WASH Field Engineer Expert in UN Volunteers

About the organization

UNICEF protects the rights of every child through programs, advocacy and partnerships. In Ukraine, UNICEF supports humanitarian response, early recovery and long-term strengthening of systems in the areas of health care, education, social protection and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

UNICEF's WASH focus is aimed at ensuring that children and youth live in a safe, sustainable environment with equal access to safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene services, in accordance with the Water Strategy of Ukraine until 2050 year.

Context

UNICEF Ukraine is expanding WASH interventions in war-affected regions, in particular with a focus on restoring basic water supply, heating and sanitation services for households, health care facilities (HCFs) and schools.

UNICEF supports water utilities, heat utilities, communities and key public service providers in rapid repairs, modernization of critical infrastructure and implementation of scalable, sustainable solutions for the provision of WASH services.

To strengthen technical supervision, data quality and verification of progress, UNICEF is looking for a WASH Field Engineer Expert in the city of Dnipro.

About the role

The WASH field engineer will be responsible for technical assessments of facilities, development and support of projects with partners, monitoring of works, preparation of packages Programmatic Visits (PV) with photo and technical documentation, as well as supporting work with communities, utilities and various sectors of UNICEF.

Main Responsibilities

1. Field assessments, technical monitoring and progress-verification

• Conduct rapid technical assessments of damaged/priority WASH infrastructure in communities, water utilities (VKs), heat utilities (DHCs), schools and medical facilities (HCFs).

• Support the development of project documentation (technical descriptions, solutions, packages for implementation).

• Organize and conduct monitoring visits, check progress, quality of work and fix gaps.

• Form quality Progress Verification (PV) packages: geotagged photos, field notes, engineering comments, brief status reports.

• Confirm installation, commissioning and use of purchased equipment UNICEF.

• Ensure compliance of PV documentation with donor requirements (in particular KfW), UNICEF HACT and audits.

2. Partner support and KPI tracking

• Support partners (water pipelines, heat and power, municipal departments) in achieving key indicators (reliability, efficiency, coverage, readiness of systems).

• Identify implementation problems and timely escalate technical risks of UNICEF WASH program management.

• Assist in development of simple, scalable self-reporting tools for utilities.

3. Scalable models, knowledge management and analysis

• Identify scalable models for the provision of WASH services (for example, solar systems, energy-efficient solutions, etc.).

• Documentlearn lessons, success factors and conditions for scaling.

• Contribute to technical briefs, case studies, communication materials for donors.

• Support the development and use of knowledge management tools in the WASH program.

4. Work with new communities and multi-sectoral integration

• Establish and maintain working relationships with new communities that need support in restoring WASH services.

• Conduct joint assessments with local authorities, identify needs, prioritize activities, prepare pre-feasibility notes.

• Ensure technical integration WASH solutions with UNICEF programs in education, health care, social services (ADAP, HCFs, schools).

• Identify opportunities to combine infrastructure repairs with community resilience planning.

5. Coordination and Reporting

• Coordinate field trips with UNICEF WASH team, Supply, program sections and security.

• Participate in regional coordination/technical meetings with WASH as required.

• Prepare concise engineering field reports, risk alerts and recommendations for adoption solutions.

• Adhere to UNICEF safety and safeguarding standards.

• Use risk management and quality control processes, especially for donor-funded infrastructure.

Candidate requirements

Education and experience:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in civil, water, in environmental, mechanical engineering, or related technical majors related to water, sanitation, or heating systems.

• First degree (bachelor's degree) may be considered if relevant experience and additional professional training is available.

• Minimum of 7 years of progressive professional experience in WASH engineering, municipal infrastructure, working with utilities or related technical fields.

• Experience in:

  • water supply, drainage/sanitation and/or district heating systems;

  • damage assessment and emergency/early recovery repairs;

  • work with pumping stations, treatment facilities, networks or heat systems.

  KfW, MFI, bilateral donors).

  Languages:

  • Fluency in Ukrainian.

  • Working level of English (oral and written).

  Competences and skills:

  • Excellent text preparation skills and reports, attention to detail in technical documentation.

  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills; tocultural sensitivity; ability to work with communities, local authorities, partners.

  • Ability to work effectively in complex environments, in a multicultural team, meeting deadlines.

  • Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, etc.), e-mail and online tools; preferably - experience working with databases.

  • High level of self-organization, responsibility, security awareness.

  • Interest in children's rights, sustainable development and volunteering as a tool for change.

  Conditions

  • Type of contract: National UN Volunteer Expert (full-time day).

  • Duration: 12 months with the possibility of extension (if there is funding, operational needs and a satisfactory evaluation of the work).

  • Place of work: Dnipro, with field trips.

  Financial and social guarantees:

  • Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) — 2076 USD (equivalent in UAH) to cover accommodation, utilities and basic expenses (taking into account Well-Being Differentials for duty station “E”).

  • One-time payment entry lump sum — 400 USD at the start of the contract.

  • Medical insurance for UNV and dependent family members, insurance life.

  • Annual leave, sick leave and study leave - according to UN Volunteers policies.