NATIONAL only - Technical Support Assistant / Consultant for Assessment and Validation of the WASH in Schools (WinS) 3-Star Approach in BARMM, Cotabato City, Philippines – Climate, Environment and Resilience Section, 13 months (Office based with trip)

Contract Duration – 13 months

Working arrangement: Office Based with travel

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.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools (WinS) Program is a critical component of quality education, child health, dignity, and protection. Adequate WASH services in schools contribute to improved learner attendance, reduced incidence of water- and sanitation-related diseases, safer and more inclusive learning environments, and better education outcomes. For adolescent girls, functional and gender-responsive WASH facilities are particularly important to ensure privacy, dignity, menstrual health and hygiene, and continued participation in school activities. At the national level, WinS was institutionalized through DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2016. In BARMM, the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) localized the program through Regional Memorandum Order No. 192, s. 2020, responding to the region’s geographic, climate, institutional, and operational realities, including Madaris education contexts. MBHTE oversees approximately 2,612 public elementary and secondary schools mandated to implement WinS and report through the WinS Online Monitoring System (OMS), which generates ratings through the Three-Star Rating System. However, schools and divisions continue to experience difficulties in monitoring, reporting, and data uploading due to limited internet connectivity, technical login issues, incomplete submissions, and varying interpretations of indicators. Challenges also persist in school WASH infrastructure, supplies, water safety, waste management, operation and maintenance, and access to technical assistance, particularly in remote, island, conflict-affected, and climate vulnerable areas. Since WinS data is largely self-reported, field validation is needed to verify the actual functionality, adequacy, accessibility, safety, and sustainability of school WASH services. Given these gaps, UNICEF and MBHTE require dedicated technical support to conduct a comprehensive assessment and validation of WinS implementation across BARMM. The assignment will generate credible and usable evidence to guide planning, policy advocacy, resource mobilization, technical assistance, and integration of WinS priorities into School Improvement Plans (SIP), Division Education Development Plans (DEDP), and Bangsamoro Education Reform and Development Plan (BERDP)

Scope of Work:

1. Inception and Coordination
2. Review and Strengthening of WinS Tools, Guidelines, and Monitoring Systems
3. Field Assessment and Validation
4. System Review, Data Analysis, and Reporting
5. Capacity Building, Coaching, and Technical Support
6. Development of WinS Operation and Maintenance Toolkit
7. Finalization, Validation, and Dissemination

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  ToR x TMC0005990.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor`s university degree in Civil Engineering or other relevant engineering discipline
• Work Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), WASH in Schools (WinS), education-sector WASH programming, public health, or related development programmes.

Demonstrated experience in conducting WASH/WinS assessments, field validation, monitoring, data quality assurance, and analysis of school- or facility-level WASH conditions.

• Experience in developing or reviewing WASH assessment tools, monitoring systems, technical guidelines, O&M tools, training materials, and implementation guidance.
• Experience in planning and facilitating capacity-building activities, workshops, coaching, and mentoring government personnel, school personnel, and other stakeholders.
• Experience working with national and subnational government institutions, particularly education authorities, Schools Division Offices, LGUs, and/or WASH sector partners.
• Experience in data consolidation, analysis, report writing, documentation of good practices, and preparation of policy or strategic recommendations.

• Skills (optional):  

• Strong technical knowledge of WASH in Schools programming, school WASH standards, operation and maintenance, monitoring and validation systems, and institutional sustainability.
• Knowledge of relevant DepEd/MBHTE WinS policies, Three-Star Approach, WASH monitoring frameworks, and applicable national and UNICEF WASH standards.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement quantitative and qualitative assessments, sampling approaches, field validation protocols, quality assurance systems, and data collection tools.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large datasets, identify gaps and trends, compare reported and validated results, and translate findings into practical recommendations and implementation roadmaps.

• Strong technical knowledge of WASH in Schools programming, school WASH standards, operation and maintenance, monitoring and validation systems, and institutional sustainability.
• Knowledge of relevant DepEd/MBHTE WinS policies, Three-Star Approach, WASH monitoring frameworks, and applicable national and UNICEF WASH standards.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement quantitative and qualitative assessments, sampling approaches, field validation protocols, quality assurance systems, and data collection tools.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large datasets, identify gaps and trends, compare reported and validated results, and translate findings into practical recommendations and implementation roadmaps.
• Demonstrated ability to develop user-friendly technical guidelines, O&M toolkits, checklists, training curricula, facilitation materials, policy briefs, and knowledge products.
• Strong facilitation, coordination, stakeholder engagement, coaching, presentation, and technical writing skills.
• Ability to work effectively with government counterparts, technical working groups, education officials, development partners, school personnel, and community stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, including database management, data analysis, and preparation of professional reports and presentations.

• Ability and willingness to undertake extensive field travel to schools and geographically dispersed areas within BARMM, as required by the assignment.
• Language Requirements:

Filipino and English are required, and proficiency in a BARMM/local dialect is an asset.

• Desirables:

• Experience with UN agencies, NGOs, development partners, or government programs in WASH/WinS is an asset.
• Previous experience working with MBHTE, DepEd, BARMM ministries/offices, Schools Division Offices, or LGUs in BARMM is highly desirable.
• Experience with WinS Three-Star monitoring and validation, school-level WASH assessments, or similar institutional WASH monitoring systems is an advantage.
• Experience in developing institutional O&M systems, preventive maintenance tools, costing/budget templates, and sustainability mechanisms for school WASH facilities is an asset.
• Experience in training-of-trainers, adult learning methodologies, mentoring, and institutional capacity development is desirable.
• Familiarity with education information and monitoring systems, including OMS, EMIS/EBEIS or comparable education-sector databases, is an advantage.
• Experience in documenting good practices, preparing case studies and lessons learned, and producing knowledge products for government or development programs is desirable.

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 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, 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 TMC0005990.docx

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable 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.