Urban WASH Manager,

Job no: 595985
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Mogadishu
Level: P-4
Location: Somalia
Categories: WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

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 Hope

How can you make a difference?

COUNTRY/SPECIFIC PROGRAMME (JOB CONTEXT)

Somalia remains highly vulnerable to recurrent droughts, floods, displacement, rapid urbanisation and weak infrastructure, which continue to affect access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, particularly in rapidly growing urban and secondary cities. Against this backdrop, UNICEF Somalia works with the Federal Government, Federal Member States, development partners and communities to strengthen resilient, equitable and sustainable WASH systems and services, with increasing focus on urban WASH, climate resilience, innovation, private-sector engagement and leveraging development finance.

The WASH Manager, based in the UNICEF Somalia Country Office in Mogadishu, will provide strategic, technical and managerial leadership for UNICEF’s growing portfolio of urban WASH and investment-oriented programmes. The portfolio includes the Regional WASH (R-WASH) Programme, R-MAR,  African Development Bank-funded urban WASH projects, potential World Bank-supported investments, the USNATCOM-funded In-Line Chlorination (ILC) project, and blended-finance and other innovative WASH initiatives. The position will support the transition from project-based interventions towards sustainable, scalable and investment-ready urban WASH systems, working closely with MoEWR, Federal Member States, utilities, development and financing partners, implementing partners and other stakeholders.

The position will be responsible for providing technical oversight, coordination, quality assurance, implementation support, partnership management, resource mobilisation, monitoring and learning across the portfolio. Given the geographic scope and federal structure of Somalia, the Urban WASH Manager will also be required to travel regularly to different Federal Member States and project locations to support implementation, engage government and partners, monitor progress, address implementation challenges and ensure that UNICEF-supported investments remain aligned with national priorities and programme objectives.

The Urban WASH Manager reports to the Chief WASH (P5) for general guidance and direction. The Manager supports the Chief in managing the WASH section, and in leading the development, preparation, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the urban WASH programme within the country programme. The Manager provides technical guidance and management support throughout the programming processes, to ensure the achievement of the WASH-related output results in the country programme. The Manager provides authoritative advisory services to government and sector support agencies and interacts with government at senior levels and with senior staff in the International Development Banks.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

• Management support to the Chief of WASH

• Programme development and planning

• Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results

• Advisory services and technical support

• Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Humanitarian WASH Preparedness and Response – Urban WASH Interface.

• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 

 JD Urban WASH Manager P4.pdf

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

Minimum requirements

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Engineering-Civil, Environmental Applied Engineering, water resources engineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, environmental science, urban planning and any other related fields.

• Work Experience: 8 years of relevant work experience in WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Water & Environmental Sanitation, urban wash, urban water supply, sanitation, water resources management, infrastructure development, investment planning, program management, monitoring and evaluation, partnership development, climate resilience and any other related fields.

• Skills: Experience is required in Partnership Management, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Leadership, Strategic Support and Technical Support. 

• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or Somali language is an asset.

• Experience with AfDB funded projects, Experience with World Bank funded projects, Climate resilient urban WASH, Blended finance, Private sector engagement, Master planning, Feasibility studies, Engineering design, ESIA.

• 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

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 female 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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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.

Advertised: 29 Sep 2026 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 06 Oct 2026 E. Africa Standard Time