Senior Expert for the WASH Restoration and Infrastructure Development

Mission and objectives

UNICEF is supporting health, nutrition, HIV prevention, education, access to safe drinking water, sanitation and protection for children and families caught in the conflict. UNICEF — the United Nations Children's Fund, established in 1946 — is mandated to protect the rights of every child and operates in over 190 countries. In Ukraine, UNICEF has been present since 1997 and serves as the lead agency of the WASH Cluster, a humanitarian coordination mechanism uniting over 100 implementing partners active across fifteen conflict-affected oblasts. UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme supports emergency response, service restoration, and systems strengthening across water supply, sanitation, hygiene, and district heating sectors.

Context

This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme, specifically supporting the coordination of WASH restoration and infrastructure development activities in conflict-affected communities across Ukraine. Now in the fourth year of full-scale armed conflict, Ukraine's water and sanitation infrastructure faces critical degradation. Thousands of water supply and wastewater facilities have been damaged or destroyed, leaving millions of people — particularly children — without reliable access to safe water. Restoring and modernizing WASH infrastructure is essential not only for public health but for Ukraine's broader recovery, resilience, and EU integration trajectory. UNICEF, as WASH Cluster lead, coordinates a large portfolio of infrastructure restoration projects implemented through government partners, NGOs, and civil society organizations, requiring robust programme management, technical oversight, and strategic coordination. Key stakeholders include the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine (MinDev), regional and local authorities, vodokanals and communal enterprises, international financial institutions (EIB, World Bank, EBRD), and NGO/CSO implementing partners. Programme outcomes include restored WASH services for conflict-affected populations, strengthened institutional capacity of utilities and local authorities, and evidence-based infrastructure planning aligned with national recovery frameworks. Further information: www.unicef.org/ukraine. Ukraine is undergoing an extensive recovery effort following the devastation caused by conflict, with significant damage to critical infrastructure, including water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems. The destruction of key facilities, such as the Kakhovka dam, has severely disrupted water and sanitation services impacting public health and essential services. The Ministry for Restoration is pivotal role to this recovery, leading efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure vital for the well-being of the population and economic revitalization. Given the complexity of the recovery, the Ministry requires expert advisory support to guide the restoration of WASH infrastructure. This role is particularly important to ensure that recovery efforts are sustainable, aligned with international standards, and designed to meet the immediate and long-term needs of affected communities. Furthermore, the role must address the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability, which are essential for equitable, inclusive and resilient development. The technical advisor will play a crucial role in developing the Ministry's strategy for rebuilding WASH systems, bringing specialized knowledge and a global perspective to Ukraine's restoration agenda. The purpose of this assignment is to provide high-level strategic and technical advisory support to the Minister for Restoration, specifically in the rehabilitation of WASH infrastructure.

Task Description

Coordinator for the WASH restoration and infrastructure development will provide high-level strategic, technical, and policy advisory support to accelerate Ukraine's WASH sector recovery, reform, and EU integration. The Advisor will: - Develop risk assessment frameworks and contingency protocols for WASH infrastructure resilience under active conflict conditions, including advice to the Minister on rapid-response mechanisms for service disruptions; - Facilitate establishment of a national WASH Task Force and operationalize the Water Sector Working Group (Water SWG), advising on inter-agency coordination between MinDev, regional vodokanals, IFIs, and international partners; - Provide advisory support for drafting regulatory and normative legal acts aligned with EU Directives (Urban Wastewater, Drinking Water) and Ukrainian legislative frameworks, supporting the corporatization and PPP reform agenda; - Advise on design and delivery of capacity-building programmes for regional and local authorities, with emphasis on planning, procurement, and M&E of WASH infrastructure projects; - Establish a national M&E framework with KPIs linked to Ukraine's National Recovery Plan (NRP) and RDNA findings, ensuring transparent tracking of WASH recovery progress; - Support resource mobilization by developing high-priority project proposals for international donors (EU, IFIs, bilateral) and advising on financial mechanisms including EIB and EBRD instruments; - Mainstream gender equality, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability into WASH recovery strategies, ensuring alignment with UNICEF's equity mandate and vulnerable population needs; - Provide strategic advisory input to strengthen the E-Water digital platform as a national WASH monitoring and data management tool, supporting its institutionalization under MinDev.

Competencies and values

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

Living conditions and remarks

As it is a national UN Volunteer's assignment, the UN volunteer shall organize his/her accommodation by themselves. Entitlements of National UN Volunteer Senior Expert >> USD $ 3198 The contract lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy, with the possibility of extensions subject to the availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. This is a full-time contract. Allowances: • Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of USD 3198 (equivalent in UAH) is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities, and normal cost of living expenses. This includes Well-Being Differentials for the period while the ICSC applies hardship classification to duty stations in Ukraine as “E”. • USD 350 entry lump sum, one-time payment. Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV-provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins at the Commencement of Service and normally ceases on the last day of the UN Volunteer Contract. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment. If a UN Volunteer dies during the UN Volunteer assignment, the eligible designated beneficiaries will be entitled to receive a life insurance lump sum. Leave entitlements: • Annual leave: UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave may not be carried over in case of reassignment or a new assignment. • Learning leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period. • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive seven days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. This amount will be reset at the established interval period.