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UNICEF hiring National Consultant – ASWA III Systems Strengthening and Knowledge Management ( Remote)

Mr HausaLoaded1 day ago

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Education Officer, NO-2 at United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

Job Title: National Consultant – ASWA III Systems Strengthening and Knowledge Management

Duration: 6 Months
Location: Abuja, Nigeria & Remote, with travel to Kaduna, Adamawa, and Abuja

1. PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (DGIS), through UNICEF, is supporting the Accelerated Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA III) programme across eight countries, including Nigeria.

The programme targets improved access to equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient WASH services in low-income contexts characterized by limited WASH coverage and poor development outcomes.

In Nigeria, ASWA III is being implemented in Kaduna and Adamawa States, where access to basic WASH services remains low and gender disparities persist. In addition to improving WASH service delivery, ASWA III also aims to strengthen systems for WASH service delivery.

Key systems-strengthening initiatives under ASWA III include:

Support to the Heads of State Initiative (HOSI)
Strengthening WASH monitoring
Knowledge management and evidence generation
Improving WASH sector sustainability

UNICEF supported state governments to develop Sustainability Compacts and Action Plans in response to the 2021 Sector-wide Sustainability Check (SWSC) findings.

UNICEF has also supported the update of the WASH Information Management System (WASHIMS) to integrate climate resilience, sustainability, and gender equality indicators, and improved government capacity to report routinely on WASH through WASHIMS.

For the HOSI, UNICEF supported the government to engage in regional and global meetings hosted by the African Ministers’ Council on Water and the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership.

In 2026, the Government of Nigeria was also supported to engage in discussions on WASH financing and meaningful youth engagement at the IRC WASH Systems Leadership Symposium in Kigali, and to advance the Water Compact in collaboration with the Nigeria Water Development Partner’s Group.

Building on these foundations, a Systems Strengthening Consultant is required to support the federal and state governments to advance:

Knowledge management and evidence generation
WASH service sustainability
The Heads of State Initiative (HOSI)

Specifically, the consultant will:

Document promising practices from ASWA III.
Build a system to generate evidence on WASH impacts across health and education outcomes.
Support states to advance their sustainability response plans.
Support the federal government on the HOSI agenda.

Key Activities

Develop four knowledge products documenting progress on climate resilience, sustainability, and gender-transformative WASH.
Establish indicators and collect baseline 2024, 2025, and 2026 data on key health and education outcomes from routine government monitoring systems related to WASH in ASWA III-targeted LGAs and communities:
- Lere and Kagarko LGAs – Kaduna
- Shelleng and Ganye LGAs – Adamawa
Support state governments to advance and institutionalize priority actions in state sustainability plans and support the federal government to develop concrete activities for implementation from January 2026–2027 in response to the 2021 SWSC.
Support the federal government with HOSI-related engagement and initiatives, including:
- Preparation for the UN Water Conference in December 2026
- Implementation and documentation of 2–3 priority actions from the Nigerian Youth–Government Collaborative Work Plan following the Kigali Symposium
- Finalization and implementation of the Nigeria Water Compact.

The consultancy will also serve a learning and adaptive management function, providing actionable recommendations to strengthen implementation, improve programme effectiveness, and enhance the sustainability of ASWA III during the remaining programme period and beyond.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will report to the WASH Manager and undertake activities and produce deliverables relating to systems strengthening and knowledge management.

A. Inception Phase

The consultant will:

Review key documents, including:
- ASWA III programme documents
- GALA report
- Gender Action Plans
- 2021 Sustainability Check
- State response plans
- Monitoring data
Develop an inception report outlining the methodology and work plan.
Refine the approach and final work plan in consultation with UNICEF.

B. Production of Knowledge Products

The consultant will:

Work with the supervisor to review ASWA III programme documents and propose sites/examples for documenting promising practices, subject to supervisor approval.
Focus on promising practices related to:
- Strengthening climate-resilient WASH service delivery
- Improving livelihoods through WASH businesses
- Gender-transformative WASH
- Improving WASH service sustainability
Develop templates and outlines for data collection required for the knowledge products.
Review data and conduct:
- Key informant interviews
- Focus group discussions
- Fieldwork, where necessary
Prepare knowledge products using agreed templates.

C. Evidence Generation on WASH Impacts

The consultant will:

Scope indicators routinely measured in the Health and Education sectors through state, LGA, and facility-level monitoring.
Propose key indicators for determining associations between WASH and health and education outcomes.
Develop templates and tools for data collection and consolidation.
Collect baseline, 2025, and 2026 data.
Compare collected data against WASHIMS data from ASWA III interventions.
Produce an initial analysis and report on associations identified, if any.

D. Sustainability Response Plans Support

The consultant will:

Review state sustainability compacts.
In collaboration with state governments, select 2–3 priority actions to support states in implementing and institutionalizing during the consultancy period, in consultation with UNICEF.
Provide virtual support and conduct field visits.
Support the federal government in developing a concrete, costed plan to advance sustainability actions at the federal level in response to the findings of the 2021 SWSC and draft national response plan.
Produce a consolidated report on sustainability actions advanced in each state, including good practices, observed gaps, and recommendations for strengthening WASH service sustainability.

E. HOSI and UN Water Conference Support

The consultant will:

Attend meetings, virtually or in person, concerning:
- WASH Compact finalization and next steps
- UN Water Conference preparations
- Youth engagement discussions
- Other HOSI-related systems-strengthening initiatives
Support the government with preparations for the UN Water Conference.
Support government and youth stakeholders in implementing priority actions in the Nigerian Youth–Government Collaborative Work Plan.
Document progress on HOSI, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for UNICEF to advance the HOSI agenda.

3. DELIVERABLES

The consultant will prepare and submit the following key documents:

Inception Report
Two templates, developed and approved by UNICEF:
- WASH impact data collection template
- Knowledge products template
Four knowledge products, including draft and final versions incorporating feedback.
Health and Education indicator dataset covering 2024–2026 in ASWA III project areas.
Analysis report on WASH associations with Health and Education outcomes.
Federal-level sustainability action plan covering January–December 2027.
Report on state sustainability activities, including key outcomes, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.
Report, briefing notes, and documents prepared in relation to UNICEF’s support to the UN Water Conference.
HOSI activities report, including support provided to various initiatives, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.

4. WORK ASSIGNMENTS AND DELIVERY DEADLINES

Work Assignment	Deliverable	Deadline
Inception Phase	Deliverable #1: Inception report including methodology, work plan, and two templates for WASH impact data collection and knowledge products	13 November 2026
Production of Knowledge Products	Deliverable #2: Four final knowledge products	15 January 2027
Evidence Generation on WASH Impact	Deliverable #3: Three-year data and analysis report of initial WASH associations with Health and Education outcomes	15 February 2027
Sustainability Response Plans Support	Deliverable #4: Federal government sustainability plan and report on sustainability actions advanced in two ASWA III states	28 February 2027
HOSI / UN Water Conference Support	Deliverable #5: Report outlining support to Water Compact and preparatory activities for UN Water Conference, including briefing notes and other documents prepared	15 December 2027
HOSI Support	Deliverable #6: Report on HOSI progress, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for UNICEF to advance the HOSI agenda	15 April 2027

The Terms of Reference lists the deadline for Deliverable #5 as 15 December 2027; this is reproduced as stated in the source.

5. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment will be made upon the submission and acceptance of deliverables.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment where:

Deliverables submitted do not meet the required standard; or
There are delays in the submission of deliverables by the consultant.

6. IMPORTANT NOTES

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered staff members under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures.
Consultants will therefore not be entitled to benefits provided to staff, such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage.
Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors.
Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining and paying their tax liabilities and any applicable taxes or duties under local or other applicable laws.

Health Insurance and Vaccination

The selected candidate is responsible for ensuring that any health insurance and, where applicable, visa required to perform the duties remains valid throughout the contract period.

Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) with a WHO-endorsed vaccine before taking up the assignment.

This requirement does not apply to consultants working remotely who are not expected to:

Work on or visit UNICEF premises;
Visit programme delivery locations;
Directly interact with communities UNICEF works with; or
Travel to perform functions for UNICEF during the consultancy.

Reasonable Accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include:

Accessible software
Travel assistance for missions
Personal attendants

Applicants are encouraged to disclose disabilities during the application process where reasonable accommodation may be required.

7. QUALIFICATIONS, SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

Minimum Requirements

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one or more of the following:

Public Health
Community Health
Public Administration
Social Sciences
WASH Engineering
Monitoring and Evaluation
Other closely related disciplines relevant to the assignment.

Work Experience

Applicants should have:

At least 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in WASH and public health.
Demonstrated experience supporting high-level government engagements for international conferences and meetings.
Proven expertise in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), including designing and implementing data management and data collection tools.
A strong track record of applying evidence and analysis to inform programme design, strategy development, and policy recommendations.
Experience in knowledge management and quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
Demonstrated knowledge and experience supporting sustainability initiatives for WASH services.
Experience working with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, and community stakeholders, particularly in low-resource or development contexts.
Excellent facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively with diverse audiences at national and local levels.
Strong analytical, synthesis, and report-writing skills, with the ability to produce high-quality, evidence-based outputs within tight deadlines.

8. KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE AND SKILLS

The consultant should have:

Strong understanding of WASH systems strengthening, including institutional arrangements, governance, financing, planning, and monitoring.
Familiarity with WASH service sustainability assessments and approaches.
Experience in gender-sensitive and inclusive data collection and analysis, including ethical considerations and safeguarding.
Proficiency in qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis tools is desirable.
Strong understanding of climate-resilient WASH and WASH and gender equality.

9. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Fluency in English, both written and spoken, is required.
Working knowledge of Hausa or other relevant local languages in Kaduna and Adamawa is a strong asset.

10. DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Experience working in Northern Nigeria, particularly Kaduna and/or Adamawa States.
Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, with sensitivity to local contexts.

11. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A comprehensive technical proposal must be submitted, outlining:

How the work will be conducted; and
Proposed timelines.

Application Deadline: 14, October 2026

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Interested and Qualified candidates should use link below to apply.