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Consultancy - International WASH Monitoring Consultants, D&A, DAPM, NYHQ, Remote

New York City

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
  • Closing Date: Closed

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene monitors and reports on progress towards global targets related to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for WASH extend beyond the household to include WASH in schools and healthcare facilities. SDGs 6.1 and 6.2 also require national monitoring systems to collect additional information to report on the new service benchmark of “safely managed” drinking water and sanitation services.

Vacancy Announcement:

Consultancy Title: International WASH Monitoring Consultants

Section/Division/Duty StationData & Analytics/DAPM/NYHQ

Duration:   01 May 2020 - 5 April 2021

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Background and Rationale

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene monitors and reports on progress towards global targets related to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for WASH extend beyond the household to include WASH in schools and healthcare facilities. SDGs 6.1 and 6.2 also require national monitoring systems to collect additional information to report on the new service benchmark of “safely managed” drinking water and sanitation services. 

The JMP provides normative guidance and technical support to national authorities in WASH monitoring with a view to addressing SDG data gaps and strengthening sector monitoring. This technical support falls into four main categories:

1. Safely managed drinking water:  The global indicator for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.1 is the population using ‘safely managed’ drinking water services. This builds on the MDG indicator of population using ‘improved’ water sources and introduces three new criteria related to service levels: accessible on premises, available when needed and free from contamination. The JMP has updated its core questions and developed a new module for household surveys which includes direct testing of drinking water quality. In collaboration with UNICEF MICS the JMP has developed a standardized module for water quality testing which has now been adapted for use in other surveys, including and Living Standard Measurement Study (LSMS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and implemented in over 40 countries to date. These surveys focus primarily on faecal contamination (E. coli) and include priority chemical parameters in agreement with government counterparts and in accordance with country needs. The JMP provides technical and budgetary support to c20 countries each year and is seeking international consultants to support the planning and implementation of these surveys, in particular the training of household survey enumerators to accurately implement field testing of E. coli.

2.  Safely managed onsite sanitation: The global indicator for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.2 is the population using ‘safely managed’ sanitation services. This builds on the MDG indicator of population using ‘improved’ facilities, excludes those sharing facilities with other households, and requires that the excreta produced are either treated and disposed of in situ or removed and treated off-site. While many countries have data on the management of excreta from households with sewer connections, very few have data on the management of excreta from on-site facilities such as septic tanks and pit latrines. The JMP is developing methods and tools to support routine monitoring and reporting on Safe Management of On-site Sanitation (SMOSS) and is seeking international consultants to support countries to integrate new indicators and data collection tools within national monitoring systems.

3. WASH in schools: The JMP has recently established a new global database on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools and published its first global baseline report late 2018. The JMP has developed guidance on core and expanded indicators for national and global monitoring of WASH in schools and is seeking international consultants to support countries to integrate new indicators and data collection tools within national monitoring systems.

4. WASH in healthcare facilities: The JMP has recently established a new global database on water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning in health care facilities and published its first global baseline report in early 2019. The JMP has developed guidance on core indicators for national and global monitoring of WASH in health care facilities schools and is seeking international consultants to support countries to integrate new indicators and data collection tools within national monitoring systems.

This is a call for a pool of international WASH monitoring consultants which will form a roster that will be valid from June 2020 through June 2025. Selected applicants will be trained on core aspects of the JMP framework for global monitoring of WASH services, including water quality testing, on-site sanitation and WASH in schools and health care facilities, and learn how to support countries to strengthen national monitoring of SDG WASH indicators. This pool of pre-qualified consultants will then be deployed rapidly and flexibly to provide technical support on WASH monitoring to countries in different parts of the world. Consultants will be contracted to support one or more countries as needed depending on their expertise and experience in the following areas:

  1. Water quality testing
  2. Onsite sanitation
  3. WASH in schools monitoring
  4. WASH in health care facilities monitoring

The consultants will be selected by and managed by the WHO/UNICEF JMP team based in New York (UNICEF) and Geneva (WHO).

Terms of Reference/Deliverables

The consultants will work closely together with specialized staff from both UNICEF and WHO on the completion of these tasks. They will provide technical assistance to strengthen national monitoring of SDG WASH indicators through household surveys, facility surveys and administrative reporting through education and health management information systems. The consultants will be expected to travel to countries to provide technical support to national authorities on the development and testing of indicators and data collection tools, the training of enumerators and the analysis of data collected.

Selected applicants will be trained on core aspects of the WHO/UNICEF JMP framework for global monitoring of WASH services in households, schools and health care facilities and learn how to support countries to strengthen national monitoring of SDG WASH indicators. The pool of pre-qualified consultants will then be deployed rapidly and flexibly to provide technical support on WASH monitoring to countries in different parts of the world. Consultants will be contracted to support one or more countries as needed depending on their expertise and experience in the following areas:

  1. Water quality testing
  2. Onsite sanitation
  3. WASH in schools monitoring
  4. WASH in health care facilities monitoring

Specific roles and responsibilities may vary depending on country support needs and these would be defined at the start of the country engagement. It is anticipated that international consultants will provide countries with technical guidance on a range of different aspects of SDG WASH monitoring, including:

  1. Adaption of training and information materials to facilitate local dialogue on the selection of indicators and data collection methods.
  2. Support planning and preparations for national surveys with WASH elements (e.g. water quality testing in a household survey) including liaison with country offices on arrangements to be made for procurement of supplies, support from national laboratories and local validation against national standards as needed.
  3. Ensure timely deployment of technical support for training of enumerators and other national counterparts, including field visit for training courses and follow-up support in selected countries.
  4. Produce a report for UNICEF and WHO describing the training and summarizing lessons learned and recommendations for any follow up actions/modifications as needed.
  5. Support country offices and national counterparts in preparing thematic reports based on the WASH monitoring results and their programmatic and policy implications.

More specific and detailed deliverables and their deadlines will vary according to each consultancy based on country needs.

Deliverables

 

Duration

(Estimated # of Days)

Deadline

Phase 1: Training and Assessment

Participate in and contribute to initial training on core aspects of national and global WASH monitoring, including water quality testing, on-site sanitation and WASH in schools and health care facilities.

May 2020 –

5 days

Phase II: Country support for WASH monitoring (at least 1 country and up to 3 countries)

Assist country offices in planning and preparation for national surveys with WASH elements including procurement of supplies.

Exact dates TBC  (3-9 days)

Lead training of enumerators on specific WASH modules (e.g. water quality testing) and provide technical support during pilot and main survey.

Exact dates TBC (15-45 days)

Produce a report for UNICEF and WHO describing the training and summarizing lessons learned and recommendations for any modifications to the module as needed.

April 2021 –

(2-6 days)

                                                

 total

 

25

 

Qualifications:

Education:

  • Advanced Degree in Engineering, Biology, Public Health or a related discipline
  • This is a mid-level position; consultants should have a minimum of five years’ working experience with water and sanitation preferably at both field office and headquarters levels and have extensive experience with project management

Work Experience

  • Knowledge of and experience of either water quality monitoring, management of on-site sanitation, WASH in schools or WASH in health care facilities in low- and middle-income settings is essential
  • Preference will be given to candidates with experience working with Ministries responsible for water and sanitation service delivery and/or regulation
  • Preference will be given to candidates with experience in the delivery of training courses and knowledge of household and facility-based surveys (design and implementation).

Competencies

  • High levels of computer literacy including quantitative/analytical skills and advanced proficiency with MS Excel
  • Preference will be given to candidates with experience in the analysis of data from household surveys (SPSS, Stata or R)
  • Demonstrated technical writing ability
  • Good communication skills in English and, depending on the country, other languages, particularly French, Spanish, Arabic or Russian

 Requirements:

  • Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
  • Financial proposal that will include:
  • your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html 
    • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
    • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
    • Indicate your availability
  • Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
  • At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
  • Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

This vacancy is now closed.
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