General
Description of assignment title
WASH Engineer (Lviv)
Assignment country
Ukraine
Duty stations
Lviv
Work location
UN Premises
Expected start date
02/03/2026
Duration
9 months
(with possibility of extension)
Sustainable Development Goal
6. Clean water and sanitation
Host entity
UNICEF Ukraine
Modality
Onsite
Type
National
Volunteer category
Specialist UCoS to Mar2026
Work arrangement
Full-time
Number of Assignments
1
Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF is supporting health, nutrition, HIV prevention, education, access to safe drinking water, sanitation and protection for children and families caught in the conflict.
Context
UNICEF works across 190 countries and territories to reach the children and young people who are most at risk and most in need. We work to save their lives. To protect their rights. To keep them safe from harm. To give them a childhood in which they are protected, healthy, and educated. To give them a fair chance to fulfil their potential, so that someday, they can build a better world. The full-scale war in Ukraine has caused widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including water supply, wastewater treatment and district heating systems. Recurrent missile and drone attacks, prolonged power outages, population displacement and winter conditions have severely affected the continuity, safety and quality of essential services, increasing public health risks for children and vulnerable populations. In response, UNICEF Ukraine’s WASH programme has transitioned from short-term emergency interventions toward a hybrid humanitarian–resilience model. The programme combines urgent repairs and winterization with medium-term investments in system resilience, energy efficiency, decentralization and utility capacity strengthening. In the West region of Ukraine, UNICEF supports municipal water and heating utilities, local authorities and implementing partners to restore and sustain services for households, health facilities, schools and collective centres. The scale, technical complexity and geographic dispersion of WASH and heating interventions require strong field-level assessment, monitoring, quality assurance and reporting capacity. To strengthen humanitarian efforts, the UNICEF Lviv Field Office seeks to engage a UNV National Specialist – Local WASH Expert who will provide hands‑on technical support for needs assessments, monitoring the implementation of life‑saving WASH and heating interventions, and preparing completion reports to ensure accountability to affected communities.
Task description
Under the supervision of the WASH Officer, UNICEF Lviv Field Office, the UNV National Specialist (WASH Engineer) will carry out the following tasks: 1. Support to WASH Assessments and Planning with Humanitarian Focus: – Conduct field assessments of water supply, wastewater/sanitation and district heating in strike-affected locations throughout the Lviv Field Office AOR, ensuring rapid identification of urgent needs for emergency interventions. – Support the identification of critical technical gaps, risks and priorities for restoring and maintaining WASH infrastructure, including winterization measures and actions required to safeguard continuity of essential services for affected communities. – Support the preparation and review of technical scopes of work, basic Bills of Quantities (BoQs) and cost estimates in coordination with UNICEF engineers and implementing partners. – Coordinate timely procurement, distribution, and monitoring of WASH supplies to ensure uninterrupted support to affected populations and program activities. 2. Implementations, Monitoring and Quality Support of Humanitarian Response: – Support the monitoring of partner‑implemented WASH interventions to ensure they meaningfully address the needs, safety, and dignity of affected populations, including tracking progress, conducting basic quality assurance, and confirming alignment with agreed technical and humanitarian standards. – Participate in field monitoring and joint missions to assess the impact of WASH activities on communities, documenting key observations, good practices, gaps, and required follow‑up actions to strengthen service delivery and community outcomes. – Proactively identify and flag emerging technical concerns, delays, or risks that could affect people’s access to safe water, sanitation, or hygiene services, and contribute to developing practical, protective, and timely corrective measures together with the UNICEF WASH team. 3. Documentation, Accountability and Reporting of Humanitarian Response: – Support the collection and verification of field-level documentation – including photographs, checklists, and partner reports – to ensure that assistance provided to affected communities is accurately captured and reflects their needs and priorities. – Assist in documenting completed activities and handover processes in line with UNICEF procedures, helping ensure transparency, accountability, and continuity of services for affected children and families. – Contribute to the preparation of monitoring updates, summaries, and inputs for internal and donor reporting, highlighting progress, challenges, and the humanitarian impact of interventions on the most vulnerable populations. 4. Coordination and Day-to-Day Operational Support: – Support coordination with implementing partners, local authorities and service providers as required. – Provide day-to-day operational and technical support to the WASH team, including follow-up on action points and information requests. – Participate in coordination meetings and technical discussions relevant to WASH programme implementation.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 – 80
Required experience
3 years
Nationality
Candidate must be a national, legal resident or hold refugee status in the country of assignment.
Assignment requirements
Relevant experience
3 years
Languages
English, Level: Working knowledge, Required Ukrainian, Level: Fluent, Required
Required education level
Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Water Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related technical field relevant to water supply, sanitation or heating systems.
Competencies and values
– Care – Respect – Integrity – Trust – Accountability – Sustainability
Skills and experience
• Advanced higher degree (Master’s or equivalent) in a relevant area, e.g. Civil Engineering, Water Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related technical field relevant to water supply, sanitation or heating systems. A first-level university degree or equivalent in combination with relevant training and/or professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. • Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are a strong asset. • Minimum 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience in WASH engineering, municipal infrastructure, utilities, or related technical fields, including field-based work. • Demonstrated experience in water supply, wastewater/sanitation and/or district heating systems, particularly in: o Damage assessments and emergency or early recovery repairs o Pumping stations, treatment facilities, networks, or heat supply systems • Experience working with municipal utilities (Vodokanals, district heating companies), local authorities or hromadas is highly desirable. • Prior experience in humanitarian, early recovery or post-conflict contexts is a strong asset. • Experience supporting or monitoring donor-funded infrastructure projects (e.g. EU, KfW, IFIs, bilateral donors) is an advantage. • Experience in an emergency context is an asset • Excellent oral and written skills in English • Excellent drafting, formulation, and 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; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in children’s rights and in volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.
Area(s) of expertise
Crisis and emergency response, Energy and environment , Engineering and construction
Driving license
–
Other information
Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.
Living conditions and remarks
As it is a national UN Volunteer’s assignment, the UN volunteer shall organize his/her accommodation by themselves. Entitlements of National UN Volunteer Specialist >> USD 1690 The contract lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy with the possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. This is a full-time contract. Allowances: • Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) USD 1690 (equivalent in UAH) is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities, and normal cost of living expenses. This includes Well-Being Differentials for the period while the ICSC applies hardship classification to duty stations in Ukraine as “E”. • USD 400 entry lump sum, one-time payment. Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV-provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins from the Commencement of Service and normally ceases one month after the last day of the UN Volunteer Contract date. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment. If a UN Volunteer dies during the UN Volunteer assignment, the eligible designated beneficiaries will be entitled to receive a life insurance lump sum. Leave entitlements: • Annual leave:  UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave may not be carried over in case of reassignment or a new assignment. • Learning leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period. • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive seven days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. This amount will be reset at the established interval period.
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.
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