Gender Equality Consultant – Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA) Programme, UNICEF Child Survival and Development CoE, WASH Global Practice, Nairobi, Kenya, 15.5 Months (Remote)

Role Overview

This consultancy places a senior gender and WASH specialist at the heart of the Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA) programme, working with UNICEF country teams across eight focus countries to turn gender action plans into everyday programme practice. The consultant will provide hands-on technical support, facilitate peer learning, and lead knowledge generation so that the programme’s experience with gender-equitable WASH becomes visible, credible, and influential beyond individual countries. The role matters because it helps UNICEF and its partners address the structural barriers that leave women and girls overburdened by water collection, exposed to safety risks, and excluded from water governance decisions—while shaping the wider global WASH agenda with evidence from the ground.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and ongoing advisory support to UNICEF country offices as they implement and monitor their WASH Gender Landscape Analysis (GALA) Action Plans, adapting guidance to each country’s context.
• Document programme results, lessons learned, and promising practices across ASWA countries, and prepare a comprehensive final report that consolidates the programme’s gender-equitable WASH evidence.
• Produce high-quality knowledge products—including technical briefs, case studies, presentations, and learning resources—and ensure they are evidence-based and aligned with UNICEF quality standards.
• Facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration among WASH, climate, health, and nutrition teams, engaging UNICEF Communities of Practice to build joint knowledge and shared advocacy messages.
• Represent ASWA and UNICEF in global and regional forums, interagency platforms, and coordination mechanisms such as Sanitation and Water for All, UN-Water, and WASH-GAP 2030 initiatives, presenting programme achievements and advocating for gender-transformative WASH policy.
• Design and deliver capacity-building activities—including remote coaching, training sessions, and peer-learning exchanges—to strengthen country teams’ skills in gender-intentional WASH programming.
• Track and report on the reach, uptake, and influence of ASWA gender knowledge products, aligning monitoring approaches with WASH-GAP 2030 results frameworks where relevant.
• Support replication of the GALA methodology in additional country offices and contribute to wider sector efforts to embed gender equality in WASH systems strengthening.

Requirements & Qualifications

• An advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in gender studies, social sciences, public health, water and sanitation, civil engineering, international development, or a closely related field.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in WASH programming, with a proven track record of integrating gender-intentional approaches into WASH policy, programmes, or projects.
• Strong understanding of the global WASH development architecture and key stakeholders, with the ability to identify and pursue strategic advocacy entry points for gender equality.
• Demonstrated experience in knowledge management and evidence generation, including the production of high-quality reports and knowledge products, preferably within the WASH sector.
• Experience delivering capacity building and technical assistance to country teams across multiple regions and challenging contexts, including through remote support and peer-learning approaches.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and advocacy skills, with experience representing organisations in global interagency forums, conferences, and high-level meetings.
• Fluency in English is required; working knowledge of French or another UN language is an asset.
• Familiarity with the ASWA programme and the GALA methodology is a strong asset, as is prior work experience with UNICEF or another UN organization.

What We Offer / Why Join

This is a strategically positioned consultancy at a pivotal moment for the ASWA programme, offering the chance to influence how gender equality is embedded in global WASH policy and practice. The role provides a platform to work across countries and sectors, contribute to major international agendas such as WASH-GAP 2030, and shape the evidence base that will guide future programming. For a senior professional committed to gender-transformative development, this is an opportunity to turn field experience into lasting institutional and sector-wide change.