Technical Advisor, UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity (LiD) Grant Facility is also based here.

UN-Water is the United Nations (UN) inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related issues, including sanitation. The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) established UN-Water in 2003 in response to the need for strengthened coordination of United Nations’ work on water and sanitation related issues. UN-Water currently includes more than 30 Members (UN entities) and more than 40 Partners (non-UN system actors). 

UN-Water promotes coherence in, and coordination of, water-related UN system actions aimed at the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant policy frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Water supports the processes related to the UN conferences on water and coordinates the implementation of the recently adopted UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation (Strategy).

The Strategy enhances UN system-wide coordination and delivery of water and sanitation priorities across the United Nations system in support of Member States. Through the Strategy, the UN system and its partners, driven by country demand and coordinating through UN-Water, unify the international community’s support to countries for SDG 6.

The Strategy’s Collaborative Implementation Plan (CIP) includes time-bound actions towards the achievement of the Strategy’s outputs and outcomes. These include the post-2030 water agenda, collaboration for joint country programming, and elevating the ambition of UN conferences on water. The CIP shows the respective contributions by UN entities and partners and serves as a common agreed framework to jointly review and monitor progress on the Strategy.

As part of the Global Portfolio Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity (LiD) Grant Facility is also based here.

UN-Water is the United Nations (UN) inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related issues, including sanitation. The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) established UN-Water in 2003 in response to the need for strengthened coordination of United Nations’ work on water and sanitation related issues. UN-Water currently includes more than 30 Members (UN entities) and more than 40 Partners (non-UN system actors). 

UN-Water promotes coherence in, and coordination of, water-related UN system actions aimed at the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant policy frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Water supports the processes related to the UN conferences on water and coordinates the implementation of the recently adopted UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation (Strategy).

The Strategy enhances UN system-wide coordination and delivery of water and sanitation priorities across the United Nations system in support of Member States. Through the Strategy, the UN system and its partners, driven by country demand and coordinating through UN-Water, unify the international community’s support to countries for SDG 6.

The Strategy’s Collaborative Implementation Plan (CIP) includes time-bound actions towards the achievement of the Strategy’s outputs and outcomes. These include the post-2030 water agenda, collaboration for joint country programming, and elevating the ambition of UN conferences on water. The CIP shows the respective contributions by UN entities and partners and serves as a common agreed framework to jointly review and monitor progress on the Strategy.

The consultant will contribute to advancing the Strategy’s objectives by supporting system-wide coherence, fostering alignment across UN entities and partners, and strengthening the integration of water and sanitation priorities into relevant UN processes, programmes, and initiatives at global, regional, and national levels. They will assist in translating the Strategy and CIP into actionable approaches, frameworks, tools, and outputs; promoting shared understanding and collective ownership of agreed priorities; and supporting progress tracking, learning, and adaptive implementation.

The roles and responsibilities entail a significant level of travel globally.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor and in collaboration with relevant staff in the UN-Water Technical Advisory Unit and working closely with relevant UN-Water Expert Groups, Task Forces, and Initiatives, the consultant will perform the following duties:

1. Support the full and effective operationalization of the Strategy and its CIP at global, regional and national levels, including the 6 Priority Collaborative Actions: 

   1. Action 1.1: Unify and amplify UN voices on water and sanitation: Enhance coordination and alignment of UN communications, leadership, and advocacy. 

   2. Action 1.2: Water beyond 2030: Chart the UN’s long-term role in water and sanitation through data, technical support, and high-level advocacy.

   3. Action 2: Collaborate for joint country programming: Enable UN Country Teams to use SDG 6 as a catalyst for integrated development solutions.

   4. Action 3: Mainstream within UN Rio Conventions at all levels: Ensure water and sanitation are reflected in outcomes, planning, and reporting of the Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties – “COPs” – of the Rio Conventions.

   5. Action 4: Improve availability and use of evidence and learning to accelerate progress: Strengthen data, monitoring, innovation, and knowledge sharing for transformative progress. 

   6. Action 5: Mobilize to elevate the ambition of UN Water Conferences: Leverage system-wide expertise and engagement to raise the ambition of the 2026 and 2028 Conferences.

2. Preparing, drafting and finalizing publications and other products related to the Strategy and its CIP as necessary.

3. Carry out consultations with relevant stakeholders, including UN system and governments and gather intelligence, evidence and experience from country stakeholders, as necessary

4. Provide expert advice and strategic/technical guidance on content, opportunities, processes, and initiatives that will enable UN-Water to implement its activities under the Strategy and the CIP.

5. Organize and/or deliver online and in-person webinars and workshops as necessary

6.  Design and organise strategic engagements for UN-Water; participate in  key  events relevant to the Strategy and CIP, to gather information  and contribute to the development of communication resources, that support communication and outreach globally. 

7. Facilitate communication and coordination between relevant groups both within UN-Water and with external stakeholders on matters relating to Strategy and CIP implementation.  

8. Update UN-Water on relevant developments within the scope of the assignment.

9. Maintain a record of communications, key decisions, and follow-up actions related to the above tasks, ensuring clarity and continuity.

Required

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in a water relevant field, such as sustainable development, international affairs, economics, social sciences, public policy, public administration, public health, natural resources management, environmental management, engineering or a related field. 

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with an additional 2 years of experience may be considered in lieu of the advanced degree.

Required

• At least 7 years of experience (or more based on educational requirements) in water and sanitation, working in a wide range of countries and with a wide range of stakeholders

• Knowledge of and experience from working with SDG 6, including experience with associated political processes

• Experience working with the UN system or with related organizations

• Experience in providing services in water policy issues

• Experience in report-writing for water and sanitation-related publications.

• Strong knowledge of the sector, including of global stakeholders and external support agencies 

• Excellent interpersonal and partnership management skills

Desired

• Significant experience in high-level coordination and/or collaboration

• Knowledge of and experience in other fields linked to water and sanitation, such as climate, biodiversity, desertification, environment, finance for development, etc.

• Experience at the country level, particularly in country level programming development and implementation

• Experience working with treaty instruments

• Experience in condensing large knowledge products/documents into 2-3-page summaries

• Experience managing a co-authored, inter-agency publication

• Experience organizing and facilitating in person and virtual events

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.