Emergency WASH Officer

Host entity: UNICEF Ukraine

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Emergency preparedness, crisis response, Energy, Engineering, construction

Application deadline: 19/10/2026

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

UNICEF Ukraine is one of the largest and most complex UNICEF country operations globally. Since the full-scale military invasion by the Russian Federation in February 2022, Ukraine has been facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with over 14 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, massive population displacement, and systematic destruction of critical civilian infrastructure including water supply systems, sanitation networks, and heating facilities. UNICEF Ukraine’s WASH section leads the organization’s response to the water, sanitation, and hygiene emergency, working across six field offices (Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, and Uzhhorod) and coordinating closely with government counterparts, national and international NGOs, and the WASH Cluster.

The WASH section’s emergency programming encompasses the rehabilitation and emergency repair of damaged water and sanitation infrastructure, emergency water trucking to conflict-affected communities, distribution of WASH non-food items (NFIs) including hygiene kits and water purification supplies, and large-scale hygiene promotion campaigns. In parallel, the section manages a growing recovery portfolio aimed at restoring pre-war service levels and building resilience into rebuilt systems. The section operates under significant pressure with a high volume of programming, multiple active donor grants, and a large geographic footprint.
This UNV assignment directly responds to a critical staffing gap in the WASH section’s emergency programming capacity in Kyiv. The emergency WASH workstream is currently managed by a limited number of staff while programme volume, partner coordination demands, and reporting obligations continue to grow. The UNV Specialist will provide dedicated support to ensure timely and quality delivery of emergency WASH programming, strengthen monitoring and accountability mechanisms, and contribute to donor engagement and evidence generation. The position is essential to sustaining the section’s operational tempo and meeting its commitments to affected populations across Ukraine.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the WASH Specialist (Emergency), the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Support the planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting of emergency WASH interventions across conflict-affected areas, including water trucking operations, emergency rehabilitation of damaged water and sanitation facilities, distribution of WASH non-food items (NFIs), and community hygiene promotion activities targeting the most vulnerable populations;
• Maintain and update programme monitoring dashboards and tracking tools, monitoring progress against targets, financial expenditure, and partner delivery performance; contribute to the preparation of monthly and quarterly donor reports, situation reports (sitreps), flash updates, and humanitarian situation analyses;
• Coordinate with WASH Cluster partners, national and international NGOs, and government counterparts to monitor programme implementation, identify geographic and sectoral coverage gaps, support deconfliction of the humanitarian response, and ensure complementarity between UNICEF-led and partner-led interventions;
• Conduct regular field missions to conflict-affected and newly accessible areas to verify programme outputs, assess ongoing and emerging WASH needs, support partner monitoring visits, and document human interest stories and programme results for internal and donor-facing purposes;
• Contribute to the development of project proposals, concept notes, technical assessments, and donor-facing briefs supporting resource mobilization for the emergency WASH portfolio;
• Compile, update, and quality-assure 4Ws (Who does What, Where, When) matrices, response monitoring tools, and other WASH Cluster coordination products;
• Support procurement planning, follow-up, and supply chain monitoring for WASH materials, equipment, and NFIs, in close coordination with the Supply and Logistics section;
• Perform any other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Skills and experience

• Experience in programme management, monitoring and reporting, or related areas in development or humanitarian contexts; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset;
• Experience with WASH sector programming, including emergency response, water supply, hygiene promotion, or related fields; prior exposure to Cluster coordination mechanisms is an asset;
• Experience in data collection, monitoring and reporting in humanitarian contexts; ability to maintain tracking tools, compile 5Ws matrices, and contribute to situation reports and donor updates;
• Working oral and written skills in English and Ukrainian (both required); ability to draft clear and concise reports, briefs and correspondence;
• Good analytical skills; ability to compile and synthesize information from multiple sources into clear summaries;
• Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, track deadlines, and coordinate across teams and field locations with minimum supervision;
• Solid computer literacy including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); familiarity with data management tools is an asset;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally sensitive; ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural team with a range of partners including government, NGOs and communities;
• Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, track deadlines, and coordinate across teams and field locations with minimum supervision;
• Sound security awareness; willingness to travel to field locations including conflict-affected areas subject to security clearance;
• Have affinity with or interest in emergency WASH, humanitarian action, and the UN system; commitment to volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development..

Competencies and values

• Professionalism
• Integrity
• Teamwork and Respect for Diversity
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Planning and Organizing
• Communication
• Flexibility
• Genuine Commitment

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.