MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES
REQUEST FOR CURRICULUM VITAE
NATIONAL WASH ADVISOR ON RURAL WATER AND SANITATION PROJECT
Metsi-A-Lesotho Funded by the European Union – Lesotho
I. Position Information
Project: Rural Water and Sanitation Project – Metsi a Lesotho
Title: National WASH Advisor
Contract Type: TA/Consultant/Government system
Proposed level: NOC/P3
Duration: 3 years (with possibility of extension)
Duty station (City and Country): Maseru –Department of Rural Water Supply HQs
Expected starting date: 1 November 2024
National WASH Advisor to support the implementation of Rural WASH projects under the Metsi a Lesotho initiative. This role involves in providing high-level policy advice, strategic leadership, and technical guidance to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of the Metsi a Lesotho project. The National WASH Advisor will work closely with the UNICEF WASH team, Government agencies, and external partners to ensure the successful delivery of WASH services in rural communities, schools, and healthcare facilities.
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.
How can you make a difference?
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
Job organizational context:
The National WASH Advisor will be working with officials from the Department of Rural Water Supply, focusing on the Rural WASH projects under the Metsi a Lesotho initiative. The incumbent will be based at the Department of Rural Water Supply Headquarters. The
National WASH Advisor will be engaged by UNICEF and the Ministry of Natural Resources to provide high-quality advisory services and coordination support with various stakeholders, including government agencies, contractors, and community groups.
Purpose for the job:
The Metsi a Lesotho project, funded by the European Union (EU), aims to improve access to safe and sustainable water supply and sanitation services in rural areas of Lesotho. This project addresses critical challenges in the water and sanitation sector, including
inadequate infrastructure, limited access to clean water, and poor sanitation practices. The project will tackle these issues by delivering inclusive WASH facilities in rural schools, healthcare facilities, and communities and by establishing and implementing a conducive
decentralized framework for rural WASH. This includes capacitating local, district, and national departments responsible for water supply, school WASH, WASH in Health Care Facilities, and promotion of sanitation and hygiene education, with a focus on empowering women and persons with disabilities.
Additionally, the project supports and equips the Department of Rural Water Supply (DRWS), Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), Environmental Health Division (EHD) in Ministry of Health (MoH), District Council WASH teams, and Water Service Authorities (WSAs) to effectively use monitoring and evaluation frameworks, GIS data, and planning tools to ensure accountability, transparency, and timely reporting of physical and financial progress for WASH in communities and institutions. By enhancing water supply and sanitation services, the project contributes to better health outcomes, poverty reduction, and overall socio-economic development in rural communities.
The Government of Lesotho, with support from the EU, is committed to ensuring that all citizens, particularly those in rural areas, have access to essential water and sanitation services. The project aligns with national development goals and international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The National WASH Advisor will play a crucial role in providing high-level policy advice, strategic leadership, and technical guidance to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of the Metsi a Lesotho project.
Key responsibilities:
The National WASH Advisor will be responsible for the following key functions:
- Water and Sanitation Policy Analysis: Conduct comprehensive analysis of water and sanitation policies, frameworks, and regulations, guidelines to inform and advise on project implementation. Identify gaps and provide recommendations for areas of improvement.
- Reformatory framework: Provide technical support to develop/finalize the regulatory framework and by-laws related to rural WASH.
- Strategic Planning: Provide strategic direction for the development and implementation of project activities, ensuring alignment with national policies and EU funding requirements.
- Annual planning support: Provide support in the development of national rural WASH annual planning procedures, including setting priorities, allocating resources, and establishing timelines to ensure the successful achievement of project goals covering the integrated planning for WASH communities, WASH in Schools, and WASH in HCFs and other institutions in rural communities.
- Coordination and Implementation: Oversee the coordination and execution of project activities, in particular integrated planning between DRWS, MoET and MoH-EHD, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of outputs and outcomes for the Rural WASH activities in the Metsi a Lesotho project and generally improved planning and delivery of all rural WASH actions. Coordination of the Rural WASH activities with other EU supported activities such as ReNoka and sector capacity building.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Review existing DRWS reporting formats and M&E tools and develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress, assess impacts, and ensure accountability generally in rural WASH delivery.
- Infrastructure Development: Provide technical guidance on the design, construction, and maintenance of water supply and sanitation infrastructure and facilitate the development of common updated national guidelines and tools, standard designs and specifi cations for Rural WASH delivery in communities and institutions.
- Capacity Building: Support capacity-building initiatives in collaboration with DRWS, MoET, MoH-EHD, MoLG, and District Councils for both national and local stakeholders, including government and local government officials, community leaders, and private sector and NGO service providers, to enhance their skills and knowledge in water and sanitation implementation and management. Support the change management process in the national WASH departments as part of the devolution of WASH responsibilities to Councils. In addition, provide capacity building to DRWS and District Councils WASH offices to operationalize the Project Life Cycle and the use of planning, survey, and design tools, GIS data, M&E, data and reporting mechanisms.
- Collaboration and Partnerships: Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, community organizations, and international partners, to ensure coordinated and integrated project implementation.
- Community Mobilization: promote, provide guidance and facilitate government, local government, and private sector and NGO implementation partner engagement with rural communities to promote participation, ownership, and sustainability of water and sanitation services.
- Funding and Budget Management: support the management in the rural WASH sector institutions to identify and secure additional funding opportunities to support project activities and ensure effective budget management in line with EU requirements.
- Reporting and Documentation: Prepare detailed reports, briefs, and documentation for stakeholders, highlighting project achievements, challenges, and lessons learned. Support the management in the rural WASH sector institutions to improve integrated progress reporting.
Education:
Minimum master’s degree in water resources management, Water and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Health, Public Health, or any other related field.
Experience: - Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in the water and sanitation sector, project management, and provision of policy advice.
- Extensive experience working in or with government at a senior level.
- Experience in capacity building and institutional development in decentralization processes
- In-depth understanding of Lesotho’s water and sanitation sector.
- Proven leadership skills and ability to manage complex stakeholder environments.
- Strong policy development and strategic planning capabilities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
- Proven ability to address complex problems and manage conflicting priorities effectively.
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English is required and knowledge of a local language.
Remarks:
The appointment is subject to medical clearance. Appointment may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID).
Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF.
UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an off er of appointment, without compensation, if a medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
Interested candidates should submit their written applications together with certified copies of their educational certificates, and copy of National Identity Document to Human Resources Office, Ministry of Natural Resources, Bokamoso Business Suite, 2nd floor, Orpen Road, opposite Centre for Accounting Studies, Maseru Lesotho on or before 07 October, 2024 at 16:30 PM.
