General
Description of assignment title
WASH Officer
Assignment country
Jordan
Expected start date
01/10/2024
Sustainable Development Goal
6. Clean water and sanitation
Volunteer category
National UN Volunteer Specialist
Host entity
UNICEF
Type
Onsite
Duration
12 months (with possibility of extension)
Number of assignments
1
Duty stations
Amman
Details
Mission and objectives
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. UNICEF WASH programme in Jordan Since the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis, UNICEF has supported coordination and delivery of lifesaving interventions for refugees in Jordan as the Humanitarian Lead Agency for WASH. Over ten years since the start of the crisis, the UNICEF Jordan WASH programme has progressively evolved into one that continues covering the life-saving WASH needs for populations in Syrian refugee camps, as well as supporting the increase in levels of access to water and sanitation services in most vulnerable populations, including interventions in Palestinian camps. The above work is done in close collaboration and coordination with Government of Jordan stakeholders, including but not limited to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Water Authority of Jordan, Water Utilities and the Department of Palestinian Affairs (for Palestinian camps). Through its interventions, UNICEF seeks to also support climate action, increase resilience and reduction of vulnerabilities, and resilience building. UNICEF Jordan co-chairs the WASH Technical Working Group under the overall coordination of the response to the Syrian refugee crisis and as such provides support to Government of Jordan and partners for the planning and implementation of interventions in response to the Jordan Response Plan.
Context
UN Volunteer WASH Officer will be reporting and work under the overall guidance and direction of the Chief of WASH, and under the supervision of the WASH Officer leading the implementation of actions to increase access to safe water and sanitation services in most vulnerable communities. UNICEF will support the UN Volunteer with continuous supervision and contribute to her/his professional development. The UN Volunteer will set out an annual plan and performance objectives with her/his supervisor that will be regularly reviewed and adjusted in accordance to evolving needs and required changes in the implementation of the programme. Weekly meetings with supervisor and other team members with whom he/she will work on a day-to-day basis will ensure regular communication and that ongoing activities and priorities are appropriately monitored and followed up. Regular meetings with other team members will also be conducted to ensure coordination, information-sharing, and learning across various projects implemented within section. UN Volunteer WASH Officer will be supporting the monitoring of field works implemented in most vulnerable communities, including but not limited to Palestinian camps and other host communities affected by climate change and water scarcity. The above will include close collaboration with relevant partners and stakeholders in relation to the above works. Additional Information: National UN Specialist Volunteers in Jordan are entitled to: • Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of JOD 1,101.58; • Annual and learning leaves; • Free Medical and life insurance; • Free access to different learning platforms. For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit: https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-service
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the WASH Officer, the UN Volunteer will: A. Support for programme implementation and monitoring • Support the assessment and monitoring of field level activities in host / most vulnerable communities, including Palestinian camps, including but not limited to: – Technical assessments of WASH infrastructure at household, institutional and household level, to determine specific needs and guide implementation of works. – Rehabilitation of WASH infrastructure at household level, including water storage, sanitation facilities, among others. – Rehabilitation / enhancement of water supply / wastewater networks at community level, in close coordination with Government stakeholders/water and sanitation utility providers and contractors. – Other field level interventions • Provide technical support for the planning and design of field interventions to increase the level of access to WASH services, including the review of technical designs, bill of quantities and other technical information relevant to the above intervention works. • Support the coordination with Government stakeholders, contractors and other implementation partners, in relation to the technical support to increase the level of access to most vulnerable communities. Government stakeholders may include, but not limited to Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Water Authority of Jordan, Water Utilities, Department of Palestinian Affairs, Local Authorities, as per required for the planning implementation and monitoring of the above related activities. B. Support reporting, documentation and knowledge management. • Support the collection of data information to be used for reporting and other technical notes of documentation that contribute to increased evidence in support of UNICEF Jordan activities for increased access to WASH services in most vulnerable communities and enhancement of water and systems performance. • Support the documentation of achievements, good practices, lessons learnt and overall knowledge management for WASH interventions, including climate action climate resilient WASH. C. Communication and visibility • From the scope of activities previously mentioned, provide technical inputs to support the development of advocacy and communication materials and activities related to WASH interventions to increase level of access to WASH services in most vulnerable communities, including preparation of professional presentation tools (such as PPT) for internal and external activities, and contribute to briefs, concept notes and proposals to be used by partnerships, communication and fund-raising departments.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 – 80
Nationality
Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.
Requirements
Required experience
5 years of experience in Civil / WASH construction works at community, household and institutional levels. Familiarity with working with government stakeholders. Familiarity with climate resilience and adaptation / mitigation / DRR related areas would be an asset. • Previous experience in working with UNICEF / UN agencies is an asset • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;
Area(s) of expertise
Development programmes, Engineering and construction , Energy and environment
Driving license
–
Languages
Arabic, Level: Fluent, Required English, Level: Working knowledge, Required
Required education level
Master degree or equivalent in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Civil / Sanitary Engineering, Hydrology, Architecture. • Technical / engineering assessments for WASH related interventions • Water supply and sanitation/wastewater systems and services • Climate change, adaptation, and resilience • Computer skills in Ms. Office, including Ms. word, Ms. excel and Ms. powerpoint. • Familiarity with Civil Engineering applications (AutoCAD, Water CAD, EPANET) and GIS applications and would be an asset.
Competencies and values
• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
Amman, the capital, is a peaceful city with over four million residents. People are friendly to visitors. Services in terms of banking, transportation, health and communications are easily available. Though Arabic is the official language, English is widely spoken among the majority of the population, especially in Amman. Road network is good both in terms of spread and quality of the roads. Public transportation in Amman is limited. Taxis are relatively cheap and easily available. There are a number of shopping malls, restaurants, gyms, and cinemas. A large variety of accommodation options can be found; however, it is worth noting that prices in Amman have generally increased in the past few years. There are no specific security threats. Amman is a very easy city in which to live; large, many amenities, very modern and serviced by an international airport with direct flights to most capital cities. According to the assessment of the UN Department of Safety & Security (UNDSS) Jordan is a family duty station (category A hardship). As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the insurance plan.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Reasonable accommodation
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.
