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.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF. To learn more about UNICEF career and the work in Rwanda, please visit our website https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/RWA/ and UNICEF Careers | UNICEF Careers.
For every child, Clean Water
The UNICEF Rwanda Country Programme 2025-2029 aims to support the Government in meeting its commitments to respect, protect and fulfill children’s rights in line with the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the 2022 recommendations from the Committee on the Rights of the Child. It is aligned with the Government’s priorities, as identified in the National Strategy of Transformation II 2024-2029 (NTS 2) recently endorsed by the government. The office raises approximately USD 12 million annually from public and private donors and increasingly contributes to leveraging funds for the government in social sectors. In an increasingly competitive environment, UNICEF Rwanda Country Office (RCO) needs a full-time WASH Officer.
How can you make a difference?
The WASH Officer will support UNICEF RCO as part of the Country Programme 2025-2029. Under the supervision of the Chief WASH, the WASH Officer provides technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for WASH programmes/projects within the country programme from development planning to delivery of WASH output results. The WASH Officer prepares, manages and implements a variety of technical and administrative tasks, related to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the WASH output results of the country programme.
Key functions/accountabilities:
- Programme development and planning
- Prepare technical reports and inputs for programme preparation and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevance of information.
- Contribute to the development/establishment of WASH-related outcome and output results, as well as related strategies, through analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities.
- Provide technical and administrative support throughout all stages of programming processes
- Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
- Work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect/analyze/ share information on implementation issues, provide solutions on routine programme implementation and alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level interventions and/or decisions. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
- Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts and prepare reports on results for required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
- Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets) and Report on issues identified to enable timely resolution by management/stakeholders.
- Prepare sectoral progress reports for management, donors and partners.
3. Technical and operational support for programme implementation
- Undertake field visits and surveys, and report critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems to supervisor, for timely action.
- Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in WASH, to support programme implementation.
- Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response
- Manage requisitions for supplies, services, long-term agreements and partnership agreements to ensure UNICEF is prepared to deliver on its commitments for WASH in case of an emergency.
- Take up support roles in an emergency response and early recovery, as and when the need arises.
- Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
- Assist in the development, implementation, monitoring and documentation of WASH action research and innovation (technical or systems).
- Assist in the preparation of learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, to support overall WASH sector development.
- Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description attached.
GJD WASH Officer -NOB.doc
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education:
- A Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field.
- Additional relevant post-graduate courses that supplement the main degree are a strong asset
Experience:
- A minimum of two years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes in developing countries is required.
Technical Skills required:
- Rural water supply for low- and middle-income countries - including water safety, sustainability
- Rural sanitation for low-income countries, incl sustainability
- Urban sanitation for low- and middle-income countries, incl sustainability
- Handwashing with soap
- WASH-in-Schools and Health Centers
- National government WASH policies, plans and strategies
Basic knowledge of:
- Humanitarian WASH - response and recovery
- Humanitarian WASH – coordination of the response
- Programme/project management
- Capacity development
- Knowledge management
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Human rights and WASH
- Gender equality and WASH
Impact of the Results:
The support provided by the WASH Officer will enable the Country Office to achieve the WASH-related output results of the country programme. This, in turn, will contribute to the achievement of the results of the Country Programme Document. When done effectively, the achievement of the outcome results will improve child survival, growth and development and reduce inequalities in the country.
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda is an asset.
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
The 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
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable Young male candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
