UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Health

Mexico has made significant progress in expanding access to water and sanitation services; however, important disparities remain in access to safely managed services, particularly in rural, indigenous, and peri-urban communities. UNICEF Mexico’s WASH programme is integrated within the Health and Nutrition Section and focuses on strengthening sector systems rather than delivering infrastructure directly. Working with government counterparts and service providers, the programme supports improvements in policy, financing, regulation, and service performance, while contributing to preparedness and response efforts related to climate and mobility related emergencies.

For more information related to the work of our office in Mexico, please visit our website: UNICEF Mexico, our commitments for a six‑year term for children: A good six-year term for children: Un buen sexenio para la niñez or read our Annual Report 2025 - UNICEF México. 

To learn more about UNICEF Mexico’s Health, Nutrition & WASH Programme and its strategic priorities, explore our Health & Nutrition Programme Brief CPD 2026-2031.pdf

How can you make a difference?

The WASH Officer (NO-2), reporting to the Chief of Health and Nutrition (P-4), contributes to UNICEF Mexico’s child survival and development goals. The position provides technical and operational support to strengthen WASH systems and services, while supporting the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programme results. Through strategic partnerships, advocacy, and coordination with government counterparts and key stakeholders, the role helps accelerate sustainable and scalable outcomes for children.

Key functions/accountabilities include:

Programme development and planning
Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
Technical and operational support for programme implementation
Humanitarian WASH preparedness and response
Networking and partnership building
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File WASH Officer (System Strengthening), (NO-2), Fixed-term.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: A completed first level university degree (Bachelor's degree), preferably in one of the following fields is required: civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources engineering, environmental sciences, public health, social sciences, behavior change communication, biology, environmental health, sanitary engineering or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience: A minimum of two (2) years of professional work experience in WASH-related programmes for developing countries is required.
Supervisory and managerial experience are required.
Experience in WASH systems strengthening at community and/or institutional levels is required.
Skills: Demonstrated ability to support the strengthening of WASH systems and services at community and institutional levels.
Strong capacity to coordinate and support the delivery of WASH programme activities and results.
Proven ability to monitor programme progress and analyze results.
Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain productive relationships with government counterparts and sector partners.
Proven ability to provide technical support and guidance on WASH-related policies, programmes and service delivery.
Language Requirements: Proficiency in English and Spanish is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is an asset.
A completed advanced university degree (Master’s degree) or any other relevant post-graduate courses that complement/supplement the main degree are a strong asset.
Experience with WASH in emergencies is desirable.
Experience with WASH in contexts of human mobility, including temporary shelters and reception points is desirable.
Experience in climate-resilient WASH and in drinking water quality for human consumption, including exposure to arsenic, fluoride and lead is desirable.
Experience working with indigenous peoples and communities, applying culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches is desirable.
Relevant experience gained within the United Nations is an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2)
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (2)
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (2)
(4) Innovates and embraces change (2)
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)
(6) Thinks and acts strategically (2)
(7) Works collaboratively with others (2)
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and their different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable. Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates from indigenous communities are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

WASH Officer (System Strengthening), (NO-2), FT, #138716, Mexico City – Mexico, LACR