National Consultancy - WASH Engineer (Open to Malawian Nationals Only)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, sanitation!

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION

According to the 2019 Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) data, 65.4 per cent of the rural population in Malawi have access to at least a basic water supply service and 9.6 per cent have access to a piped system. This contrasts greatly with the situation in urban areas, where access to at least a basic water service and a piped water system are significantly higher at 85.8 and 81.5 percent, respectively.

Sadly, the situation in schools in rural areas is even worse. According to the 2018 JMP data on WASH in Schools, 12.1 percent of schools in rural Malawi do not have a water service (no functional water source) while 25.6 percent of schools do not have a sanitation service (no functional toilets). For healthcare facilities, 1.1 percent of facilities do not have water service, and 6.6 percent do not have a sanitation service.

To overcome this challenge and to improve access to safely managed water (SDG 6.1) to communities and institutions, UNICEF Malawi plans to construct climate-resilient water supply systems. So far, UNICEF is in the process of establishing long-term agreements with private contractors but one challenge of having an independent contractor for ensuring the quality of works remains. UNICEF is therefore looking for a third-party individual contractor for closely supervising the works and overall quality assurance.

How can you make a difference?

The contractor will be based in the UNICEF office and will observe the same office hours. There may be frequent monitoring field visits as discussed and agreed upon with the supervisor and also pending the safety situation related to COVID-19. Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Community mobilization and ensure that the communities are involved in site selection and collect and submit data for the design of solar-powered water schemes.
2. Supervise the construction of Water and Sanitation infrastructures and issuing formal instructions to the contractors regarding technical aspects and ensure that private contractors adhere to technical specifications.
3. Measure the actual work executed by the contractors and report so that the payment is done based on actual work verified and approved by Unicef
4. Compile and submit the progress and final report
5. Provide technical inputs to proposals development
6. Compile timely and quality donor reports and other progress updates

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

• Experience in planning and contract management for water supply and other WASH projects
• Excellent analytical, conceptual and writing skills
• Strong facilitation and coordination skills, including participatory group discussion
• Strong communication, advocacy and negotiation skills.
• Familiarity with the WASH programme in Malawi or similar countries in the region is an advantage.
• Experience in UN proposal development and donor reporting is an added advantage
• Minimum of a University degree in Civil Engineering, Water resources, hydrogeology, or Environmental Engineering, or another related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience working with government agencies, local authorities or international organizations, NGOs and communities in the field of water and sanitation infrastructures.
• Experience in the design and implementation of solar-powered water systems.
• Experience in the rehabilitation of contaminated boreholes.
• Familiarity with the WASH programme in Malawi or similar countries in the region is an advantage.
• Experience in WASH in schools and institutions including Menstrual Hygiene Management and programming is an added advantage.
• Experience in planning and contract management for water supply and other WASH projects.
• Experience in UN proposal development and donor reporting is an added advantage
• Excellent analytical, conceptual and writing skills.
• Strong facilitation and coordination skills, including participatory group discussion
• Strong communication, advocacy and negotiation skills.
• Familiarity with the WASH programme in Malawi or similar countries in the region is an advantage.
• Fluency in English and in the local language (verbal and written)

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

For further information about the consultancy, refer to the attached Terms of Reference ToR):

TOR WASH Consultant.pdf

Use the attached template to submit your financial proposal:

Financial Proposal template.xlsx

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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.