WASH Officer (System Strengthening)

UNICEF

WASH Officer (System Strengthening)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Mexico has made significant progress in expanding access to water and sanitation services; however, important disparities remain in access to safely managed services, particularly in rural, indigenous, and peri-urban communities. UNICEF Mexico’s WASH programme is integrated within the Health and Nutrition Section and focuses on strengthening sector systems rather than delivering infrastructure directly. Working with government counterparts and service providers, the programme supports improvements in policy, financing, regulation, and service performance, while contributing to preparedness and response efforts related to climate and mobility related emergencies.

WASH Officer (NO-2), reporting to the Chief of Health and Nutrition (P-4), contributes to UNICEF Mexico’s child survival and development goals. The position provides technical and operational support to strengthen WASH systems and services, while supporting the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programme results. Through strategic partnerships, advocacy, and coordination with government counterparts and key stakeholders, the role helps accelerate sustainable and scalable outcomes for children.

Key functions/accountabilities:

• Programme development and planning
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
• Technical and operational support for programme implementation
• Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response
• Networking and partnership building
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

Minimum requirements:

• Education: A completed first level university degree (Bachelor's degree), preferably in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources engineering, environmental sciences, public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, biology, environmental health, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field
• Experience: A minimum of two (2) years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required. Supervisory and managerial experience are required. Experience in WASH systems strengthening at community and/or institutional levels is required.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to support the strengthening of WASH systems and services at community and institutional levels. Strong capacity to coordinate and support the delivery of WASH programme activities and results. Proven ability to monitor programme progress and analyze results. Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain productive relationships with government counterparts and sector partners. Proven ability to provide technical support and guidance on WASH-related policies, programmes and service delivery.
• Language: Proficiency in English and Spanish is required.

Desirables:

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is an asset
• A completed advanced university degree (Master’s degree) or any other relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are a strong asset
• Experience with WASH in emergencies is desirable
• Experience with WASH in contexts of human mobility, including temporary shelters and reception points is desirable
• Experience in climate-resilient WASH and in drinking water quality for human consumption, including exposure to arsenic, fluoride and lead is desirable
• Experience working with indigenous peoples and communities, applying culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches is desirable
• Relevant experience gained within the United Nations is an asset
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts

UNICEF values:

• UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability

• Competencies required for this post include partnership building, self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results, innovation, managing ambiguity and complexity, strategic thinking, collaboration, and people leadership

• UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, and strives to reflect the diversity of the children we serve. The organization encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities. UNICEF provides a wide range of benefits, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.