Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Officer, NOB, Boa Vista, Brazil

Contract

This is a NO-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-2 contracts.

Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Officer, TA, NO2, Boa Vista, Brazil

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

Since 2018, UNICEF initiated its interventions in Roraima and established an Office in Boa Vista and in 2019 an outpost in Pacaraima, border with Venezuela. Building on its development programme to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Brazil, UNICEF’s response to the needs of children and families in the context of the migration crisis focuses on ensuring access to essential services and programmes. UNICEF aims at strengthening the capacity of actors responsible for providing quality child protection, education, health/nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services, so that they are fully equipped to assist children on the move and their families. UNICEF advocates for the rights and voices of children and women as an integral component of the response. For information of the work of our organization in Brazil, please visit our website: UNICEF Brazil

Job Context

Through the WASH programme thousands of children were reached with access to clean water, access to toilets and safely disposed sanitation as well as hygiene promotion activities. UNICEF is the co-lead of the WASH Working Group (WWG) in Roraima, which involves the support in coordination of WWG activities, supporting field needs assessment and following implementing partners activities. Moreover, the WASH sector is also working, together with other areas, to ensure the nexus between the humanitarian response to the migration crisis in Venezuela and the development work planned at the national level, in particular (but not limited to) by the UNICEF Seal.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief Field Office, and in close coordination with and technical support from the Emergency Manager in Brasilia, identify and assess the critical needs of WASH facilities and services as it relates to the Venezuelan migrants within and out of shelters, indigenous peoples and host population. Ensure the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of UNICEFs HD-nexus response activities and results, providing access to safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation services, including appropriate use and maintenance of facilities. Ensure overall efficiency, effectiveness and delivery of results in accordance with UNICEFs Core Commitment for Children in Emergencies (CCCs) and national and international humanitarian standards and WASH outputs of UNICEF Seal.

Key accountabilities, Duties and Tasks

Sectoral Coordination

• Provide leadership for the effective and efficient co-coordination of the WASH sector working group (WWG) in Roraima, the R4V WASH sector, and support the Water and Infrastructure Working Group for COE Yanomami crisis. Secure the active engagement and buy in of relevant government and non-governmental stakeholders, mainstream and contextualize selected global standards, norms and tools (e.g. SPHERE) and provide technical guidance to the sector coordination of WASH responses.
• Channel the WWG issues and contributions into other coordination forums in Roraima (education, health, nutrition, protection sector, etc).

Situation assessment, analysis and reporting

• Conduct rapid assessments (including by leading inter-agency needs assessments), analyze existing research sources and monthly data gathered through partners or external source to determine WASH priorities (focusing on emerging issues, programme integration, risks and needs). This will allow for a regularly updated situation analysis to verify that interventions, mobilization of actors and advocacy of UNICEF responds adequately and sufficiently to the local situation affecting children, their families and the community.
• Contribute to cross -sectoral rapid assessment exercises rolled out by the ETT (Emergency Technical Team) across regions. Initiate and/or support thematic evaluations of program interventions (e.g. CBI) in close collaboration with Humanitarian Performance Monitoring teams.
• Draft in a timely manner WASH sections of key reporting requirements (including UNICEF`s monthly/ monthly sitreps (situational reports), R4V platform monthly reports;
• Contribute to WASH components of development and emergency appeals and donor reports, and support initiatives related to the mobilization of funds.

Programme development, planning and monitoring

• Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH-related outcome and output results, as well as related strategies (e.g. elaboration or update of technical guidance notes of WASH programming within a blended humanitarian-Development programming approach), through analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.

• Develop, monitor and report on UNICEF`s humanitarian response in WASH in coordination with authorities and partners. In particular:

1. Prepare Humanitarian Project Documents (HPD), ensuring negotiation process involves relevant areas and colleagues, including from Health, nutrition, Humanitarian Performance Monitoring, Social and Behaviour Change and Accountability to Affected Populations ;
2. monitor project implementation, including through programmatic visits, ensuring efficient utilization of resources and delivery of supplies in compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity.
3. report on issues identified to enable timely resolution by management/stakeholders;
4. provide technical support and guidance for the setting up and functioning of WASH infrastructures (this includes identification of capacity gaps, and development of guidance manuals);
5. Identify opportunities and propose mechanisms to strengthen the local WASH system and infrastructures, in order to respond to the needs of children in the move; Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues, partners and authorities to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned. In particular: i) Support the federal, state and municipal governments in accordance with their legal obligations on the implementation of actions towards identified priorities; ii) Promote prevention activities that may reduce public health-risks among of the affected population; and iv) Promote internal coordination with other relevant programmatic areas and foster cross-sectoral linkages/joint programming whenever feasible (Child Protection, Education, Health/Nutrition, SBC, etc);

• Conduct regular field visits and exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide high quality technical support, take appropriate action to solve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Assist in the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH action research and innovation (technical or systems);

• Assist in the preparation of learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, to support overall WASH sector development. In particular: provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on WASH and related issues to support programme implementation, operations and delivery of results

• Promote basic training for WASH Monitors in monitoring affected families, including indigenous, with skills developed for the identification, monitoring and referral to other programmes, of families at risk, especially children, adolescents and pregnant women;
• Support and monitor the integration of the WASH emergency and a development Action Plans;
• Support and monitor the cross sectoral interventions as WASH in Schools within the UNICEF Seal.

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

Education - University degree in one of the following fields is required: sanitary engineering, environmental engineering, civil engineering, public health, or another relevant technical field.

Experience A minimum of two years of professional work experience in WASH related programmes

• Experience in monitoring humanitarian performance, emergency response programming and or preparedness planning. Active involvement in humanitarian crisis response is an asset.
• Formal training or considerable, verifiable, experience in the implementation of hygiene promotion/behavior change is required.
• Understands key technical issues for the WASH coordination sufficiently well enough to be able to: engage with participants; make full use of their experience and knowledge; guide strategy and plans; communicate and advocate on important issues.
• Formal training or experience in sector coordination will be consider an advantage.
• Knowledge of child rights framework will be an asset.

Language

• Fluent in Portuguese and fluent in English (read and written communication). Knowledge of Spanish will be an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

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

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies. During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Remarks:

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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

This position is for Brazilian citizens only.