Summary: UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Job Details

  • Company: UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Location: Kenya
  • Employment Type: International

Job Description

WASH Specialist, Kakuma, Kenya

Organization

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Country

Kenya

Field location

Kakuma

Office

UNHCR in Kakuma

General

Description of assignment title

WASH Specialist

Assignment country

Duty stations

Work location

On UN premises

Expected start date

11/15/2026

Duration

18 monthsLong-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal

  • Clean water and sanitation

Host entity

UNHCR

Modality

Onsite

Type

International

Volunteer category

Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule

Full-time

Number of Assignments

1

Details

Mission and objectives

  • The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Context

  • The Government of Kenya, in line with the GCR and its CRRF, in collaboration with its partners has taken concrete steps to improve conditions supporting socioeconomic inclusion of refugees and host communities. These include: (i) enactment of Refugees Act of 2021 and Refugee Regulations, (ii) operationalization of Kalobeyei and Garissa Integrated Socioeconomic Development Plans (KISEDP and GISEDP), (iii) launch of the Shirika Plan, (iv) gazettement of Kakuma and Dadaab as the Municipalities.
  • Kakuma Municipality, located in Turkana County in the north-western region of Kenya, hosts nearly 530,000 people including over 310,00 refugees and asylum seekers from 24 nationalities. KISEDP-II (2023-2027) the pillar of Shirika Plan (and in line with Turkana County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), Kenya’s MTP-IV (2023-2027) and UNHCR multiyear strategy (MYS 2024-2026 and sustainable responses) supports delivering rights-based and equitable protection services for refugees and host communities while advancing socioeconomic inclusion and enhancing self-reliance. These envisages coordinated and systemic approaches aimed at safeguarding refugee rights, supporting services delivery across sectors, and promoting refugee and host communities empowerment and resilience including through HDP nexus for joint programme and programming, systems-building for inclusion and Government-led services delivery, and by working with diverse stakeholders internally and externally including the Government, UN, I/NGOs, development actors, IFIs, communities, private sector etc.
  • Key activities include supporting coordination of WASH sector activities with all the stakeholders, and support transitioning of WASH services from UN/Humanitarian agencies to Government-owned systems (e.g. KALAWASCO) in line with the KISEDP, pillar of the Shirika Plan.

Task description

  • Under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks
  • • Support WASH coordination among partners in line with the KISEDP structures, including with UN-Habitat (implementing Water infrastructure Improvement Project with funding from JICA – Japan International Cooperation Agency).
  • • Work closely with County Government and Municipality as well as with other WASH stakeholders to assess current situation of the urban water, sanitation and hygiene conditions in the Municipality and support in implementation of Water Supply Transition Plan, supporting the WASH transition, in line with the KISEDP, from UN/Humanitarian agencies to Government-owned systems (e.g. KALAWASCO).
  • • Facilitate detailed assessment of urban water supply systems (public and private) and provide technical recommendations for rehabilitation and upgrading of the systems to ensure safe drinking water in the Municipality.
  • • Provide appropriate technical, managerial, cost efficient, and O&M solutions for improving the urban water supply conditions in the Municipality.
  • • Strengthen sanitation facilities and waste management systems by coordinating the construction and maintenance of latrines, implementing solid waste disposal strategies, and promoting environmental health initiatives to reduce immediate disease risks.
  • • Address gaps and overlaps in UNHCR funded WASH programmes and unmet needs, and the activities are oriented to address priority WASH issues.
  • • Provide support to County Government and Municipality for inclusion of PoC within national SDG 6 development plans (Urban and Rural) and financing mechanisms and service delivery systems in line with KISEDP.
  • • Support key WASH strategic partnerships with development and humanitarian agencies to support inclusion of refugee WASH services within national systems and development financing mechanisms.
  • • Ensure PoC are consulted during planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of WASH services using an age, gender and diversity approach.
  • • Monitor and evaluate WASH programmes against standard UNHCR and SDG indicators to ensure that programmes are evidence-based and implemented in a comprehensive, client-focused, and cost-effective manner.
  • • Strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and data-driven decision-making by implementing real-time WASH assessments, tracking key indicators in the WASH Monitoring System (WMS), and ensuring that interventions are responsive to rapidly evolving needs.
  • • Build the technical capacity of key stakeholders by providing targeted training for KALWASCO, partners, and refugee communities and host community on WASH best practices, infrastructure maintenance, and community-led hygiene promotion.
  • • Perform other related duties as required.
  • Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to
  • • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day)
  • • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country
  • • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities
  • • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
  • • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers
  • • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
  • Results/Expected Outputs
  • • Provision of professional technical support and guidance on activities within the areas of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene.
  • • Lead in formulating appropriate project proposals and assistance activities that should be incorporated into the relevant operation programmes of UNHCR.
  • • Support the UNHCR operation, in coordination with the Government and Municipality, to assess needs and coordinate the provision of WASH services to asylum seekers and refugees.
  • • Coordinate WASH partners in conjunction with Government and Municipality, and for monitoring progress and quality of WASH programme implementation in line with KISEDP to ensure that an adequate level of WASH services is provided.
  • • Develop a water safety plan in the Municipality and based on the outcomes of the appraisal develop an appropriate plan of action, supported with capacity strengthening, supplies, necessary funding, staff, and knowledge management system.
  • • Gradual and responsible disengagement of humanitarian actors and the handover of the management of basic WASH services to the County Government of Kenya and Municipality.
  • • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day)
  • • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
  • • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers
  • • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Eligibility criteria

Age

  • 18 - 80

Required experience

  • 3 years

Donor priorities

Nationality

  • Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Additional eligibility criteria

  • This assignment is funded by JICA, therefore only former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JICA-JOCV) recommended by the JICA-JOCV Secretariat are eligible to apply. Please consult the JICA website (https://www.jica.go.jp/volunteer/obog/career_support/unv/index.html) for further information on the eligibility criteria.
  • Deployment is scheduled between 1 October and 30 November (no later than 31 December 2026).

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience

Languages

  • English, Level: Fluent, Required
  • Kiswahili, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level

  • Master's degree in civil engineering or Rural Development or Community Development or Urban policy & planning or Water resource or development or Water/Sanitation Engineering or international development.
  • Education - Additional Comments: A Bachelor's university degree (or equivalent) with 3 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

Competencies and values

  • • Adaptability and Flexibility
  • • Building Trust
  • • Client Orientation
  • • Commitment and Motivation
  • • Ethics and Values
  • • Integrity
  • • Judgement and Decision-making
  • • Planning and Organizing
  • • Professionalism
  • • Respect for Diversity
  • • Self-Management
  • • Technological Awareness
  • • Working in Teams

Skills and experience

  • • 3 years in Project management and coordination preferably in the areas of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).
  • Skills and experience description
  • • Experience in Project management and coordination.
  • • Preferable experience in the area of WASH including surveys, programme implementa-tion, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination, solid waste management, and hygiene promotion awareness.
  • • Preferable experience working at the local level, including with the communities, and local governments and stakeholders.
  • • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.
  • • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development dur-ing the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Area(s) of expertise

  • Project management, programme development, strategy, Water, sanitation, waste

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