Technical Officer SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework

Job categoriesProject Management, Programme Management Vacancy codeVA/2020/B5117/20761 LevelICS-10 Department/officeECR, GVA, WASH Duty stationGeneva, Switzerland Contract typeFixed Term Contract levelP3 DurationOne Year initially, with possibility of extension Application period19-Nov-2020 to 09-Dec-2020

Vacancy codeVA/2020/B5117/20761

LevelICS-10

Department/officeECR, GVA, WASH

Duty stationGeneva, Switzerland

Contract typeFixed Term

Contract levelP3

DurationOne Year initially, with possibility of extension

Application period19-Nov-2020 to 09-Dec-2020

Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.

Background Information - Job-specific

UN-Water is the United Nations (UN) inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related issues, including sanitation. The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) established UN-Water in its meeting held on 18 and 19 September 2003 in response to the need for strengthened coordination of United Nations’ work on water and sanitation related issues. The Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) endorsed this decision at its fall 2003 session in New York. UN-Water currently counts 33 Members (UN entities) and 41 Partners (non-UN system actors).

UN-Water promotes coherence in, and coordination of, water-related UN system actions aimed at the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant policy frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development and the New Urban Agenda. In so doing, UN-Water complements and adds value to existing UN initiatives by facilitating synergies and joint efforts among the implementing agencies and by fostering greater co-operation and information-sharing within its constituency. UN-Water supports Member States through its three main lines of work: 1. Informing policy processes and addressing emerging issues; 2. Supporting monitoring and reporting on water and sanitation; and 3. Building knowledge and inspiring people to take action.

For UN Member States as well as the international community, the coming years will be critical to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Although Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) – ‘to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030’ – supports many of the other 16 SDGs, the world is alarmingly off-track and the challenges are unprecedented and growing. To respond to the need for an immediate and integrated global response to rapidly improve progress on SDG 6, in July 2020 the UN system launched the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework – a unifying initiative that involves all sectors of society to speed up progress by improving support to countries. Through the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, the UN system and its multi-stakeholder partners, driven by country demand and coordinating through UN-Water, unify the international community’s support to countries for SDG 6. The SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework involves:

A sharpened focus on coherent, coordinated and streamlined country support as part of the UN reform, including scaling up water-related work and collaboration among the UN-Water Members and Partners, providing access to expertise, technical assistance and advocacy support through a reinvigorated Resident Coordinators system and a new generation of UN Country Teams;
A multi-stakeholder, high-level, annual stock-taking moment, complemented by the SDG 6 Action Space, to enable stakeholders to keep up momentum on and accelerate implementation of SDG 6, as well as share lessons and best practices;
A purpose-driven collaboration among all stakeholders including various initiatives providing new activities in support of the Global Acceleration Framework; and
An SDG 6 Action Space platform to showcase on-going actions, share experiences, raise awareness and inspire actions among all types of people and organisations.

The impact of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework relies also on its synergies with the following critical milestone events mandated by UN General Assembly resolution 73/226:

The 2021 one-day high-level meeting hosted by the President of the General Assembly to promote implementation of the water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development as part of the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Sustainable Development’, 2018-2028;
The 2023 UN Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Sustainable Development’, 2018–2028; and
Their respective preparatory processes.

Within the UN-Water family, activities related to the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework will be carried out by the UN-Water’s Task Force on Country Level Engagement, Expert Group on Regional Level Coordination, and Expert Group on 2030 Agenda, with the UN-Water Technical Advisory Unit providing technical support to these groups and ensuring the necessary coordination.

Within the Technical Advisory Unit, the Technical Officer will be responsible for: providing technical support to the abovementioned Task Force and Expert Groups; coordinating the activities among them to ensure coherence; managing the liaison with the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) and UN Country Teams; identifying and analysing opportunities for country level engagement and regional level coordination, and initiating the resulting actions; and leading the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework communications and dissemination activities.

Functional Responsibilities

In the context of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, this position is located in the UN-Water Technical Advisory Unit in Geneva. Under the overall guidance of the UN-Water Chair and the direct supervision of the UN-Water Chief Technical Adviser, the incumbent is responsible for the following:

Overall support to the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework:

Coordinates information sharing on all actions resulting from the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework within the UN-Water family, providing substantive technical support to UN-Water Members and Partners;
Coordinates outreach through the Action Space, including: developing and updating contents to be featured on the website, technical support for website development, liaison with UN DESA and with the main initiatives in support of the Global Acceleration Framework, and the World Water Day and World Toilet Day campaigns to ensure coherence with the Decade of Action’s and the campaigns’ online resources;
Facilitates UN-Water activities ensuring the synergy between the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework – including its annual moment – and the critical milestone events listed above;
Provides substantive technical support to and participates in the organisation of the annual high-level stock-taking moments and of side events in relevant international meetings and conferences.

Support to UN-Water’s regional level coordination and country level engagement:

Provides technical support to the UN-Water Task Force on Country Level Engagement and the Expert Group on Regional Level Coordination, including:
- development and communication of the UN-Water offer to UN Country Teams (UNCTs) and Resident Coordinator Offices (RCOs);
- coordination with the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO);
- monitoring and assessment of requests from UNCTs; communication (e.g. webinars) to UN-Water’s constituency and other stakeholders;
- support development of regional knowledge products;
- promotion of regional level data and monitoring activities across UN-Water’s constituency;
- support assessments and reporting on SDG 6 progress at the regional level;
- developing contact databases and calendar of events and update relevant e-platforms; drafting harmonized communication materials and infographics drawn from for the five regions;
- substantive technical support for the organization of side events in relevant international, regional and national meetings and conferences;
Provides specific coordination support for the country level engagement pilot phase (eight countries as of October 2020), including:
- managing communications with the UNCTs/RCOs and DCO;
- ensuring efficient and transparent responses by facilitating the matching of requests with available expertise among UN-Water Members and Partners.

Perform other related tasks as directed by supervisor.

Impact of Results

This post contributes to accelerating the implementation of SDG 6 at the country level by helping UN Resident Coordinators Offices and Country Teams harness the expertise of the UN-Water family in the field of water and sanitation. It strengthens collaboration and coordination within the UN-Water family, thus helping the UN deliver as one in the field of water and sanitation at the country and regional levels.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in earth sciences, water resources management, sanitary or environmental engineering, international development, environmental management, environmental journalism/communications, or related disciplines.

Experience

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible relevant experience in water and development, of which at least two years of experience in the areas of UN system’s country/regional level support is required.
Experience in international development issues as they relate to water and sanitation, including key players and processes, is required.
Experience in building and promoting good working relationships and collaboration across cultures and distance is required.
Practical experience in water related sectoral management, monitoring, data and data management and capacity development and/or sustainable finance and consumption aspects is desirable.

Language

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of French and/or other UN official languages is an advantage.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Fixed Term Staff Contract
Contract level: ICS 10 / P3
Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

For more details about United Nations staff contracts, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/UN-Staff-Contracts.aspx

Additional Considerations

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Technical Officer SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework

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