Chief WASH (Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction, CEED)

Job Summary

The Chief WASH (CEED) is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of the WASH & CEED programme from strategic planning and formulation to the delivery of outcome and output results. Reporting directly to the Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction, this role leads and manages the Country Office WASH & CEED team. The position is central to advancing equitable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services while ensuring programmatic alignment with results-based management approaches, UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, performance standards, and accountability frameworks.

Qualification

• Master’s degree or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in one of the following fields is required: public health, engineering, climate and environment, or another relevant technical field.
• Additional relevant post-graduate courses that complement or supplement the main degree are required.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Experience

• Developmental WASH: A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.
• Field Deployment: At least one year of deployment in a developing country is required.
• Humanitarian Contexts: A minimum of 1 year of work in humanitarian situations, including at least one three-month mission deployment (with UN, Government, or an International NGO) is required.
• Leadership: A proven ability to effectively lead a team to deliver results is strictly required.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Managerial Leadership: Lead, manage, and supervise the Country Office WASH & CEED team, ensuring accountability for plans, allocations, and performance standards.
• Programme Development and Planning: Drive the strategic planning, formulation, and integration of equity-focused WASH and climate-resilience designs into the Rwanda Country Programme.
• Programme Management & Monitoring: Oversee the implementation, monitoring, and delivery of tangible WASH & CEED outcome and output results using results-based management approaches.
• Advisory Services and Technical Support: Provide strategic and technical leadership in national policy development, system-strengthening, and decentralized service delivery models.
• Advocacy, Networking, and Partnership Building: Strengthen sector coordination and construct strategic partnerships with government institutions, development actors, and sector partners.
• Humanitarian Preparedness and Response: Lead humanitarian WASH & CEED emergency preparedness and mitigation strategies to reduce vulnerabilities linked to climate shocks.
• Innovation & Knowledge Management: Promote innovation, document lessons learned, and support institutional capacity-building among national authorities and local stakeholders.

Skills & Competencies

Technical:

• Rural & Urban WASH Networks: Expert knowledge of rural water supply for low- and middle-income countries (including water safety, sustainability, and applying CATS principles) as well as urban sanitation.
• Institutional WASH: Proven capability implementing targeted WASH-in-Schools and Health Centres frameworks.
• Fiscal Analysis & Advocacy: Experience in the analysis of national budgets and expenditure for basic WASH, paired with related advocacy and CEED programming.
• Emergency Management: Deep expertise in humanitarian WASH—specifically covering preparedness, response, and recovery phases.
• Methodological Knowledge: Expert application of Results-Based Management (RBM) frameworks and sector policy development.

Behavioural:

• Leadership: Proven ability to effectively lead, inspire, and manage a team to deliver high-impact results.
• Core Values: Strict alignment with UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
• Diplomacy & Stakeholder Management: Advanced negotiation and multi-stakeholder relationship-building skills across complex government and international agency networks.

What We Offer

• An attractive international civil service compensation and benefits package.
• Diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.
• Paid parental leave and breastfeeding breaks.
• Reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process and onsite for persons with disabilities.

Deadline is on 30 Jun 2026 South Africa Standard Time

Skills Required:

• Civil / Engineering / Cotm
• Environmental / Natural / Resource
• Health / Medical