Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation)

Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation) Job Description

Join UNICEF’s Global Programme Division (GPD) and help shape the future of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for children and communities worldwide. Based in Nairobi within the High Impact Solutions Team of the Global WASH Practice, this role contributes to UNICEF’s mission of advancing the rights of every child and accelerating equitable access to safely managed and climate-resilient WASH services. GPD provides global strategic leadership, policy direction, technical expertise, and high-impact solutions that support country implementation and drive programme excellence across UNICEF. As part of UNICEF’s Centres of Excellence model, the team delivers specialized, demand-driven technical assistance to Country and Regional Offices, governments, and partners to strengthen policies, systems, institutions, financing, and service delivery at scale.

Water, sanitation and hygiene are central to UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and play a critical role in improving children's health, dignity, safety, and future development. Despite global progress, sanitation remains one of the most challenging Sustainable Development Goal targets, requiring stronger systems, increased investment, innovation, and climate-resilient approaches. The High Impact Solutions Team works with governments and partners to accelerate sector reform, strengthen governance and financing, mobilize resources, advance innovation, and scale sustainable solutions in both development and humanitarian settings. Through this work, UNICEF helps ensure that children, women, and vulnerable populations benefit from resilient, equitable, and inclusive WASH services that leave no one behind.

How can you make a difference?

As Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation), you will provide strategic leadership and technical assistance to governments and UNICEF Country Offices to accelerate progress toward safely managed sanitation services at scale. You will help strengthen sanitation systems, institutions, governance, financing, and service delivery, while ensuring that climate-resilient sanitation approaches are integrated into WASH programming. Through technical guidance, policy support, innovation, evidence generation, and partnership building, you will contribute to expanding sustainable access to sanitation services for the most vulnerable children and families in both development and humanitarian contexts.

You will support governments to design and scale effective sanitation solutions, strengthen sector planning and financing, advance institutional reforms, promote digital innovations, and ensure equitable access for children, women, persons with disabilities, and communities affected by fragility and conflict. In addition, you will lead advocacy efforts, foster strategic partnerships, support emergency preparedness and response, and provide technical support to UNICEF Country Offices, helping translate global commitments into tangible results that accelerate progress toward UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

By leveraging evidence, innovation, and high-level partnerships, you will help mobilize resources, strengthen national WASH systems, and advance resilient, inclusive, and sustainable sanitation services that leave no one behind.

Join UNICEF’s Global WASH Practice and play a leadership role in advancing safely managed, climate-resilient sanitation services for children and communities worldwide. As Senior Adviser WASH (Sanitation), you will provide strategic guidance and technical assistance to governments and UNICEF Country Offices to strengthen sanitation systems, mobilize financing, and accelerate results at scale in both development and humanitarian settings. The role also contributes to advocacy, partnerships, resource mobilization, emergency preparedness, and knowledge generation, while promoting climate resilience, inclusion, gender equality, and disability inclusion across WASH programming. Through technical leadership, innovation, and collaboration, you will help drive sustainable and equitable WASH outcomes that support UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and leave no one behind You will lead efforts in

• At-scale sanitation system design
• Sanitation system planning and readiness assessment
• Quality improvement through digital solutions
• Equitable access to safely managed sanitation
• Act as Country Office Focal Point Support

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Senior Adviser WASH_Job description.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in civil or environmental engineering, natural or social sciences,environmental or public health, water resource management, or another relevant technical fieldl engineering, environmental science, water resources management and any other related fields. A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work

Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of working experience in national and international organizations infinancing, project management, consulting, technical assistance, research in Water, Sanitation andHygiene (WASH) or closely related areas
• Skills: Ability to conceptualize, plan and execute ideas
• Ability to manage projects
• Ability to work effectively in teams
• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Strategic thinking skills
• Global thinking skills
• Analyitical skills
• Language

Requirements

• Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
• Experience implementing complex/large-scale development/humanitarian WASH projects indeveloping countries
• Experience supporting WASH governance and system strengthening for both urban and rural areas
• Experience implementing WASH projects/programmes in different country contexts, including lower income countries
• Experience developing high level partnerships and advocacy, and representation at global/regional level
• Experience in/knowledge of the United Nations system
• In-dept understanding and relevant experience of UNICEF initiatives and programming
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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 competencies required for this post are… (1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every chi