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 for as long as we are needed. 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 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.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to Access
In the 1970s UNICEF established a presence in Yemen to respond to the urgent needs of children in the poorest country in the Middle East. In 1991, Yemen ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and it was enacted immediately. Since then the country has been making steady progress for children until it plunged into a brutal conflict in 2015 but even before that, Yemen needed large amounts of humanitarian assistance.
In collaboration with local authorities, non-governmental organizations and community partners, UNICEF is working in all the governorates in Yemen to respond to the needs of children throughout the country with a continuum of services to help children survive and grow to their full potential through the following programmes: Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Basic Education, and Child protection.
How can you make a difference?
As the Chief WASH you are responsible for managing and supervising all stages of the WASH programme, from strategic planning and formulation to the delivery of WASH outcome and output results. You are also responsible for leading and managing the CO WASH team. You are accountable for ensuring that WASH outcome and output results are achieved according to plans, allocations, results-based management approaches and methodology, UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, and standards of performance and accountability framework. In addition, you are responsible for key areas such as emergency preparedness and response, high-level advocacy on WASH needs and issues, leveraging financial and other resources, and building on evidence and data analysis to mobilize resources and partnerships for advancing WASH and UNICEF’s contribution to achieving sustainable, resilient, and inclusive SDG results in the complex context of Yemen.
To make a difference, the Chief WASH will perform:
- Managerial and technical leadership
- Strategic guidance in Programme development and planning
- Efficiency in programme management, monitoring and quality control of results
- Advisory services and technical support
- Advocacy, networking and partnership building
- Quality, timeliness and predictability of humanitarian WASH preparedness and response
- Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
JD-Chief WASH_P5.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, health and hygiene, behavior change, communication, environmental or public health, water resource management or another relevant technical field.
Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are required.
- Work Experience: A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in WASH-related programmes at the national and international levels in a mix set of country context (including humanitarian, fragile, developing) is required. Proven ability to effectively lead a team to deliver results is required. Emergency field experience working in humanitarian situations, including deployment missions (with UN-Govt-INGO) is required.
- Skills include humanitarian preparedness, WASH response and programme management, response coordination, climate resilience, leadership, and budget analysis, with a proven ability to deliver effective results in complex humanitarian settings.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.
Desirables:
- Language: Knowledge of Arabic is highly desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
- Experience working in multiple geographic regions is strongly desirable.
- 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 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 candidates from industrial countries, especially females are 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.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
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.
Please note that this is a non-family duty station.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
