To support UNICEF in positioning and operationalizing the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSI) as a flagship mechanism for accelerating political commitment, financing, and accountability in the WASH sector. The consultant will provide technical, advocacy, and coordination support to UNICEF’s WASH Partnerships and Advocacy and WASH Systems and Governance teams in advancing the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSi), ASWA III programme priorities, and global engagements with key partners (Sanitation and Water for All) and major events (UN 2026 Water Conference), while ensuring coherence between political advocacy, systems strengthening, and UNICEF’s global advocacy plan.

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.

How can you make a difference?  

To support UNICEF in positioning and operationalizing the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSI) as a flagship mechanism for accelerating political commitment, financing, and accountability in the WASH sector. The consultant will provide technical, advocacy, and coordination support to UNICEF’s WASH Partnerships and Advocacy and WASH Systems and Governance teams in advancing the Heads of State Initiatives (HoSi), ASWA III programme priorities, and global engagements with key partners (Sanitation and Water for All) and major events (UN 2026 Water Conference), while ensuring coherence between political advocacy, systems strengthening, and UNICEF’s global advocacy plan.

This includes:

• Driving strategic alignment across UNICEF, HoSi, and SWA partners.

• supporting political engagement and HoSi compact implementation in priority countries.

• enhancing the visibility, credibility, and impact of HoSI through integrated advocacy outputs, global visibility (particularly the UN Water Conference 2026) and partnerships.

• Ensuring complementarity with the P3 Advocacy & Partnerships Consultant, who focuses on the UNICEF UN 2026 Water Conference engagement strategy.

Scope of Work:

• Updated HoSi communication strategy and website.

• Country‑level HoSI support packages and periodic technical assistance reports.

• HoSI learning products, including country case studies, synthesis briefs, advocacy briefs and explanatory notes for internal and external audiences.

• UNWC 2026 HoSI High‑Level side event strategy note (linking Dakar, Abu Dhabi and post‑UNWC follow‑up).

• High‑level briefing notes and talking points for UNICEF senior leadership.

• Country spotlight profiles for HoSI/ASWA III countries.

• Post‑UNWC 2026 synthesis note capturing political, financing, and accountability commitments.

• Monitoring report on compact implementation and financing commitments.

• Advocacy-ready learning products and donor friendly briefs to support senior leadership engagement.

• Travel might be needed as part of scope of work.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File Terms of Reference TMC0002323.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

  • Education: Master's degree in International development, public policy, political science, water and sanitation, economics, international relations, or a related field.
  • Work Experience: At least 10–15 years of progressively responsible experience in international development, with a strong focus on WASH systems strengthening, governance, financing, or political advocacy.
  • Demonstrated experience working with UN agencies, international NGOs, multilateral partnerships, or development finance institutions at global, regional, and country levels.
  • Proven experience supporting country teams in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
  • Skills: Strategic advocacy and political engagement: Ability to connect global advocacy objectives to concrete country-level action.
  • Systems strengthening and governance: Deep understanding of WASH systems, financing, and accountability mechanisms.
  • High-level coordination and diplomacy: Strong political judgment, discretion, and ability to operate in complex multi-stakeholder environments.
  • Stakeholder engagement and facilitation: Excellent skills in convening, facilitating, and managing diverse partnerships.
  • Communication and drafting: Proven ability to produce high-quality advocacy briefs, donor-friendly materials, and senior leadership notes.
  • Capacity building and knowledge management: Experience designing learning agendas, peer-to-peer exchanges, and packaging technical content into advocacy tools.
  • Language Requirements: Fluency in English required.
  • Working knowledge of French is a strong asset, given the focus on ASWA III countries.

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.