Duties and Responsibilities
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. Together with governments, the agency is responsible for promoting and consolidating collaboration with all partners, including local authorities, private and non-governmental organisations, in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) helps water and sanitation operators help one another. Led by UN-Habitat, it is an international network created in 2009 to support operators through Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs) – not-for-profit peer support partnerships between water and sanitation operators aimed at enhancing their capacity and performance to provide a better service to more people in support of the SDGs. The GWOPA Secretariat translates GWOPA’s mandate into strategies and programs. It implements, through collaboration with a range of partners, annual alliance work plans to help ensure WOPs are scaled up and are contributing to water and sanitation service providers’ improved capacity and performance. The GWOPA Secretariat is currently hosted by the Government of Germany. The United Nations Development Assistance 17 Tranche supports UN-Habitat for implementing the “Equitable and climate-resilient sanitation services for low-income urban communities in South and Southeast Asia” project, which addresses the global sanitation crisis and the gaps in sanitation services, with 3.6 billion people lacking access to safely managed sanitation, with a focus on Lao PDR and Nepal. The project aims to deliver significant changes in capacities for operational improvements in sanitation infrastructure and service delivery, particularly for low-income and vulnerable communities. The project focuses on strengthening the capacity of water and sanitation operators through the establishment of Sanitation-focused Water Operators' Partnerships (SWOPs) in two cities as a peer learning mechanism. These partnerships will involve mentoring, training, and developing city sanitation plans that emphasise climate resilience, equity, and gender inclusivity. At the national level, the project will develop policy reviews in each country to identify gaps and recommend improvements in climate-resilient sanitation practices. Additionally, international knowledge exchange events and regional workshops will be organised to share best practices and promote collaboration among sanitation stakeholders. The City-wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) Planning Expert reports to the Programme Management Officer of GWOPA, within the Urban Basic Services Section of the Urban Practices Branch. The expert will work closely with the UN-Habitat Country offices in Nepal and Lao PDR, and the local data and climate change consultants in the two countries. RESPONSIBILITIES • Prepare an inception report and work plan outlining methodology, timelines, stakeholder mapping, and data collection tools; present and validate it through an inception meeting. • Lead multi-stakeholder engagement with the national government, municipal authorities, utility or mandated service provider, regulators, private sector actors, civil society, and vulnerable groups to ensure inclusive participation and local ownership and compliance with existing national policy and guidelines. • Conduct a comprehensive baseline assessment of existing sanitation services, infrastructure, access levels, service providers, and financial flows across the full sanitation chain (from containment to disposal/ reuse). • Review and map institutional arrangements, including mandates, responsibilities, and regulatory frameworks; identify overlaps or gaps and propose clear roles for accountability and coordination. • Assess and promote service equity by identifying the needs of low-income communities, informal settlements, women, and marginalised populations, ensuring inclusive design and delivery. • Study the impact of climate change on sanitation services to identify risks such as flooding, drought, sea-level rise, and propose resilient and adaptive measures in cooperation with the local data and climate change consultants. • Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework with key performance indicators (KPIs), data systems and accountability and coordination mechanisms tailored to track service improvements over time. • Design sustainable financial strategies, including cost analysis, tariffs, subsidies, resource mobilisation, and investment planning, to ensure the affordability and financial viability of services. • Propose capacity-building measures and institutional strengthening plans for utilities, regulators, and local authorities to support effective CWIS implementation and regulation. • Draft, validate, and finalise the CWIS plan incorporating stakeholder inputs, with an abridged version tailored for policymakers and decision-makers. • Support early implementation and knowledge sharing by providing technical assistance, documenting lessons learned, and promoting good practices for scaling CWIS approach in other cities. • Support the preparations and attend the missions, including the scoping and validation. Support the organisation of the workshops and meetings during the missions and contribute to mission reporting. COMPETENCIES • Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to water and sanitation, urban planning and capacity development. Ability to identify issues, analyse and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to assist with data collection using various methods. Conceptual, analytical, and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • Planning & Organising: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates an appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Qualifications/special skills
An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent degree) in Engineering, Urban Development, Public Health or a related field to WASH is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. At least 5 years of working experience in the field of international cooperation, preferably related to urban water and sanitation issues, is required. Experience in data management, baseline assessments, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, knowledge management, partnerships, and utilities is required. Experience in conducting research and drafting reports or other knowledge outputs is required. Previous experience working with the UN or other bilateral/multilateral organisations in international cooperation is desirable.
