Country Analyst

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund is a UNOPS Trust Fund committed to saving lives and improving the well being of people by improving access to sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health hygiene. The Fund will invest in country led programmes to accelerate progress and sustainable impact toward the achievement of SDG 6.2. 

The Fund will maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of international development assistance and national investment. Staff at the Fund manage grants and other financial modalities, coordinate with partners,support countries, monitor and evaluate results, report on progress, manage donor relations and raise funds.

At the core of the new architecture is a country funding model designed to be an efficient and effective mechanism that can operate at scale and deliver impact and supported by a suite of policies that define how funding is to be invested.  The SHF uses development and impact  innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and the long term sustainability of its programs.

The SHF is looking for mission-oriented, collaborative, open minded and flexible candidates who are passionate about global development.

Reporting to the Head of Country Fund Portfolio and maintaining collaboration with Resource Mobilization and the Country Fund Portfolio teams, the Country Analyst will conduct in-depth research and provide technical input to inform selection of countries in the SHF portfolio, the progression of countries throughout the SHF engagement process, compelling presentation of new data on the sanitation economy, hygiene and menstrual health, identification of projects for SHF investments and investor engagement.

Research to inform SHF country selection:

• Research, review, collate and analyse data for SHF eligible countries on investment readiness (including political will, sector, and related sectors (health, education, finance, gender etc.) performance, partner and financing activity, fragility, risks and opportunities); translate and organise into usable reference material to to inform decisions on country prioritisation and country allocations. 

• Prepare regular reports on investment readiness for decision making on country selection and allocations by SHF management and Board.

Research to inform country investment cases:

• Analyse and package for inclusion in country investment cases new information on the sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health economies, generated for SHF by technical partners. 

• Research, review, collate and analyse data for countries in the SHF portfolio to identify investable/bankable projects, convert project objectives into metrics, identify partners and delivery mechanisms and determine financing needs. 

• Collaborate with country stakeholders and SHF Technical Advisory Services to feed information on bankable projects and the sanitation economy into country investment cases.

Research on investor engagement:

• Support the structuring of investment opportunities by estimating financial returns, analysing risks and determining potential role of SHF in making projects attractive to investors. 

• Review collate and analyse data on potential investors for selected bankable projects to inform SHF investor engagement.

• Draft and finalize talking points, including for the Directorate, and contribute to the drafting and development of documents, articles, and publications. 

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The work of the Country Analyst will contribute to specific deliverables including: 

• country prioritization and determination of country allocations, 

• creation of new information on the size and type of opportunities that exist in the sanitation and MHH economy in SHF priority countries

• identification and preparation of bankable projects and country investment cases 

• creation of new investment opportunities in sanitation, hygiene and MHH in SHF priority countries; and 

• a detailed ongoing catalogue/database of identified entry points for SHF engagement with potential investors.

a. Education 

A master’s degree in political science, international development, social sciences, environment related sciences, water and sanitation engineering, economics, business is required.

b. Work Experience 

Minimum 2 years post master's applied research in either academia, the private sector or development sector agencies, including at least 1 years exposure to social impact investing. 

Experience in collating and analyzing complex information and preparing concise reports for decision makers is desirable.     

c. Language
Fluency in English (i.e. writing, reading  and speaking) is required.

Knowledge of another official UNOPS language, particularly French, is an asset

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement Level 1 - IICA1 
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA - Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance. 

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT APPLICANTS SUBMIT A ONE-PAGE COVER LETTER INDICATING THEIR MOTIVATION AND FIT FOR THE POSITION.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.