Climate Resilient WASH in Schools Standards and Guidelines Development Consultant, Climate Change and Resilience Section, Eastern Caribbean Area Office, 2 months, Barbados, Remote # 594815

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 Future

How can you make a difference?

Grenada, like many Small Island Developing States (SIDS), remains highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. Intensifying hurricanes, rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, and extreme heatwaves are already present realities that threaten daily life and long-term development. These hazards disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, particularly children. The devastating impact of Hurricane Beryl in 2024 highlighted the fragility of critical infrastructure, including WASH systems in schools. According to the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), over 99% of schools in Grenada have access to basic water and sanitation services. However, recent disasters have shown that these services are not sufficiently resilient. Hazard events usually damage WASH infrastructure and limits access to safe WASH services. Droughts have become more frequent, sometimes necessitating school closures, due to inadequate water for drinking and the practice of good sanitation and hygiene. Inadequate water storage capacity further compromises water availability. These vulnerabilities sometimes contribute to prolonged school closures, affecting education continuity.

To ensure the sustenance and adequacy of WASH services in schools, WASH facilities must meet certain minimum operational requirements. School managers, staff and students must also adhere to established guidelines that ensure that facilities and services continue to operate and deliver services. WASH facilities design and construction must consider climate risks and vulnerabilities, ensuring they can withstand climate hazards.

This assignment is to support the development of a set of minimum standards and guidelines for climate resilient WASH in schools services in Grenada and train selected education stakeholders on the use of the guidelines.

Scope of Work:

The assignment is for the development of climate resilient WASH in schools standards and guidelines for Grenada.

The consultant will therefore be required to undertake the following tasks:

• Literature review: The consultant will be required to review national climate, education and WASH sector frameworks. A review of global and regional WASH in school specific documents will also be relevant for the assignment.
• School WASH facility and services assessments: A visit to schools to assess WASH facilities to understand current gaps and challenges. A climate risk and vulnerability assessments for school WASH facilities and services will need to be done to feed into the development of the standards and guidelines.
• Standards development and validation: Develop concise climate resilient WASH in schools standards and guidelines for Grenada’s context and conduct a validation session with stakeholders to seek inputs for finalizing the documents.
• Capacity building on standards and guidelines: Conduct training for selected education officials and school staff as well as staff of the National Water and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) on the developed standards and guidelines. Trainers should be able to conduct further downstream training and support the implementation of the standards and guidelines

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete TOR here: TMC0004159 TOR.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: Advanced university degree (minimum Master's) in environmental studies, civil engineering, natural and water resources management, social sciences or related fields of study

Work Experience:

- At least 5 years of progressive experience in water, sanitation and hygiene programmes/projects planning, implementation and monitoring

- Proven experience of development of WASH related strategies, policies, guidelines or similar frameworks

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

- In-depth knowledge of global and regional WASH context, and frameworks and linkages with climate

- Strong communication, presentation and documentation skills

Desirables:

- Experienced in WASH in schools programming

- Knowledgeable in education sector policies related to WASH and climate resilience

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 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal template TMC0004159.docx
• Technical proposal requirements- Applicants are required to submit a brief (maximum 6 pages) proposal outlining their methodology for carrying out this assignment.

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers

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.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.