Policy Dialogue Advisor

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 Policy Dialogue Advisor engages in authoritative dialogues with relevant global partners in the United Nations system and beyond, on strategic issues of common interests including women and girls’ empowerment, climate change mitigation, health and sanitation, and urbanisation, with a view to advancing the Council’s role in positively influencing their impact on sustainable development goals relevant to sanitation and hygiene.  Working directly with country programme teams and technical units, the Policy Dialogue Advisor distills from the global dialogue the relevant approaches for WSSCC and, simultaneously, projects the national and local experience of the Council’s work into the global discussion.

• Leads global and regional knowledge sharing initiatives on WSSCC policies that can improve approaches to sanitation and hygiene by international agencies and sector ministries as a means to achieve positive outcomes for sustainable development goal 6 and demonstrates the utility of partnering with the council on these subjects.
• Acts as a conduit between global and national policy dialogues through participation in informing both of trends and issues emerging at national levels and lessons learnt globally, adding value by bringing the language and insights of each constituency to the other. 
• Develops policy papers, products, presentations tailored to different audiences, workshops, conferences that showcase the unique perspective of WSSCC.
• In cooperation with the office of the Executive Director, engages with the Council’s membership and wherever possible enroll their participation in advancing the Council’s policy dialogue efforts worldwide.
•  Working with Global Policy Team and programme managers continuously assesses relevance and performance of policy initiatives seeking new opportunities to innovate and make more relevant the policies of WSSCC.
• In close collaboration with the sub regional units, and National Counterparts gathers relevant updates, data and results on specific country experiences that feed into the regional and global policy dialogues. 
• In cooperation with the Communication cluster, designs and implements sensitization campaigns at the global and regional level; participates in such campaigns at the national level when appropriate as part of WSSCC country cooperation agreements.
• 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 public health, sanitation, development studies, or relevant fields is required.

• Minimum seven years of relevant professional experience in  health, or WASH, advocacy, or policy development management areas is required.

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required. Fluency in French would be an asset.   

• Demonstrate ability of translating international policies in relevant sectors and advise for strategical implementation.
• Demonstrate good theoretical knowledge of relevant international law,
• Knowledge and experience in program management as well as international health and sanitation issues
• Knowledge of internationally reconized regulations, rules, policies, procedures and practices desirable;
• Proficiency in legal drafting and ability to draft concisely and under time pressure; good interpersonal and communication (spoken and written) skills.
• Excellent analytical, organizational and negotiating skills.
• Ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen, Denmark, 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.
• 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.