Senior Expert for Water Utilities and District Heating (WASH)

Host entity: UNICEF Ukraine

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Energy, 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 the National Technical Cell, which covers both water utilities and district heating, established in response to the ongoing armed 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. 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 water and district heating infrastructure faces severe and repeated damage. Over 800 district heating facilities have been destroyed or damaged since February 2022, approximately 9 GW of power generation capacity has been lost, and an estimated USD 1 billion is needed for restoration. 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. On 12 April 2022, hostilities near Kyselivka in Kherson region destroyed the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water supply system, the sole source of drinking water for the city of Mykolaiv, bringing it to the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Renewed and increasingly precise strikes on the energy sector regularly disrupt the electricity supply that both water and heating systems depend on.

Key stakeholders include the Association of Water Utilities of Ukraine (Vodokanal Association), the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, water utilities and district heating companies, local authorities, governmental bodies, and implementing partners active in the water and energy sectors. Programme outcomes include strengthened institutional capacity of vodokanals and district heating companies, improved coordination and prioritization of support, and evidence-based short, medium, and long-term recovery planning for water infrastructure. Further information: www.unicef.org/ukraine.

This UNV assignment supports the functioning of the Technical Cell by leading the identification, collection, assessment, and dissemination of the needs of vodokanals and district heating utilities, and by supporting them in solution-finding and in securing appropriate help from humanitarian partners or authorities. This position also advises vodokanals and district heating companies on prioritization and the use of state-of-the-art techniques.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the WASH Cluster Technical Cell Transition Lead, the UNV will:

1. Build a strong network with both vodokanals and district heating companies through field missions to assess their needs and prioritization;
2. Lead communication and manage relations with the Association of Water Utilities of Ukraine, the District Heating Association, the Ukraine Critical Infrastructure Association, and other key players in the sector;
3. Support service providers in identifying and prioritizing needs for regular operations, maintenance, and emergency repairs to maintain water and district heating service levels, with a focus on locations within 100km of the contact line and/or hosting large numbers of IDPs, and support emergency situations at water utilities and district heating companies;
4. Support utilities and partner organisations with analysis of their most critical needs and possible solutions;
5. Organize coordination meetings with government partners, water utilities, utility companies, local authorities, and NGOs/CSOs, and track and map district heating projects implemented in Ukraine;
6. Provide technical insight, assessments, and reviews to inform coordination with government partners, district heating companies, vodokanals, communal enterprises, local authorities, and NGOs/CSOs, focusing on the roadmap for early recovery efforts in the heating sector;
7. Facilitate and lead communication and solution-finding between utilities, communities, authorities, aid organisations, and donors in crisis situations;
8. Support and attend cluster meetings and coordination with sub-national colleagues;
9. Launch and lead capacity-building activities;
10. Any other relevant task assigned by the supervisor.

Skills and experience

• Water utilities, district heating, power generation, or energy services sector technical expertise in Ukraine or a comparable post-conflict context, including a minimum of ten years of relevant technical due diligence, operational, or engineering experience; experience with UN agencies in WASH or the energy sector is an asset;
• Installation, operational, and/or maintenance experience of mechanical systems, especially water and district heating networks; experience leading technical workstreams on projects, including managing supply chains, producing project reports, and managing multiple stakeholder relationships, is an advantage;
• Sound understanding of water technology and heat supply, and of the energy-efficient, high-quality, safe, environmentally friendly, and reliable functioning of water and heat supply systems; knowledge of applicable Ukrainian codes, policies, and standards related to water supply and heating;
• Strong understanding of project cycle management, including monitoring and evaluation, technical supervision, financial management, and planning; good understanding of Ukrainian legislation and regulations on contracting and construction of infrastructure projects;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, contractors, consulting firms, and NGOs/CSOs; ability to communicate key messages to different audiences;
• Good understanding of the humanitarian approach; experience in development and humanitarian work, especially emergency response, is an advantage;
• Ability to lead assessment processes and/or technical working groups; ability to perform several tasks in a timely manner with a focus on quality;
• Proficient in MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint; familiarity with design software such as AutoCAD and planning software such as MS Project is an advantage;
• Desirable: Not required for this assignment;
• Sound security awareness;
• A working knowledge of English (minimum intermediate, B1 level) is required.
• Have affinity with or interest in Ukraine's water and district heating sector recovery, WASH sector reform, 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 Senior Expert >> USD $ 3,479

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 $ 3,479 (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.