WASH Officer

Mission and objectivesUNICEF Ethiopia is implementing a 5-year country programme 2020-2025 which is fully aligned with the UNSDCF. UNICEF will work collaboratively within the UNSDCF on a joint strategy to strengthen national systems for data collection, analysis, monitoring and applying adjustments to promote equity. Evidence will be used to monitor the situation of children, tracking progress towards equity and scale, and to inform advocacy to adjust policies, strategies and budgets. Monitoring and corrective actions will be undertaken through UNICEF staff, partners and third-party monitoring, and through mechanisms for community feedback and accountability to affected populations.

ContextOver the past two years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. A cholera outbreak is significantly affecting Gambella region (Ethiopia) where, as of 8 March 2025, 1,320 cases and 29 deaths have been reported since the beginning of February 2025, with an average Case Fatality Rate of 2.2%. The most affected districts are Wantawo and Akobo. Cholera cases have also been reported in four refugee camps. The Ethiopian Rapid Response Mechanism, co-funded by DG ECHO, was immediately activated in Gambella, contributing to the joint health and WASH response efforts. Cholera in the Gambella region has spread from neighboring South Sudan, where more than 36,180 cases and 600 deaths have been confirmed since the start of the outbreak in October 2024. The escalation of the conflict in Nasir County (in South Sudan) neighboring Wantawo district (in Ethiopia) has led to the crossing of displaced people, including wounded people seeking medical care in Ethiopia, causing additional pressure on health facilities treating cholera.

Task DescriptionIn collaboration with other UNICEF sections, the WASH Specialist and the Gambella Regional Water, Irrigation and Energy Resources Development Bureau (RWIEB) and Regional Health Bureau (RHB), the WASH Officer will be responsible for supporting planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of Emergency Water supply, Sanitation and Hygiene activities in Gambella Region with a focus on emergency affected areas. The primary objective of this initiative is to strengthen WASH emergency response coordination and implementation for UNICEF, including supporting the regional level WASH sector coordination in support of the Regional Water Bureau (RWB) and supporting all WASH partners to conduct humanitarian WASH activities in Gambella by recruiting, training up and deploying a skilled and dedicated UN Volunteer. This volunteer will work closely with local communities, RWB, civil society, and National and International NGO partners to improve WASH outcomes. The WASH Officer will be responsible for the following: The leadership of the Regional WASH Cluster • Organize WASH Cluster meetings every fortnight • Prepare WASH Cluster meeting presentations and meeting minutes • Reach out to partners not actively participating in coordination fora to ensure their collaboration. • Represent regional WASH Cluster in regional ICCG and regional DRM working group meetings • In coordination with the Regional Water Bureau, organize field missions for partners and quarterly regional cluster meetings outside of Bahir Dar. Support to Regional Water Bureau and Regional EPHI 1. Programme development and planning • Conduct and participate in joint emergency needs assessments, development of response plans, and end-user monitoring • Prepare technical reports and inputs for Emergency WASH programme development, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and relevance of information. • Contribute to the development/establishment of Emergency WASH-related outcomes and output results, as well as related strategies, through analysis of WASH sector needs and priorities. • Support and follow up on WASH emergency response interventions including critical lifesaving support and durable solutions and report progress updates on a weekly, biweekly, and monthly basis. • Tracking and flagging WASH emergency incidents, ongoing response, and gaps and proposing strategies to address the needs and implementation of agreed actions. • Emergency WASH supplies, services, and partnership assessments and management to ensure UNICEF is prepared to deliver on its commitments for WASH in case of an emergency. • Study and fully understand UNICEF’s procedures for responding to an emergency. • Take up support roles in emergency response and early recovery, as and when the need arises. 2. Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results • Work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to collect/analyze/ share information on Emergency WASH 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. • Monitor and report on the use of Emergency WASH resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity. Report on issues identified to enable timely resolution by management/stakeholders. • Prepare Emergency WASH progress reports for management, donors, and partners. 3. Technical and operational support for programme implementation • Undertake field visits and surveys and collect and share reports with partners/stakeholders. Report critical issues, bottlenecks, and potential problems to the 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. 4 Networking and partnership building • Technical support to the WASH sector coordination and emergency WASH pillar. • Attending all WASH pillar and Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) meetings • Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through the active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build the capacity of stakeholders to achieve Emergency WASH results. • Draft communication and information materials for Emergency WASH programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances and support fund-raising for Emergency WASH. • Participate in regional WASH and/or multisector assessments

Competencies and values• Builds and maintains Partnerships (Level 1) • Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (Level 1) • Drive to achieve results for impact (Level 1) • Innovates and embraces change (Level 1) • Manages ambiguity and complexity (Level 1) • Thinks and acts strategically (Level 1) • Works collaboratively with others (Level 1)

Living conditions and remarksThe UNV WASH Officer is expected to reside in Gambella with frequent travel to other zones and weredas depending on the needs of the cluster. Gambella Town is the Capital of the Gambella Region. There are a variety of housing options, including apartments and guesthouses with basic to good amenities. There are also a number of health facilities for health care and malaria precautions are advised. The climate of Gambella is a mild tropical climate, with temperatures ranging from 14°C to 27°C. The rainy season runs from June to September. Gambella has a good road network, with minibuses and taxis and it has also Gambella Airport offering flights to Addis Ababa. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.”