Innovation Officer

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) was established in 1990 and mandated by name in United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/45/181.The WSSCC Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and aims to accelerate the achievement of sustainable sanitation, hygiene and water services for all people, with special attention to the unserved poor, by enhancing collaboration and coordination of all sector stakeholders. The WSSCC Secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland. More information on WSSCC can be found on the website at www.wsscc.org.

Reporting to the Head, Global Policy and Innovation, the Innovation Officer seeks to nurture novel ideas and make relevant to the Council’s work the latest research.  From a constant flow of national, regional and global data and dialogues the IO synthesizes relevant lessons learnt and innovations in technical, methodological and institutional approaches to sanitation and hygiene that would improve globally the effectiveness of the Strategic Plan’s implementation by the Council and the relevance of its approach to all stakeholders.  

• Working closely with the Technical Support Unit of the Programme Division, gather relevant trends and new sets of experiences and synthesize them, through communities of practice and other channels, as methodological tools than can be disseminated globally for the benefit of the Council and its partners in the achievement of SDG target 6.2

• In collaboration with Programme teams and National Counterparts, gathers result relevant to new policy adaptation and methodological approaches in different operating contexts, deepening WSSCC’s understanding of emerging issues and improving overall relevance.   

• In collaboration with the Communications cluster, gathers and selects innovative breakthroughs achieved by WSSCC worth global dissemination through web based tools and other forms, including publications.

• Partners with Knowledge Management and Learning contributors on creating learning activities and tools that amplify successes of new approaches across the Council and among membership.

• In collaboration with the Communications cluster, gathers and selects innovative breakthroughs achieved by WSSCC worth global dissemination through web based tools and other forms, including publications.

• Develops peer network of work planning experts across similar organizations testing and recommending to management new modalities for the Council.
• Performs other related duties as required.

• Master's degree in international relations, economics, international politics, public relations, or related fields is required. 
• A bachelor's degree with a combination of 2 additional years of relevant experience may be accepted  in lieu of the master's degree.

• With master's degree minimum of five years of relevant professional experience project management, knowledge management or related fields is required.

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of French is desirable.   

• Demonstrated ability to create new ideas and approaches to support programme implementation
• Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving partner needs;
• Demonstrated ability to inform and advise strategic decision-making through the supply of innovative information and analysis.
• Sound knowledge of project design, implementation, oversight and supervision.
• Demonstrated experience in project development, including guiding a project from the conceptual stage through to implementation

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

APPLICANTS SHOULD SUBMIT A COVER LETTER.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.