevant field, such as water resources management, environmental or civil engineering. Additional qualification or experience in climate, environment, energy or public health is an added advantage

• Excellent writing and communication skills

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Knowledge of the current climate change trends and its impact on WASH is desirable

Experience:

• Atleast 1 years of experience (including during acaemic research) in any WASH related programming is required.

• Experience working in WASH with humanitarian organization is desirable.

• Background/familiarity with emergencies is considered an asset.

• Experience in conducting research and technical analysis of WASH projects

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required