Economic Decision Support Consultancy for Handpump to Solar Powered Water Systems in Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi, 9 months, Home Based with travel to Malawi for in-country field visits. (Open to Non-Malawian Nationals Only)

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.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Safety… 

UNICEF is a global leader in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), working to ensure every child has access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene. In Malawi, UNICEF supports government and partners to strengthen rural water supply systems, improve service delivery, and promote sustainable management models. UNICEF’s approach emphasizes equity, child safety, and inclusion, targeting the most vulnerable populations and ensuring that no one is left behind.

Rural water supply in Malawi relies heavily on handpumps, with an estimated 70,000 units, 30–40% of which are non-functional at any time. There is a growing trend towards converting handpump supplies to solar-powered systems, but practice in design, operation, and tariff setting is not always well linked to real groundwater conditions and realistic affordability by user groups. UNICEF seeks to support a controlled transition to solar-powered systems while maintaining essential handpump services where appropriate. This consultancy will provide evidence-based guidance to inform policy and practice, ensuring equity and sustainability in rural water supply improvements.

How can you make a difference? 

Scope of Work 

• Design and implement a data collection framework for rural water supply sites transitioning from handpumps to solar-powered systems across 4-6 districts in Malawi.
• Conduct field visits to selected sites to gather detailed technical data (system specifications, installation quality, operational status, hydrogeological context) and financial data (capital costs, operation and maintenance expenses, tariff structures, funding sources, management models).
• Assess the current performance and limitations of existing rural hand-pump water supply systems, including functionality rates, reliability, water yield, user satisfaction, and maintenance arrangements.
• Evaluate the technical, financial, operational and environmental feasibility of transitioning to solar-powered water supply systems, considering water demand, life cycle costs, hydrogeological conditions, system design requirements, and available management models.
• Engage with stakeholders (district water offices, service providers including contractors, community representatives) to validate data and capture user perspectives on system performance and financial sustainability.
• Analyze the social, gender, and child-protection implications of each system type, focusing on impacts on water access, time burden, safety, and service inclusion for vulnerable populations.
• Develop a comprehensive database of all collected technical, financial, environmental and social information, ensuring data quality and consistency for subsequent economic analysis.
• Analyze the database to identify trends, cost benchmarks, and factors influencing the success or failure of solar transitions, including comparative analysis with handpump systems.
• Document best practices, risks, and lessons learned from similar transitions within the country and in comparable contexts globally.
• Prepare evidence-based recommendations and practical guidance for districts and partners, supporting informed decision-making on technology choices and management models.
• Review national guidelines, national policies on solar powered systems, management models including water tariffs.

Objectives

1. Develop and implement a data collection framework for rural water supply sites transitioning from handpumps to solar-powered systems.
2. Collect and validate technical, financial and social data from selected sites, including system specifications, operational status, costs, and user perspectives.
3. Build a comprehensive database of all collected information to enable economic and comparative analysis.
4. Analyze data to identify trends, cost benchmarks, social and environmental implications and factors influencing successful transitions including comparative analysis with handpump systems.
5. Prepare evidence-based recommendations and practical guidance for districts and partners, supporting informed decision-making on technology choices and management models.

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

Minimum requirements:

Academic qualification:  

• Advanced degree in Water Resources, Engineering, Public Health, or related field is required.

Work experience:

• Minimum 8 years’ relevant experience in rural water supply, preferably in Africa is required.
• Experience in policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and economic analyses is required.
• Experience in field research, including data collection, analysis and database management is required.

 Technical skills, knowledge and strength areas:

• Demonstrated expertise in solar water systems and handpump technologies is required.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills are required.

 Languages: 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English are required.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference  Terms of Reference Transition from Handpumps to Solar Powered Water Systems in Malawi.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

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

The 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 jobs-near-me.org 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 may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

HOW TO APPLY…

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment
3. Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, travel, living cost, visa (where applicable), and other costs) ANNEX I – Financial Proposal.xlsx Complete the attached form.
4. Reference details from at least 3 most recent supervisors, including a current supervisor.

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.

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.

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.