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UNHCR-WASH Expert-P4-Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Position Title: WASH Expert (Advisor to WASH Transition to National Systems)
Receiving Agency:  UNHCR
P Level: P4
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Duration: 3 months
Start date: ASAP
Language: Fluency in English required

Mission location
The deployee will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with engagement across refugee-hosting regions and selected field locations, subject to operational priorities, access and security considerations. The assignment will require structured engagement with federal and regional government authorities, local water institutions and utilities, UNICEF, NGOs, development actors, and private sector stakeholders involved in WASH systems, infrastructure, financing, operations and service delivery.
Operational Context

Ethiopia currently hosts over one million refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily from neighboring countries. UNHCR Ethiopia supports refugees and host communities across seven refugee-hosting regions and urban areas.

The Government of Ethiopia is advancing a strategic shift from parallel humanitarian assistance towards nationally led, inclusive and sustainable systems through the Makatet Roadmap, the national framework for refugee socio-economic inclusion. The roadmap promotes integration of refugees into national services and institutions, while strengthening government capacity, partnerships and coordination. This agenda aligns with the broader objective of reducing reliance on humanitarian assistance and increasing national ownership of service delivery.

Within the WASH sector, this transition requires a structured and evidence-based approach that goes beyond the transfer of assets and infrastructure. It involves assessing the readiness of government institutions, regional water bureaux, utilities and local service providers to progressively assume responsibility for the management, financing, operation and maintenance of refugee-inclusive WASH services. Key areas of analysis include governance, institutional capacity, infrastructure and asset management, service delivery, financing, workforce capacity and monitoring systems.

The pace and modality of transition will vary across locations depending on infrastructure conditions, institutional capacity, investment requirements and service delivery risks. As such, there is a need for a comprehensive assessment of existing WASH systems, transition readiness, financing requirements and potential pathways towards government-led and utility-managed service delivery. Transition should be understood as a managed process through which services become progressively more reliable, financially sustainable and locally owned.

At the same time, WASH services continue to face significant operational and financial pressures, including funding shortfalls, ageing infrastructure, high operating costs and service continuity risks. The transition agenda therefore requires practical pathways that strengthen government ownership while safeguarding essential services, mobilizing development financing, and supporting the gradual integration of refugee WASH systems into regional and local service delivery structures.

 
Aim of the Mission
To support UNHCR Ethiopia and stakeholders to assess, analyse and advance practical transition pathways from humanitarian WASH delivery models toward government-led, utility-supported and nationally managed WASH systems, ensuring service continuity, equity for refugees and host communities, realistic financing arrangements, institutional readiness, and strong stakeholder alignment.
 
Mission OBJECTIVES
- Assess and/consolidate current humanitarian WASH delivery models across Ethiopia’s refugee-hosting contexts, including service arrangements, implementing modalities, infrastructure, assets, O&M systems, staffing, recurrent costs, and accountability arrangements.
- Assess national and subnational WASH system readiness, including government, regional water bureaux, woreda/local water offices, utilities and local service providers, with attention to institutional, technical, financial, operational and monitoring capacity.
- Analyse institutional, financing and operational gaps that may affect responsible transition, including capacity constraints, O&M financing, tariff/cost-recovery issues, asset management, supply chains, water quality monitoring, sanitation systems, data/reporting and risk management.
- Develop phased and actionable transition pathways that distinguish immediate stabilization, medium-term systems strengthening and longer-term nationally managed service delivery.
- Strengthen stakeholder management and coordination with government authorities, including regional authorities, UNICEF, NGOs, development partners — including KfW, World Bank, EU and AfDB — and relevant private sector actors.
- Prepare practical recommendations and decision-support products for UNHCR Ethiopia management and partners, including priority actions, risks, safeguards, roles, financing needs and engagement options.

Priority regions: Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella and Amahra (mostly by remote)
Responsibilities
Under the supervision of The Senior Programme Coordinator and in close collaboration with the existing technical staff in the office in Addis Ababa and in other locations of the country the WASH Advisor will:

1. Assessment and diagnostic work
  • Review existing WASH assessments, factsheets, transition tools, operational plans, partner agreements, utility arrangements, funding information, and relevant government/partner documents.
  • Map current WASH delivery models, including direct implementation, NGO-supported delivery, utility-managed models, government-supported systems and hybrid arrangements.
  • Assess WASH system readiness using practical domains such as governance, institutional capacity, water supply functionality, sanitation and environmental health, hygiene/community engagement, infrastructure and asset management, workforce, supply chain, financing, and monitoring/information systems. These domains reflect the internal WASH readiness framework.  
  • Identify transition prerequisites, including service-continuity safeguards, minimum operational standards, protection and AAP considerations, asset and O&M arrangements, recurrent financing, data systems and accountability mechanisms.
  • Identify where additional technical assessment is needed, including affordability/willingness-to-pay, utility capacity, asset condition, O&M cost, water quality, sanitation and environmental health risks.
2. Analysis of gaps, risks and transition feasibility
  • Analyse institutional gaps affecting government, regional authorities, utilities and local service providers, including mandates, staffing, technical skills, planning systems, budget absorption and coordination arrangements.
  • Analyse financing gaps, including recurrent O&M costs, utility revenue, tariff/cost-recovery feasibility, bridge financing needs, development financing opportunities, and risks of unfunded handover.
  • Analyse operational gaps, including infrastructure condition, energy reliability, fuel dependency, spare parts, procurement, water treatment inputs, monitoring systems, sanitation service chains and emergency preparedness.
  • Review risks associated with moving too quickly, including service interruption, inequitable access, public health risks, community tensions, affordability constraints and reputational/accountability risks.
  • Ensure recommendations follow a readiness-based approach rather than a fixed handover timeline; the internal WASH framework states that transition should be driven by demonstrated readiness rather than predetermined timelines.  
3. Transition pathways and recommendations
  • Develop practical phased transition pathways for Ethiopia-wide WASH programming, recognizing that locations may require different transition models depending on readiness, infrastructure, government capacity, financing and risk.
  • Distinguish between:
    • Immediate stabilization / bridge support to protect lifesaving services;
    • Medium-term systems strengthening for utilities, regional bureaus and local service providers;
    • Longer-term government-led or nationally managed service delivery with clear roles, financing and accountability.
  • Propose decision points and minimum readiness criteria before any handover or progressive transfer of responsibilities.
  • Develop a concise transition pathway matrix identifying activities, milestones, responsible actors, risks, financing needs and management decisions required.
  • Ensure the pathway links activities to milestones, pillars and transition outcomes, reflecting internal WASH transition materials that frame transition as a managed process involving measurable milestones, clear ownership, monitoring loops and institutionalization.  
4. Stakeholder management and partnership coordination
  • Support structured engagement with relevant government counterparts, including federal authorities, RRS, regional water bureaux, woreda/local authorities, utilities and other local service providers.
  • Coordinate closely with UNICEF on WASH transition, technical collaboration, government engagement, joint advocacy and resource mobilization, building on ongoing UNICEF–UNHCR cooperation.  
  • Engage NGOs and operational partners to document lessons from implementation, identify handover risks and support responsible localization.
  • Engage development actors — including KfW, World Bank, EU and AfDB — to align WASH transition priorities with development financing, infrastructure investment, capacity strengthening and utility reform opportunities.
  • Identify private sector opportunities where relevant, including solarization, energy efficiency, water system O&M, spare parts, digital monitoring, metering, water quality services, local maintenance markets and climate-resilient service delivery.
  • Prepare a stakeholder engagement plan that clarifies actors’ roles, interests, incentives, risks, influence, decision points and proposed engagement modality.
5. Knowledge products, coordination and reporting
  • Prepare concise analytical briefs for UNHCR Ethiopia management on findings, risks, priority decisions and recommended next steps.
  • Support internal coordination across Programme, WASH, Protection, Field, Supply, Admin/Finance, Partnerships and External Engagement to ensure the transition plan is technically sound and operationally realistic.
  • Develop practical tools or templates that can be used by field offices and technical colleagues for readiness assessment, gap analysis, transition planning and progress tracking.
  • Contribute to resource mobilization narratives that show how humanitarian WASH support can responsibly bridge toward nationally managed, development-financed and locally owned systems.
  • Document lessons learned and propose replicable approaches for Ethiopia-wide WASH transition planning.
 
OUTPUTS
 
Deliverable Indicative content Timing
1. Inception note and workplan Scope, methodology, key documents to review, consultation plan, field engagement approach, initial stakeholder map and proposed analytical framework. Early phase
2. WASH transition readiness diagnostic Assessment of current WASH delivery models, government/utility readiness, infrastructure and asset issues, O&M arrangements, financing, HR, monitoring and service-continuity risks. Mid-assignment
3. Gap and risk analysis matrix Institutional, financing, operational, protection/AAP and coordination gaps; risk rating; mitigation measures; minimum readiness conditions. Mid-assignment
4. Stakeholder engagement and partnership map Roles and engagement approach for government/regional authorities, UNICEF, NGOs, development actors including KfW, World Bank, EU, AfDB, and relevant private sector actors. Mid-assignment
5. Phased WASH transition pathway and recommendations note Practical transition options, sequencing, roles, milestones, financing needs, decision points, safeguards and management recommendations. Final phase
6. Senior management briefing pack Short presentation or briefing note summarizing findings, priority recommendations, proposed next steps and advocacy messages. Final phase
 
PROFILE
Experience
  • Advanced degree in water engineering, public administration, development studies, infrastructure management, environmental health, public policy, institutional development or a related field.
  • Significant professional experience in WASH programming, WASH systems strengthening, infrastructure planning, utility engagement, humanitarian-development transition, government capacity development or related advisory work.
  • Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, regional/local authorities, utilities, UN agencies, NGOs and development partners.
  • Experience in refugee-hosting, displacement-affected, fragile or protracted humanitarian contexts is highly desirable.
  • Experience with financing analysis, tariff/cost-recovery issues, institutional readiness assessments, public service delivery, asset management, or renewable energy/solarized water systems is an asset.

Essential requirements
  • Strong analytical and drafting skills, with ability to translate technical and institutional issues into practical recommendations.
  • Proven ability to manage multi-stakeholder processes involving government, UN, NGOs, donors/development actors and private sector.
  • Sound understanding of WASH service delivery, O&M, water utilities, sanitation systems, hygiene/community engagement and monitoring systems.
  • Ability to work across technical, programme, protection and partnership functions.
  • Strong facilitation and communication skills in English. Knowledge of Amharic or other Ethiopian languages is an asset.
  • Field-oriented, pragmatic and able to balance ambition for transition with service-continuity and protection safeguards.

Personal Characteristics
  • Diplomatic and politically astute in government and partner engagement.
  • Practical, field-oriented and solutions-focused.
  • Able to work with incomplete data while clearly identifying evidence gaps.
  • Strong collaborator who can build trust across technical and non-technical teams.
  • Sensitive to government leadership, refugee and host community equity, accountability to affected people, and the risks of premature transition.
CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment  (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.