Ukraine: Re-Advertisement: WASH Officer (Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer) (Ukraine nationals)

Aug 3, 2023 | United Nations Children's Fund
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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 fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, UNICEF works for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. For every child, hope

UNICEF Ukraine

UNICEF 

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the Organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give more children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. Therefore, the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job organizational context:

As Ukraine enters its second year of the escalation of the full-scale war, the humanitarian and child rights catastrophe continue. The war resulted in death, injuries, and mass displacement of people from the south and eastern parts of Ukraine to the west and to neighbouring countries, as well as severe destruction and damage to homes and civilian infrastructure, including essential services for children such as schools, kindergartens, youth centres, integrated social services, water and sanitation and health facilities.

While there is still an urgent need to respond to the vast humanitarian needs in frontline areas, it is also critical to pivot to recovery priorities, to build back better and ensure that children are at the center of the recovery agenda.

UNICEF is engaging actively with government partners and the Sectoral Working Groups on the National Recovery Plan to ensure that children and youth have improved health, learning and protection outcomes in healthy and safe physical, family and community environments and that systems, policies and communities are built back better to ensure the rights and well-being of every child. 

Purpose of the job:

UNICEF is committed to mainstream Social and Environmental Sustainability Safeguards and Management Plans across its Programming.

UNICEF’s Strategic Framework on Environmental Sustainability for Children (2016-2017) issued in December 2015 committed the agency to significant strengthening of policy, programmes, advocacy, research, and engagement on environmental sustainability to deliver better results for children, particularly the most disadvantaged. Priority 2 of the Framework committed UNICEF to the rollout of a set of Social and Environmental Sustainability Standards and Procedures (SESSP).

UNICEF embraces robust environmental and social standards (e.g.: safeguards) and related accountability mechanisms (e.g.: grievance mechanisms), which aim to ensure that development and humanitarian actors are held to the principles they proclaim and that interventions do not result in inadvertent harm to people and the environment. These standards support a human rights-based approach that is transparent, inclusive, and participative so that no one is left behind, UNICEF is committed to do-no-harm and do-more-good. They also reflect that even with good planning and best intentions, unanticipated impacts and conflict may still arise, as such adequate accountability mechanisms need to be in place to receive and respond effectively to grievances from people affected by UN-entity programming.

 Under the direct supervision of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Manager (P4) in Dnipro Field Office (DFO), and the overall guidance from the Chief of WASH (P5) of UNICEF Country Office in Ukraine (UCO), the WASH Officer (Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Officer – Level 2/NOB) will be responsible for supporting the design, management and monitoring ESS activities delegated to her/him, to comply with UNICEF’s and different partners/donors requirements on ESS, for different projects of rehabilitation, reconstruction and improvement of management of water and sanitation services through water utilities (vodokanals), decentralized systems in secondary towns and villages, and hard-to-reach areas, as well as for emergency WASH supplies distribution to vulnerable populations.

In achieving the above, appropriate environmental and social safeguards will be developed by the WASH Officer/ESS Officer, by preparing environmental and social management frameworks (ESMF) and related WASH program-level instruments, including the development of site-specific safeguard and quality assurance instruments.

 All tasks will be in line with the relevant national environmental, occupational health & safety and social laws and regulations, as well as international law including conventions and treaties adopted by the host country and applicable to the respective Project(s) and ESS conditionalities.  In addition to national legislation, the following UNICEF safeguard standards must be adhered to:

 The Role 

The WASH Officer (ESS Officer – Level 2/NOB) will support the development, preparation, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation ESS mechanisms of the WASH program within WASH program and beyond when required, and will provide technical guidance and management support throughout the ESS programming processes, to facilitate the administration and achievement of the WASH-related output results in the country programme.

The objective of this assignment the development of appropriate WASH program level ESS tools and instruments, as well as an ESMF for the UCO WASH program, also providing project-oriented guidance and developing tools and instruments for specific projects/grants as per requirements on ESS compliance, including quality assurance for implementation of the ESS tools developed.

The expected result of this assignment is to have environmental and social safeguards developed and implemented as per UNICEF and partners/donors’ standards and or/requirements.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities for the WASH Officer/ESS Officer:

  1. Development of a UCO WASH Program Environmental and Social Management Framework
  2. Guidance for the development of safeguard instruments and tools
  3. Quality assurance for safeguard instruments implementation and project/grant compliance

1. Development of a UCO WASH Program Environmental and Social Management Framework

  • Establish the legal framework, procedures, and methods for environmental and social screening, impact assessment, approval, and implementation of investments to be supported.
  • Provide an overview of existing baseline situation in the programme area, covering socio-economic baseline information, physical and biological environment, and an overall geographical description, including maps.
  • Establish a stakeholder engagement framework to ensure in-depth information and consultations with concerned stakeholder groups to seek their broad support, including the development of a format for transparent, accessible, and culturally appropriate grievance mechanisms on the project level.
  • Identify key environmental and social management measures (including monitoring provisions) as a reference base for the development of project specific environmental and social management plans.
  • Identify roles and responsibilities for ESMF implementation, including reporting procedures and monitoring and evaluation.
  • Provide guidance for the establishment of appropriate baseline information for future ESIAs, provide guidance regarding methods for assessment of impacts.
  • Identify capacity building and training needs for different stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the provisions of the ESMF and of the sub-project environment and social management plans.
  • Provide project implementation/construction guidance as per ESMF for monitoring and supervision/reporting, site visits with joint work to test guidance as provided as per ESMF, on the spot audit visits as required.
  • Provide guidance regarding land acquisition and compensation and/or management of restrictions of access to natural resources resulting from the project.
  • Develop an exclusion list of activities which would not be eligible for funding in the respective program.
  • Identify funding requirements and resources to ensure effective mainstreaming and implementation of the framework.

2. Guidance for the development of safeguard instruments and tools

  • Provide guidance for the development of programme specific ESS tools including program policies, tools, and procedures for ESS implementation
  • Undertake screening and categorization of the environmental and/or social risks identified.
  • Determine ESS tool to be applied at each of the projects/grants.
  • Develop ToRs for ESIA, ESMP and other safeguard instruments as appropriate for each of the sites for use at CO level for procurement of local consultant companies as required.
  • Ensure linkages and feedback mechanisms are established and implemented in collaboration. with other consultancies and related activities under the WASH program, including engineering feasibility and designs, utility improvement, visibility monitoring and evaluation.
  • Ensure that all tools developed will as far as possible incorporate and integrate conflict sensitivity, gender and inclusion and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).

3. Quality assurance for safeguard instruments implementation and project/grant compliance 

  • Quality assurance for WASH project-specific safeguard instruments developed including ESIA, ESMP and other safeguard instruments as appropriate.
  • Review the implementation of WASH project-specific tools developed, including occupational and environmental health and safety requirements on site, conflict sensitivity, gender, and inclusion, PSEA, grievance handling and management mechanisms.

Impact of Results

The support provided by the WASH Officer/ESS Officer (Level 2/NOB) will enable the country office to achieve the WASH-related output results of the country programme.  This, in turn, will contribute to the achievement of the outcome results of the country programme document.  When done effectively, the achievement of the outcome results will improve child survival, growth and development and reduce inequalities in the country.  

Qualifications

Education

  • A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, environmental management or another relevant technical field.
  • Additional relevant post-graduate courses on ESS that complement/supplement the main degree is a strong asset.

Experience

  • A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in ESS in Ukraine is required.

Languages

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

Technical requirements

1.  Expert knowledge of one component and basic knowledge of two components:

  • Experience in developing an action plan extracting information from Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) to guide Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) implementation.
  • Experience in designing standards and instruments for safeguarding compliance and screening.
  • Experience in developing SOPs to be used in auditing ESS internally, as well as by implementing partners to ensure standardization in reporting.

2.  Expert knowledge of two components and basic knowledge of the other two components:

  • Program/project management.
  • Capacity development.
  • Knowledge management.
  • Monitoring and evaluation.

UNICEF Core Values

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything it does and how it does it. Get acquainted with its Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF Required Competencies

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

During the recruitment process, UNICEF tests candidates following the competency framework. Become familiar with UNICEF competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and the 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.

UNICEF offers a wide range of benefits to its staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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:

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

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.

This position is based in Dnipro and the incumbent will be expected be work on-site. However, depending on the security conditions and advisory, s/he will be required to relocate within Ukraine.

Advertised: 26 Jul 2023 FLE Daylight Time

Deadline: 15 Aug 2023 FLE Daylight Time

Job no: 563731

Contract type: Temporary Appointment

Duty Station: Dnipro

Level: NO-2

Location: Ukraine

Categories: WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)