Consultancy: Assessment and development of Urban Wastewater Treatment Innovation Solution, Office of Innovation – WASH Hub, Copenhagen, Denmark – 6 months (remote)

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. 

And we never give up. 

For every child…innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives. The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the start-up thinking, the technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.

The Sustainable WASH Innovation Hub, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, aims to source, pilot and scale transformational and frontier climate resilient innovations that respond to key programmatic challenges that, if solved, will unlock faster progress for a water secure future for children and young people. With our partners, the WASH Hub works to identify proven solutions that can be implemented at national scale in multiple countries – taking the ideas that help thousands in one country and bringing them to dozens of countries across multiple regions, impacting the lives of millions of children.

One of the key global challenges that the Hub aims to address through scaling innovative solutions is tackling climate change impacts on WASH services and delivery access. The Urban Waste Water Treatment (UWWT) is one currently in the WASH innovation portfolio which have been identified as potentially transformational in addressing this issue.

The solution incorporates two approaches one being fully nature-based WASH providing sustainable, cheaper, climate-resilient wastewater treatment services via small, constructed wetlands. The other leverages a specially designed tank with partitions for biological processes and chlorine disinfection. The low-cost, modular nature of these technologies also makes them adaptable to various urban and rural contexts. Over the next few years, the Hub is looking to support scaling into suitable high-density urban lower income areas in numerous African and Asian countries.

How can you make a difference? 

Over a period of six months, the consultant will:

1. Conduct an assessment of UWWT, documenting the technical nature of the solution, the WASH and environmental outcomes delivered and the potential or existing challenges that have to be overcome.

2. Conduct a desk review of potential comparable urban and nature-based approaches to wastewater treatment, identifying the relative value of the UWWT approach in different development and humanitarian contexts.

3. Prepare a report on the applicability of the solution across different contexts, identifying prerequisites for the success of the application of the solution, and key factors critical to scaling up the approach.

4. Based on in-country observation and stakeholder engagement, provide technical support to UNICEF (both UNICEF country offices currently implementing the solutions and the WASH Hub) on optimizing the solution design.

5. Provide relevant advice and insights to potential other UNICEF country offices in adopting and rolling out the solution.

6. Identify priority countries for scaling the approach.

7. Act as solution focal point for the Hub, coordinating an internal advisory group and inputting into portfolio management processes as required.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Inception phase

• Together with the WASH Hub and based on the methodology proposed in the bid, the consultant will prepare a detailed Inception Report (Deliverable A) that outlines a finalised methodology, evaluation protocols for different phases of work and the timetable for country visits (as applicable).

In-country observation and support

• The consultant will observe project implementation against an agreed protocol devised as part of the Inception report and document the process for learning and to be used to develop replication toolkits for other interested country offices.
• Based on this observation and engagement the consultant will provide technical support to UNICEF (both UNICEF country offices and the WASH Hub) on optimizing the existing solutions for application beyond current implementing countries/regions – including challenges to be considered if replicated elsewhere, materials, layout and other considerations to scale the innovation in other contexts. The advice and insight will be presented in Deliverable B: Observation report and in Deliverable C: Observation presentation.

Report on the applicability of the design across different contexts

• Based on the review, the consultant will prepare a draft report – Deliverable D: Draft report – on the applicability of the design across different contexts, taking into account other climate conditions, community context, supply chains and any other relevant actors and priority countries for scaling the approach.
• The consultant will identify prerequisites for the success of the application of the technology/approach, including the regulatory environment, particularly with regards to multi-regional scale.
• After feedback from UNICEF and other relevant stakeholders, the consultant will finalise the report as Deliverable E.

Relevant advice and insights to other UNICEF country offices

• Based on the earlier findings and on the final report (Deliverable E) with the WASH Hub, the consultant will prepare a consultation schedule (Deliverable F), identifying potential follow up countries.
• The consultant will prepare a webinar on the findings and recommendations from the existing projects and desk work – Deliverable G.
• With the WASH Hub, the consultant will conduct introductory calls to interested UNICEF country offices, and
• Develop country specific conept notes for replicaiton (Deliverable H)
• Support toolkit for scaling development through detailed debrief and sharing of notes and insights (Deliverable I)

For more information, please review the Terms of Reference

Assessment and development of Urban Wastewater Treatment Innovation Solution.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a field relevant to sanitation technology e.g. public health, civil, mechanical or chemical engineering or other relevant field.
• A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience in sanitation technology and approaches with experience in development contexts.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Technical background in sanitation and biological processes involved in wastewater treatment technologies
• Demonstrable experience of developing technologies with users experiences and inputs in mind, experience of applying social engineering and Human Centered Design approaches
• Demonstrable knowledge of nature-based WASH solutions is required.
• LMIC work experience and familiarity with general WASH related matters is considered essential,
• Experience of remote /isolated /limited access contexts is desirable.
• Demonstrated familiarity with UNICEF’s programming is desirable.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Travel:

The consultant is expected to travel as per below:

• One working week Dhaka, Bangladesh
• One working week Kampala, Uganda
• One working week Dakar, Senegal
• One working week Copenhagen, Denmark

Note: Actual locations and duration may change.

These travels should be included in the consultant’s bid (details on financial and technical proposals further below).

• The consultant is responsible for arranging his/her own travel, including visa and travel insurance.

Payment details and further considerations

• Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

How to apply:

• Interested applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template.
• Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class) and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance.
• Interested applicant is required to submit a technical proposal. Please see instructions in the Terms of Reference.
• Applications without a financial and technical proposal will not be considered.
• Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx

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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

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.

Remarks: 

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. 

In case of any questions, please contact us at swe-ooi-recruitments@unicef.org

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