WASH Officer, P2, La Paz-Bolivia

Overview

Strengthen technical team for effective Rural Sanitation programme.

You have:

• A university degree in public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or relevant technical field.
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience in Wash-related programmes for developing countries is required.
• Fluency in Spanish is required.
• Proficiency in English is required.
• Korean Language is strongly recommended.

Contract

This is a P-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 74,498 USD and 101,187 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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.

For every child, freedom.

UNICEF Bolivia | UNICEF

How can you make a difference?

Strengthening UNICEF Bolivia’s technical team is essential to ensure the effective, timely, and high-quality implementation of the Rural Sanitation in Potosí programme, given the scale of sanitation gaps, the high prevalence of open defecation, and the technical and operational complexity of delivering sustainable solutions in remote and climate-vulnerable rural contexts. In this regard, the recruitment of a WASH Officer at the P-2 level, serving as a Project Specialist Officer within the framework of the KOICA–UNICEF Programme will provide technical and operational support for the planning, implementation, and monitoring of decentralized rural sanitation interventions under UNICEF’s Country Programme.

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

Minimum requirements:

1. Programme development and planning

• Contribute to the development and refinement of workplans, implementation strategies, and annual/quarterly activity schedules for the Potosí Rural Sanitation Project.
• Support the preparation of detailed implementation plans (DIPs) with clear targets, budgets, and timelines, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Country Programme and subnational priorities.
• Participate in the baseline analyses, and field consultations to inform programme design and contextualization of sanitation approaches.
• Prepare inputs for technical notes, concept papers, and donor reporting related to rural sanitation in Potosí.
• Support integration of behaviour change, gender equality, menstrual health and hygiene, and climate resilience considerations into programme plans.
• Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH-related outcome and output results, as well as related strategies, through analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Oversee day‑to‑day implementation of rural sanitation activities in coordination with implementing partners and municipal authorities, ensuring adherence to agreed workplans and quality standards.
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits to verify progress, identify bottlenecks, and recommend corrective actions for timely delivery of results.
• Track programme performance against indicators, compile monitoring data, and contribute to results analysis for internal reporting and donor submissions.
• Support financial monitoring by reviewing partner reports, verifying expenditures against budgets, and ensuring compliance with UNICEF’s financial procedures.
• Maintain accurate programme documentation, including activity records, monitoring findings, risk logs, and lessons learned.
• Ensure quality assurance to coordinate with implementing partners and subnational authorities.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare reports on results for required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on issues identified to enable timely resolution by management/stakeholders.

3. Technical and operational support for programme implementation

• Provide routine technical guidance to implementing partners on rural sanitation methodologies, behaviour change approaches, and quality assurance requirements.
• Facilitate capacity-building activities for subnational authorities and partners on monitoring, reporting, and technical standards related to sanitation infrastructure and hygiene promotion.
• Review technical designs, training materials, and partner deliverables to ensure compliance with UNICEF norms and sector standards.
• Support procurement and logistics processes for programme supplies and materials, ensuring timely delivery and proper use at field level.
• Coordinate with other sectors within UNICEF to strengthen integrated implementation and cross-sectoral synergies.
• Undertake field visits in Potosí, collect and share reports with partners/stakeholders. Report critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems to supervisor, for timely action.
• 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 in WASH, to support programme implementation.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Support collaboration and regular information exchange with national government, municipal governments, departmental authorities, implementing partners, and local WASH platforms to strengthen coordinated delivery of the Potosí Rural Sanitation Project.
• Maintain effective working relationships with governmental and non‑governmental stakeholders, facilitating joint monitoring, problem‑solving meetings, and alignment of interventions with national and subnational sanitation priorities.
• Draft communication and information materials for WASH programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund-raising for WASH.
• Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Promote the application of innovative tools, digital monitoring systems, and evidence-generation methods to enhance programme effectiveness and accountability.
• Contribute to knowledge management by documenting lessons learned, good practices, and field evidence, and support capacity-building activities for partners and local authorities based on identified gaps and programme learning.
• Assist in the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH action research and innovation (technical or systems).
• Assist in creating and delivering learning opportunities for UNICEF WASH staff, to ensure our sector capacity remains up-to-date with latest developments.

• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

• Education:

A university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field.

Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are a strong asset.

• Work Experience:

At least 2 years of relevant work experience in Wash-related programmes for developing countries is required.

• Language Requirements:

Fluency in Spanish is required.

Proficiency level of English is required.

Korean Language strongly recommended.

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

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

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.

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Potential interview questions