WASH Officer (NO-2), FT, #091799, Damascus - Syria, MENA

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.

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For every child, the right to Care

UNICEF Syria Country Office works across all 14 governorates to advance the rights and well-being of children and women through humanitarian, early recovery and development programmes. It applies nexus and twin-track approaches to strengthen the transition towards more sustainable systems. Following the political transition in Syria in late 2024, the country is moving towards recovery and development; however, more than fourteen years of conflict, large-scale displacement, infrastructure damage, economic challenges and population returns continue to leave millions of people in need of essential services, including safe water, sanitation and hygiene services. UNICEF implements programmes through field offices and in partnership with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and community-based organizations to support the transition from humanitarian response to more resilient and sustainable service delivery systems.

Within this context, the UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme plays a critical role in ensuring equitable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services and promoting positive hygiene practices for vulnerable populations. UNICEF leads the WASH Sector in Syria and coordinates with national and sub-national partners to strengthen sector planning, information management, emergency preparedness and response. UNICEF WASH programmes support the rehabilitation and operation of water and sanitation infrastructure, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable WASH interventions, capacity development of national institutions, and the delivery of life-saving services during humanitarian response. Through collaboration with government counterparts, water authorities, civil society organizations and humanitarian partners, UNICEF contributes to more sustainable WASH systems and improved public health outcomes for children and their communities across Syria.

How can you make a difference?

You can make a difference by bringing your WASH expertise, field experience and problem-solving skills to support quality, sustainable services for communities across southern Syria. In this role, you will help turn needs into practical WASH solutions, strengthen programme delivery and monitoring, work closely with partners and stakeholders, and adapt interventions to a dynamic operating environment—contributing directly to improved access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for vulnerable communities.

You will be based in the Damascus Field Office and cover five governorates: As-Sweida, Damascus, Dar’a, Quneitra and Rural Damascus. Communities in these areas face challenges related to access to essential services, damaged infrastructure, population movements and a dynamic operating environment shaped by evolving governance arrangements and security dynamics. You will report to the Chief of Field Operations and designated Officer-in-Charge and receive technical supervision from the Chief WASH. You will provide technical, operational and administrative support throughout the WASH programming cycle, including the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of WASH output results under the country programme and humanitarian response, with a geographic focus on the southern governorates.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Programme development and planning

2. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

3. Technical and operational support for programme implementation

4. Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response

5. Networking and partnership building

6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Classified Job Descriptions - WASH Officer (4).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, sanitary engineering, environmental engineering, water resources engineering, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) engineering or another relevant technical field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes in developing countries is required. At least one year of relevant experience in humanitarian response and/or early recovery is required.
• Skills: the ideal candidate should have strong skills in programme management, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, AI tools, and Excel.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in Arabic and English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
• Desirable experience includes sector coordination, resource mobilization climate resilience and emergency preparedness. Experience in early recovery, as well as within the UN system, would be considered an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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 competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here .