WASH Cluster Coordinator (National), P4, FT (#127606), East Jerusalem MENA

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

UNICEF in the State of Palestine works to uphold the rights of children to access services and protection, from early childhood through to adolescence. Our objective is to ensure that every child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, irrespective of background or circumstance, has an equal chance to fulfill their potential. We are working for every child and young person in the State of Palestine.

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall direction and guidance of the Representative, the WASH Manager Cluster Coordinator will provide leadership and representation of the Cluster. They will facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by participants in the Cluster that is accountable to those who are affected by the emergency. In their effort to provide an efficient and effective response to the humanitarian crisis, the WASH Manager Cluster Coordinator is responsible for building relationships with stakeholders, for securing the overall coordination of sectoral responses and for ensuring inter-sectoral collaboration.

As an advocate for children, you will have the following duties/tasks:

Coordination, representation, and leadership

• Ensure, establish, and maintain a coordination mechanism that facilitates the effective achievement of the cluster functions (as outlined by the IASC Reference Module) and the requirements of the HPC (HNO, HRP and CCPM) and which builds on pre-existing coordination structures where appropriate and furthers the development of current or future national and subnational capacities,
• Oversee the functioning of any sub-national Cluster and Working Groups where they exist, ensuring alignment of work and priorities, effective communication, reporting, engagement, and coordination between the levels,
• Supervise the Cluster coordination team,
• Ensure appropriate coordination and build partnerships with all relevant sector stakeholders including government counterparts and national authorities, local, national, and international organizations, and affected populations,
• Build complementarity of partner actions within the Cluster and Working Groups, proactively negotiating with partners to avoid and resolve duplication and gaps,
• Coordinate, collaborate and represent the Cluster with stakeholders across all sectors, including through inter-cluster coordination fora, developing cross-sectoral relationships as appropriate.

Needs assessment and analysis

• Lead the planning and implementation of needs assessment and analysis, including representing the Cluster/ in multi-sectoral needs assessments and joint analysis of need, at national and subnational levels,
• Analyze needs assessment data and work collaboratively with the Cluster partners to create analytical products, including an HNO based on evidence-based information.

Strategic response planning

• Lead and coordinate strategic planning, response prioritization and the development of the sectoral response plan that is based on the HNO and aligned with national priorities, policies, and plans,
• Ensure all programme delivery modalities (in-kind, cash, voucher, and services) are given equal consideration in the strategic response planning and establish and implement systematic measures for supporting their consideration and use,
• Provide technical expertise and advice to Cluster partners to ensure activities are relevant, appropriate and in line with national priorities and communities’ needs,
• Ensure that the Cluster response plan is updated regularly according to evolving needs and that it establishes indicators by which performance of the cluster can be measured,
• Engage with OCHA and other AoRs/ Clusters/ Sectors/ Working Groups to contribute to the development of the HRP, advocating for a response that reflects and addresses the concerns of the Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group.

Resource mobilization and advocacy

• Support and coordinate the mobilization of adequate resources to ensure the effective functioning of the Cluster and its response and subsequent handing over and establishment of medium to long term capacities when the cluster approach is deactivated,
• Monitor, analyze and communicate information about the Cluster financial situation and resource mobilization and identify appropriate actions to address gaps or constraints,
• Advocate for improved sectoral outcomes, by developing an advocacy strategy, networking with advocacy allies, influencing stakeholders’ decision-making.

Implementation and monitoring

• Monitor, evaluate, and report on the coverage, equity, quality and progress of the response against the Cluster strategy, priorities and agreed results,
• Plan and support gap and coverage analysis to identify spatial and temporal gaps, overlaps and coverage of the Cluster humanitarian response,
• Monitor Cluster adherence to IASC cluster approach principles, relevant humanitarian and sectoral agreements, standards, initiatives and guidelines and support partners to make improvements.

Operational peer review and evaluation

• Lead the annual cluster coordination performance monitoring (CCPM) exercise and annual review and contribute to other sectoral and humanitarian evaluations as appropriate.

Accountability to affected populations

• Be accountable to the affected population by establishing inclusive and consultative feedback mechanisms, creating meaningful opportunities for the involvement of the affected population in the response and encouraging partners to operate accountably,
• Ensure the inclusion of cross cutting issues (age, child protection, disability, gender, gender-based violence (GBV) mitigation and response and HIV & AIDS) in Cluster activities throughout the HPC,
• Establish and implement systematic measures for supporting inclusive work practices and processes,
• Adhere to child safeguarding and PSEA policies including procedures for challenging and reporting incidents and ensure other members of the coordination team comply.

Strengthen national and local capacity

• Encourage participation of local and national actors in Cluster activities and strategic decision-making, removing barriers to access,
• Lead the development of a capacity assessment and capacity strengthening strategy for Cluster members and oversee implementation and harmonization of initiatives,
• Lead early warning, contingency planning, and emergency preparedness efforts for the Cluster, ensuring adequate cluster participation in inter-cluster early warning, contingency planning, and emergency preparedness activities.

To qualify as a Champion for every child you will have: 

Education

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, health, and hygiene behavior change communication, WASH-related engineering, or another relevant technical field. Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement/ supplement the main degree are a strong asset.

Experience

• A minimum of 8 years of professional experience, preferably at the international level, in WASH-related programmes planning and management is required. Relevant experience in programme management in WASH related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Experience in humanitarian contexts is required. Experience in development contexts is an added advantage.
• A minimum of two years of experience of WASH Cluster/ Sector/ Working Group coordination is desirable.
• Experience in effective management of human resources/teams in high stress/risk environments is desirable.
• Experience in a mixed set of country contexts, in multiple geographic regions, including a deployment mission with UN, Government or INGO is strongly desirable.                    

Language

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic 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

Core Competencies

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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. 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.

Remarks:

This VA is open to all internal and externals.

This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable females are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

All selected candidates will 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.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.