Programme coordination Consultant, Global Practice for WASH, 6 moths, CoE, Nairobi, Kenya (Office-based) #593760

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, love

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 places emphasis on accelerating results for children through systems strengthening, partnerships, technical assistance, evidence generation and scalable solutions. WASH is central to advancing child survival, health, development and resilience, particularly through improved access to safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services, climate-resilient WASH systems and strengthened support to governments and partners.

The Global WASH Practice under the Centre of Excellence model provides demand-driven technical assistance, policy support, programme guidance and knowledge leadership to Country Offices, Regional Offices, governments and partners. The Director’s Office plays a central role in ensuring strategic coordination, delivery oversight, partnership engagement, resource mobilization, grant management, reporting and knowledge generation across this global architecture.

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide time-bound programme coordination, partnership, grant management, Technical Assistance tracking, front office and research support to the Director’s Office. The consultant will support the effective management of priority initiatives, strengthen the coordination and tracking of Technical Assistance requests from Country and Regional Offices, support proposal development and reporting processes, and contribute to evidence-based decision-making and knowledge management.

The assignment will contribute to improved coherence, efficiency, accountability and responsiveness of the Global WASH Practice in delivering against the Strategic Plan and the Global WASH Programme Offer.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the Terms of Reference here: ToR Programme coordination Consultant TMS.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master's Degree in International development, public policy, social sciences, public health, WASH, environmental sciences, project management, communications, international relations or another relevant field. A first university degree combined with two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in programme coordination, project management, partnerships, grant management, reporting, research, knowledge management or Technical Assistance coordination.
• Demonstrated experience supporting complex, multi-country, regional or global programmes.
• Experience in proposal development, donor reporting, corporate reporting and partnership coordination.
• Experience developing and managing project management tools, dashboards, trackers, reporting systems or coordination workflows.
• Experience supporting senior leadership, front office functions or executive coordination is highly desirable.
• Experience working with UNICEF, the UN system or an international development/humanitarian organization is highly desirable.
• Experience in WASH, climate resilience, public health, systems strengthening or humanitarian programming is an asset

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is considered and asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Strong project management, coordination and organizational skills.
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear briefs, reports, presentations and decision-making products.
• Strong understanding of programme planning, monitoring, reporting and results-based management.
• Experience with partnership management, donor engagement and grant reporting.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders, technical teams and geographical locations.
• Strong attention to detail and quality assurance.
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs under tight timelines.
• Good understanding of UNICEF programming, Strategic Plan priorities, WASH programming
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Teams, SharePoint and project tracking tools is required.

Desirables:

• Knowledge of the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2026–2029.
• Familiarity with the Global WASH Programme Offer and the Centre of Excellence model.
• Experience in WASH, climate resilience, emergency preparedness or humanitarian programming.
• Experience developing knowledge products, research briefs or strategic communication materials.

For every Child, you demonstrate Care

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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 (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal Financial Proposal Programme coordination Consultant.docx

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.