District Heating Information Manager (WASH)

Host entity: UNICEF Ukraine

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Information technology and telecommunications, Emergency preparedness, crisis response

Application deadline: 21/10/2026

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.

Assignment context

: This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme, specifically supporting information management for the District Heating (DH) stream of the National Coordination with MinInfra. 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. UNICEF Ukraine's WASH programme supports emergency response, service restoration, and systems strengthening across water, sanitation, hygiene, and district heating sectors.
Now in the fourth year of full-scale armed conflict, Ukraine's district heating infrastructure faces severe and repeated damage. Years of underinvestment and ageing infrastructure, compounded by weak operations, maintenance, and governance mechanisms, had already left pre-existing vulnerabilities in the system before February 2022. The renewed wave of strikes against the Ukrainian energy sector is more powerful and more precise than the one that began in autumn 2022: approximately 9 GW of generation capacity has already been destroyed, 80% of thermal generation and 80% of wind generation have been damaged or occupied, 21% of solar generation has been damaged or occupied, and direct losses in the energy sector are estimated at USD 16.1 billion. A lack of electricity often means a lack of water and heating.
Key stakeholders include district heating companies and communal enterprises that provide heating services, the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, local authorities, governmental bodies, and implementing partners active in the energy sector. Programme outcomes include strengthened institutional capacity of district heating companies, improved coordination and prioritization of support, and evidence-based short, medium, and long-term recovery planning for district heating infrastructure. Further information: www.unicef.org/ukraine.

UNICEF is providing support to the Government in Ukraine in the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to urgently repair and modernize water and heating systems. The Technical Cell conducts numerous assessment visits and supports the coordination of over 100 simultaneous projects across fifteen oblasts, mostly in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, for support to district heating and water utilities. Accordingly, the purpose of this position is towards the functioning of the Technical Cell, providing information on the needs of district heating systems and coordinating emergency response efforts. The main objective of this position is to disseminate information on the needs of district heating utilities and to support them in finding appropriate help from humanitarian partners or authorities, to enable coordination of aid interventions and prevent duplication of effort.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the WASH Cluster Technical Cell Transition Lead, the information manager will be part of the Technical Cell team and will support and work closely with WASH Cluster and MinInfra, with a primary focus on the District Heating (DH) platform and deputizing for the Vodokanal (VK) Information Manager. The information manager will:

1. Lead day-to-day management of the platform and contribute to its strategy and development, with a focus on DH, deputizing for VK;
2. Serve as focal point for the external software developer and support;
3. Lead introductory calls with new humanitarian members on platform usage, with a focus on DH, deputizing for VK;
4. Lead duplication checks, with a focus on DH, deputizing for VK;
5. Lead information dissemination (e-mailing), with a focus on DH, deputizing for VK;
6. Support dynamic monitoring of projects and communication with the cluster and partners, with a focus on DH, deputizing for VK;
7. Provide administrative support to the Technical Cell team, with a focus on DH, deputizing for VK;
8. Any other relevant task assigned by the supervisor.

Skills and experience

• Experience managing an information or data platform, including user support and administration, is an asset;
• Experience with IT and data management systems is considered an advantage;
• Work experience in a foreign or international organization with English-speaking staff is considered an advantage;
• Experience in development and humanitarian work, especially emergency response, is considered an advantage;
• Work experience with other UN agencies in WASH, energy, or district heating is considered an advantage;
• Good understanding of and skills in communicating with different stakeholders, including local authorities, contractors, consulting firms, and NGOs/CSOs;
• Ability to perform several tasks in a timely manner with a focus on quality; ability to communicate key messages to different audiences;
• Proficient knowledge of MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint;
• Desirable: Not required for this assignment;
• Sound security awareness;
• A working knowledge of English (minimum upper-intermediate, B2 level) is required
• Have an affinity with or interest in Ukraine's water and district heating sector recovery, WASH sector reform, information management, and the humanitarian-to-development transition, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system.

Competencies and values

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

Living conditions

As it is a national UN Volunteer's assignment, the UN volunteer shall organize his/her accommodation by themselves.

Entitlements of National UN Volunteer Specialist >> USD $ 1,869

The contract lasts for the period indicated in the vacancy with the possibility of extensions subject to 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) USD $ 1,869 (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.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.