TA WASH Sector Coordinator (P-4), Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, (364 days) ( Re-advertisement)

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

BACKGROUND

Bangladesh has been experiencing an influx of Rohingya refugees, one of the world's most persecuted minorities, since before its independence in 1971. It is estimated that around 33,000 registered Rohingya refugees live in two camps recognized by the Government of Bangladesh located in Kutupalong and Nayapara in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas, which have been functioning since 1992 under the care of UNHCR. Among the registered refugees, 16,930 are women of whom 8,621 are below age 18. In addition, more than 55,000 undocumented Rohingyas reside in makeshift settlements and an estimated 300,000-500,000 live scattered within the host communities throughout the district and across the country. Overall, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh live under severe conditions in camps and makeshift settlements, where the poverty level is high, economic opportunities are inadequate, and access to basic social services is limited.

Due to increasing violence and persecution in Myanmar in recent months a growing number of Rohingyas have been crossing the border into Bangladesh. As of September 15^th 2017 an estimated 400,000 Rohingyas, out of whom around 55 percent are children, have arrived in Cox's Bazar. This new influx of refugees puts additional pressure on the already fragile social and economic structure of Cox's Bazar, one of the worst performing districts in almost all child development indicators as well as one of the most vulnerable areas to disasters and climate change in Bangladesh. UNICEF Bangladesh has developed a response plan to address the new influx of refugees as well as the protracted crisis with Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh.

Urgent assistance is required ensure the provision of safe water, adequate sanitation and hygiene promotion to safeguard the health of the refugees and the indigenous population.

For every child, Dedication

In collaboration with national authorities, provide level leadership and facilitate processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, coherent, strategic, and effective WASH response by a mobilized, organized and adequately-resourced groups of agencies, organizations, NGOs, local communities, etc.  In support of the government, act as interface between humanitarian WASH partners and duty bearers to ensure WASH related needs of the affected population are properly covered

1. Coordination mechanisms

• Ensure the inclusion of key WASH humanitarian partners in a way that respects their mandates and programme priorities, as well as national and local authorities, other governmental actors, civil society and other actors working and related to the WASH sectoral response.
• Ensure appropriate coordination mechanisms between all WASH humanitarian partners are in place, including effective links, communication and information management, as well as technical working groups and/or sub-national coordination platforms as appropriate.
• Ensure information on all current and potential WASH partners, their capacities  and areas of work (including Who, What, Where and When) are properly collected, analysed and fed back to paretners

2. Needs assessment, analysis and strategy development

• Ensure effective and coherent WASH assessment, analysis and feedback involving all relevant partners, including the identification of gaps and conceptualize how sectoral needs can be met through collective delivery, involving all relevant partners and ensuring complementarity of their actions.
• Facilitate WASH cluster/sector and its members/partners:

• develop/update agreed WASH responses strategies and prioritised action plans and ensuring these are adequately reflected in the overall country strategies and appeals.
• are aware of relevant policies, guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government/concerned authorities have undertaken under international human rights law; and that sectoral response is in line with them.
• develop an exit/transition strategy for the WASH sector and key sector partners.

• Facilitate integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues in WASH assessments, analysis, planning, monitoring and response (e.g. age, diversity, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS and human rights) as well as the utilization of participatory and community based approaches in WASH the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WASH response.
• Facilitate WASH humanitarian responses build on local capacities.
• Promote WASH emergency response actions while ate the same time considering WASH within early recovery planning as well as prevention and risk reduction concerns.

 3. Monitoring and reporting

• Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place to review outcomes of WASH interventions and progress against strategy and action plans; including an analytical interpretation of best available information in order to benchmark progress over time (monitoring indicators: quantity, quality, coverage, continuity and cost; with target population data disaggregated by sex, age, etc.).
• Ensure adequate WASH outcome reporting and effective information sharing (with government and other partner support) to demonstrate closing the gaps.

 4. Intersectoral coordination and advocacy

• Ensure effective links with other clusters or sectoral coordination platforms and represent the interests of the WASH sector in discussions with the UNICEF Representative and Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) and other stakeholders on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy.
• Identify core WASH advocacy concerns, include resource requirements, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the RC/HC, UNICEF and other actors.
• Advocate to donors to fund WASH actors to carry out priority WASH activities in the sector concerned, while mobilize at the same time encouraging WASH actors to mobilize resources for their activities through usual channels.
• Where critical gaps in addressing WASH priorities are identified:

• lobby for implementing humanitarian partners (including UNICEF) to address the gaps;
• with advice/support from the UNICEF Representative, RC/HC and other humanitarian partners advocate, as appropriate, on the adequate provision of resources and safe access.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced university degree (minimum preference at Master’s Degree level) qualification desirably in subjects/ areas of WASH e.g. Health Promotion or Education,  Civil or Public Health Engineering, Public Health (MPH), Environmental Health.  *First level university degree with additional 2 years of experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced degree.* 
• A minimum of 8 years relevant experience with four years direct WASH emergency experience at least two of which would be based in the field at a Team Leader/WASH programme management level.
• A minimum of 2 years’ emergency experience.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience with either the UN and/or NGO. 
• Knowledge of WASH sector as a whole and its priority issues; an ability to strategize how these sectoral needs are met through collective delivery, and ensuring that the roles, responsibilities and functional linkages among Sector support team are clear and  well-coordinated.
• All supported by strong references

Fluency in English (verbal and writing). Good written/spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation and knowledge of another UN language an asset.

 Technical Knowledge

Common Technical Requirements

• Knowledge of humanitarian reform principles, international humanitarian law, inter-connectedness and reform pillars & reform updates
• Knowledge of the Sector approach guidelines and terms of Reference ( and knowledge of how to apply them)
• Knowledge of sector participants ( their mandates, capacities, attitudes, limitations,) and how to integrate them into the sector approach
• Ability to mitigate and mediate conflict and disagreements among sector partners

Function-Specific (Technical) Requirements

• Ability to use and adapt sector coordination tools ( e.g. stakeholder mapping, NAF, CHAP, CERF, CAP, Flash Appeals, GAP ID, IM tools, Need-Capacity-Resource Mapping, Contingency planning.
  Knowledge of WASH sector as a whole and its priority issues; an ability to strategize how these sectoral needs are met through collective delivery.
• Ensure that the role, responsibilities and functional linkages among the Sector support team (where applicable) are clear and well-coordinated

For every Child, you demonstrate…

• Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results
• Leading and Supervising , Formulating Strategies and Concepts, Analyzing , Applying Technical Expertise  , Planning and Organizing 

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UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

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Remarks

* The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

Employment is conditional upon receipt of medical clearance, any clearance required, the grant of a visa, and completion of any other pre-employment criteria that UNICEF may establish. Candidates may not be further considered or offers of employment may be withdrawn if these conditions are unlikely to be met before the date for commencement of service