WASH Quality and Accountability Engineering Expert (UNV)

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, is a United Nations agency dedicated to advancing the rights of every child, everywhere. The organization operates in over 190 countries and territories, focusing on programs that address the needs of the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families. UNICEF's mission is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to survive, thrive, and fulfill their potential, which is reflected in its Equity Strategy aimed at rectifying disparities and promoting children's rights as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The organization is committed to fostering sustainable growth and stability within nations, particularly in contexts affected by conflict and climate change.

Job Overview:
The WASH Quality and Accountability Engineering Expert (UNV) will play a crucial role in providing high-level technical oversight and guidance to operationalize UNICEF's engineering supervision and risk management model across all WASH projects in Ukraine. This position is vital for ensuring that children and young people have access to safe, sustainable, and resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services. The Expert will be responsible for establishing robust systems, building national capacity, and ensuring coherence in risk-informed project implementation. This role involves a dual humanitarian-development approach, addressing urgent needs while supporting the recovery and resilience of national and local WASH systems. The Expert will work closely with various stakeholders, including government ministries and local authorities, to strengthen governance and service delivery capacity in line with UNICEF's principles of building back better and greener.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Technical Quality Assurance and Risk Management: Operationalize UNICEF's Long-Term Agreement (LTA) supervision risk model across all WASH infrastructure projects, ensuring compliance with UNICEF standards and Ukrainian regulatory requirements. Review design packages, technical documentation, and supervision reports to identify weaknesses and recommend improvements. Develop tools and workflows to enhance the quality and safety of WASH interventions.
• Capacity Building, Mentorship, and Knowledge Transfer: Mentor national WASH officers and field engineers, providing on-the-job technical coaching to improve quality assurance practices. Deliver targeted capacity-building sessions on engineering risk management and supervision standards. Prepare a structured knowledge-transfer package to institutionalize supervision practices within the WASH team.
• Develop Tools and Systems for Consistency and Harmonisation Across Projects: Ensure harmonized implementation of LTA supervision standards across oblasts, facilitating cross-project learning and documenting lessons learned. Provide technical inputs to monitoring missions and donor reports.
• Support to the WASH team in project coordination, implementation, and monitoring: Deliver advisory support focused on system establishment, produce a clear exit strategy, and provide high-level technical advice on engineering risk exposure and opportunities for system strengthening.

Required Qualifications:
The ideal candidate should possess a strong background in engineering, particularly in the fields of water, sanitation, and hygiene. They should have experience in quality assurance and risk management within infrastructure projects, as well as a solid understanding of compliance with regulatory requirements. Strong analytical skills and the ability to develop and implement effective tools and systems are essential. The candidate should also demonstrate excellent mentoring and capacity-building abilities, with a focus on knowledge transfer and institutionalization of best practices.

Educational Background:
A degree in engineering, preferably in civil, environmental, or water resources engineering, is required. Advanced degrees or specialized training in WASH-related fields will be considered an asset. The candidate should have a strong understanding of engineering principles, project management, and quality assurance processes.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in engineering, with a focus on WASH projects. Experience in humanitarian and development contexts, particularly in conflict-affected areas, is highly desirable. Proven experience in capacity building, mentorship, and technical oversight of engineering projects is essential.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, both written and spoken. Knowledge of Ukrainian or Russian is highly desirable, as it will facilitate communication with local stakeholders and enhance the effectiveness of the role.

Additional Notes:
This is a national UN Volunteer assignment, and the volunteer will be responsible for organizing their own accommodation. The contract is full-time and lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy, with the possibility of extensions based on funding availability and satisfactory performance. The monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is USD 2076, which covers housing and living expenses. Additional benefits include medical and life insurance coverage, annual leave, learning leave, and sick leave entitlements.