National Consultant: Provincial Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator, Dhangadhi, Nepal (Only for Nepalese Nationals)

Dhangarhi

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Dhangarhi
Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Environment
- Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
- Civil Society and Local governance
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF Nepal Country Office is looking for committed professional and expert to assist the Sudur Paschim province government and selected local governments and programme partners in strengthening WASH sector governance in the context of federal system. The consultant will be engaged for 6.5 months and will be based in Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Development (MoPID), Sudur Paschim Province, Dhangadhi.

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For every child, result

In relation to WASH, major supports include the institutionalization and strengthening of WASH Governance and scaling-up of Climate Resilient WASH interventions along with improvement of service delivery in the communities and institutions (schools and health care facilities), capacity development of frontline workers, improvement of water quality monitoring and surveillance mechanism, and emergency preparedness and response through collaborative actions. All WASH-related interventions are being implemented in close coordination with the provincial especially with the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Development (MoPID) & local governments and development partners.

There are 88 local governments (one- Sub Metropolitan city, 33 Municipalities, and 54 Rural Municipalities) in Sudur Paschim province. After the federalization of the nation, the majority of responsibilities including the improvement of WASH services and facilities are being transferred to the local governments. However, there are limited LGs that have separate WASH sections and dedicated human resources to manage, plan and implement WASH-related activities. It is challenging for all LGs to manage, plan, and implement WASH-related activities without a dedicated section and human resources in place.

Hence, to strengthen the process the Secretary and senior management of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Development (MoPID) of Sudur Paschim Province invited the UNICEF team for required advisory, technical, and financial support. The team of the UNICEF including the Chief of the WASH Section and WASH Specialist from Kathmandu and the WASH Officer from the Field Office attended dedicated meetings and agreed to initiate the process from selected municipalities through the cordial effort of the MoPID and UNICEF.

In addition, there was a dedicated Province Level Dialogue in Sudur Paschim Province for Improved WASH Sector Governance of the LGs, which was held in 13th May 2024 in the provincial capital i.e. Dhangadhi. In that discussion, provincial assembly members strongly emphasized on provincial preparedness for WASH sector policies, legislative frameworks, information management, and information-based sectoral strategic plans, and programme was concluded with the commitment to coordinate with sectoral ministries and WASH stakeholders for cordial effort for the development of WASH plans with the use of N-WASH application and information management, support all local governments of the province for the formulation of WASH Acts, Guidelines and Policies, advocacy and support to local governments for the establishment and operationalization of dedicated WASH section, initiate the process of water quality monitoring to increase the use of safe and sustainable drinking water in Sudur Paschim.

Purpose of the Assignment:

The overall objective of this consultancy is to assist the Sudur Paschim province government and selected local governments and programme partners in strengthening WASH sector governance in the context of federal system. The specific objectives are:

i) Assist the province government in formulation and effective implementation of WASH Acts, Guidelines, and Regulations of the province and local governments (LGs),

ii) Assist the province government in developing and strengthening the WASH specific institutional arrangement and monitoring mechanism at province and local governments,

iii) Support selected local governments in the collection, analysis and management of WASH information with the use of the NWASH application and WASH plan development and their strategic implementation.

iv) Assist province government in developing model water quality monitoring and surveillance mechanisms of the LGs and provincial government,

v) Capacity building of front-line workers of selected LGs and province governments in various aspects of WASH sector,

vi) Complementary support is expected in case of any kind of emergencies, especially during the flood & monsoon response, and other emergencies in the working areas of the Dhangadhi Field Office.

Scope of Work:

The proposed Provincial WASH consultant (i.e. Province WASH Coordinator) will be providing technical supportto the WASH team of the Dhangadhi Field Office to scale up the specific WASH interventions highlighted in the previous section. The WASH consultant will be based at MoPID and closely work under the leadership and guidance of MoPID’s secretary and in coordination with the team of MoPID, LGs, and WASH stakeholders and under the close guidance of the WASH Officer of the UNICEF Dhangadhi Field Office.

The major outcomes expected from this consulatancy support (diectlt and indirectly) are as below.

• Provincial-level WASH Act, by laws & guidelines on water-safe community, water quality monitoring, and ODF sustainability are prepared and endorsed,

• Coordination and communication will be established with the province and local government for WASH information management, establishment of WASH units,

• Provincial level Monitoring and Information Management System strengthened in line with the sector MIS based on NWASH,

• WASH units in 20 LGs are established and the focal person will be capacitated for proper use of NWASH- application for information collection, analysis, uploading collected information in the N-WASH Dashboard, planning, reporting and information management,

• The water quality monitoring and surveillance mechanism of the selected 27 LGs will be established/& strengthened and operationalized.

• Best practices and learning from the field are properly documented and shared with programme partners and UNICEF for fundraising and advocacy purposes.

Duration of Contract: The total duration of the contract is for 6.5 months.

Duty Station: The consultant will be based in Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Development (MoPID), Sudur Paschim Province, Dhangadhi.

Deliverables:

Tasks	Deliverables	Timeline	Proposed Fee
Coordinate with the MOPID at province and 27 local governments listed in the 2023-2027 CPAP review WASH acts, policies, and guidelines prepared and drafted by concerning governments and provide technical support to update, amend and finalize in line with the national policies. • Coordinate with the MoPID, WASH stakeholders and local governments and extend technical support to establish and operationalize WASH units, information management, and development of WASH plan with the use of NWASH application.	Submission of report on WASH governance status review, capacity development of frontline workers, development of WASH policies and guidelines,	By the end of November 2024
Coordination and communication with the WASH stakeholders and line ministries for systematic intervention to expedite the process of WASH plan development. • Provide technical support to 27 LGs listed in the CPAP for the development of a strategy to strengthen the WASH governance system and capacity development of frontline workers. • Schedule advocacy and coordination meetings with the heads of the 13 LGs listed in the CPAP but process of WASH governance systems not yet initiated. • Capacity building of the WASH focal person for the institutionalization of the WASH governance system of the 27 LGs listed in the 2023-2027 CPAP and initiate the process of WASH plan development. • Provide technical support to 17 LGs (where process of WASH plan development is initiated in collaborative effort of MOPID, LGs and UNICEF) and WASH stakeholders for collection and updating of WASH information and WASH plan development using the N-WASH application.	Submission of report on WASH information management and WASH Plan with the use of N-WASH application	By the end of Jan 2025
Capacity development of WASH focal persons, enumerators, CSO partners and information officers of the local governments in aspects of WASH information collection, management, and development of WASH plans Provide technical support to province and selected 27 local governments in strengthening and institutionalization of the water quality monitoring and surveillance system, update information of the improved facilities in the NWASH information management system. • Coordinate for joint monitoring, learning sharing, and training events at the local level, district, and provincial levels. • Provide need-based monitoring and supervision of ongoing interventions to ensure the implementation of WASH activities/projects is on track. • Document best practices and lessons learned on WASH interventions made during the assignment.	Submission of report on WASH information management and WASH Plan, and capacity development of frontline workers of local governments	By the end of March 2025

To qualify as an advocate for every child the consultant will have…

Academic Qualification:

Bachelor’s degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Civil Engineering, Environment, and Sanitation Engineering.
Additional training in development planning, NWASH-application use, monitoring focusing on WASH, is an asset.

Work Experience:

A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in WASH governance, water supply, WASH in schools, WASH in Emergency and water quality,
A working knowledge of recent developments and approaches on safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene services, water quality, WASH in schools, and WASH in emergencies,
Demonstrated experience implementing water supply projects, in the communities and institutions (schools and health care facilities), water quality and recovery and reconstruction work in emergencies including result-based, human rights and gender/disability issues, specifically relating to children and women, and the current UN/ Govt’s position and approaches.
Theoretical and technical knowledge of local and provincial planning and management,
Good knowledge, experience, and expertise in WASH information management, and use of NWASH application,

• Experience of working with the provincial and local governments, especially in WASH plan development with the use of the N-WASH application,
Excellent knowledge and skills in computer along with the use of Autocad, other data/ information management applications,
Strong communication skills (written and oral) in English and Nepali is required.
Candidates with experience working in provinces, qualified females and candidates from under-represented ethnic groups, and persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Request to submit financial proposal (Nepalese currency) based on the deliverables for this assignment.

Female candidates and candidates from the under-represented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (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 their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

This vacancy is now closed.