Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF is supporting health, nutrition, HIV prevention, education, access to safe drinking water, sanitation and protection for children and families caught in the conflict.
Context
This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme, specifically supporting the National Technical Cell, which covers both water utilities and district heating, established in response to the ongoing armed conflict.
UNICEF — the United Nations Children's Fund, established in 1946 — is mandated to protect the rights of every child and operates in over 190 countries. UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme supports emergency response, service restoration, and systems strengthening across water, sanitation, hygiene, and district heating sectors.
Now in the fourth year of full-scale armed conflict, Ukraine's water and district heating infrastructure faces severe and repeated damage. Over 800 district heating facilities have been destroyed or damaged since February 2022, approximately 9 GW of power generation capacity has been lost, and an estimated USD 1 billion is needed for restoration. Years of underinvestment and ageing infrastructure, compounded by weak operations, maintenance, and governance mechanisms, had already left pre-existing vulnerabilities in the system before February 2022. On 12 April 2022, hostilities near Kyselivka in Kherson region destroyed the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water supply system, the sole source of drinking water for the city of Mykolaiv, bringing it to the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Renewed and increasingly precise strikes on the energy sector regularly disrupt the electricity supply that both water and heating systems depend on.
Key stakeholders include the Association of Water Utilities of Ukraine (Vodokanal Association), the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, water utilities and district heating companies, local authorities, governmental bodies, and implementing partners active in the water and energy sectors. Programme outcomes include strengthened institutional capacity of vodokanals and district heating companies, improved coordination and prioritization of support, and evidence-based short, medium, and long-term recovery planning for water infrastructure. Further information: www.unicef.org/ukraine.
This UNV assignment supports the functioning of the Technical Cell by leading the identification, collection, assessment, and dissemination of the needs of vodokanals and district heating utilities, and by supporting them in solution-finding and in securing appropriate help from humanitarian partners or authorities. This position also advises vodokanals and district heating companies on prioritization and the use of state-of-the-art techniques.
UNICEF — the United Nations Children's Fund, established in 1946 — is mandated to protect the rights of every child and operates in over 190 countries. UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme supports emergency response, service restoration, and systems strengthening across water, sanitation, hygiene, and district heating sectors.
Now in the fourth year of full-scale armed conflict, Ukraine's water and district heating infrastructure faces severe and repeated damage. Over 800 district heating facilities have been destroyed or damaged since February 2022, approximately 9 GW of power generation capacity has been lost, and an estimated USD 1 billion is needed for restoration. Years of underinvestment and ageing infrastructure, compounded by weak operations, maintenance, and governance mechanisms, had already left pre-existing vulnerabilities in the system before February 2022. On 12 April 2022, hostilities near Kyselivka in Kherson region destroyed the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water supply system, the sole source of drinking water for the city of Mykolaiv, bringing it to the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Renewed and increasingly precise strikes on the energy sector regularly disrupt the electricity supply that both water and heating systems depend on.
Key stakeholders include the Association of Water Utilities of Ukraine (Vodokanal Association), the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, water utilities and district heating companies, local authorities, governmental bodies, and implementing partners active in the water and energy sectors. Programme outcomes include strengthened institutional capacity of vodokanals and district heating companies, improved coordination and prioritization of support, and evidence-based short, medium, and long-term recovery planning for water infrastructure. Further information: www.unicef.org/ukraine.
This UNV assignment supports the functioning of the Technical Cell by leading the identification, collection, assessment, and dissemination of the needs of vodokanals and district heating utilities, and by supporting them in solution-finding and in securing appropriate help from humanitarian partners or authorities. This position also advises vodokanals and district heating companies on prioritization and the use of state-of-the-art techniques.
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the WASH Cluster Technical Cell Transition Lead, the UNV will:
1. Build a strong network with both vodokanals and district heating companies through field missions to assess their needs and prioritization;
2. Lead communication and manage relations with the Association of Water Utilities of Ukraine, the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, and other key players in the sector;
3. Support service providers in identifying and prioritizing needs for regular operations, maintenance, and emergency repairs to maintain water and district heating service levels, with a focus on locations within 100km of the contact line and/or hosting large numbers of IDPs, and support emergency situations at water utilities and district heating companies;
4. Support utilities and partner organisations with analysis of their most critical needs and possible solutions;
5. Organize coordination meetings with government partners, water utilities, utility companies, local authorities, and NGOs/CSOs, and track and map district heating projects implemented in Ukraine;
6. Provide technical insight, assessments, and reviews to inform coordination with government partners, district heating companies, vodokanals, communal enterprises, local authorities, and NGOs/CSOs, focusing on the roadmap for early recovery efforts in the heating sector;
7. Facilitate and lead communication and solution-finding between utilities, communities, authorities, aid organisations, and donors in crisis situations;
8. Support and attend cluster meetings and coordination with sub-national colleagues;
9. Launch and lead capacity-building activities;
10. Any other relevant task assigned by the supervisor.
1. Build a strong network with both vodokanals and district heating companies through field missions to assess their needs and prioritization;
2. Lead communication and manage relations with the Association of Water Utilities of Ukraine, the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, and other key players in the sector;
3. Support service providers in identifying and prioritizing needs for regular operations, maintenance, and emergency repairs to maintain water and district heating service levels, with a focus on locations within 100km of the contact line and/or hosting large numbers of IDPs, and support emergency situations at water utilities and district heating companies;
4. Support utilities and partner organisations with analysis of their most critical needs and possible solutions;
5. Organize coordination meetings with government partners, water utilities, utility companies, local authorities, and NGOs/CSOs, and track and map district heating projects implemented in Ukraine;
6. Provide technical insight, assessments, and reviews to inform coordination with government partners, district heating companies, vodokanals, communal enterprises, local authorities, and NGOs/CSOs, focusing on the roadmap for early recovery efforts in the heating sector;
7. Facilitate and lead communication and solution-finding between utilities, communities, authorities, aid organisations, and donors in crisis situations;
8. Support and attend cluster meetings and coordination with sub-national colleagues;
9. Launch and lead capacity-building activities;
10. Any other relevant task assigned by the supervisor.
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.