Assistant WASH Officer

April 5, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

D

FamilyUNOPS LICA8

2026-04-011. General Background

On August 25, 2017, an outbreak of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State forced over 650,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh's Cox’s Bazar district. This influx more than tripled the existing registered Rohingya population of 212,500, bringing the total population in Bangladesh to approximately 1.2 million with new arrivals continuing to this day.

The rapid scale and pace of this influx overwhelmed the capacity of the two established refugee camps, as well as local authorities and humanitarian actors on the ground. New arrivals settled spontaneously, and makeshift shelters spread along roads and available land in Ukhiya and Teknaf. The resulting congestion has posed significant challenges to access essential services, protection, public health, and safety, including risks of flooding, landslides, and fire.

Eight years into the response, substantial improvements have been made in providing water, sanitation, and hygiene services. Sustainable, nature-based systems for solid waste and faecal sludge management have been implemented, water systems were upgraded and solarized and in order to improve the informal settlement, and integrated settlement planning approach is being implemented combined with temporary safer shelters to provide better facilities and services to the refugees; however, continuous monitoring and upgrades are essential to maintain these systems' effectiveness and sustainability.

UNHCR is seeking an experienced Assistant WASH Officer to lead the implementation of water and sanitation program in Cox’s Bazar within UNHCR’s areas of responsibility (AoR).

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Assistant WASH Officer reports to the Senior Field Officer and leads the implementation of water and sanitation service delivery in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps.

The incumbent will play a key role in developing, implementing and monitoring WASH-related interventions within UNHCR’s areas of responsibility, working closely with multifunctional teams, including protection, health, settlement planning, shelter, field operations, and other relevant units.

The Assistant WASH officer will:

• Lead the implementation of the WASH program of UNHCR.
• Support the overall management of UNHCR’s WASH implementing partners.
• Facilitate and support the WASH handover during the transition phase.
• Coordinate the direct implementation works under WASH unit.
• Provide technical guidance to partners and stakeholders.
• Strengthen service delivery to persons of concern (PoC).
• Ensure compliance with the UNHCR WASH Manual, Technical Guidelines, engineering standards, and relevant national standards.
The role applies a rights-based, community-focused approach to programming and adheres to the five principles for protection, accountability, and WASH outlined in UNHCR’s WASH Manual.

All UNHCR personnel are accountable for performing their duties within their delegated authority and in compliance with UNHCR’s regulatory framework, including the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR policies, administrative instructions, and relevant accountability frameworks. Staff are expected to uphold UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity, and respect for diversity.

Accountability

- UNHCR policies, standards, and procedures relating to WASH, are appropriately and consistently applied in the AoR.
- Adequate technical support is provided to the country operation in WASH programming.
- Regular reporting on implementation progress and challenges is provided through UNHCR reporting channels.
Responsibilities

The Assistant WASH Officer will:
- Apply UNHCR policies, standards, and procedures relating to WASH in UNHCR’s AoR.
- Provide technical guidance and support to partners to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and environmentally sound interventions.
- Support the WASH handover process during the transition period.
- Support engagement with development partners and government counterparts. In particular, provide technical guidance and ensure close coordination with the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and other relevant government agencies in the implementation of projects funded by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other development institutions.
- Contribute to strategic and operational planning processes within the AoR.
- Support technical design, cost estimation, preparation of Bills of Quantities (BoQs), and oversight of construction and maintenance activities.
- Liaise with implementing and operational partners, as well as relevant governmental and non-governmental counterparts.
- Regularly review the quantity and quality of water and sanitation services in the AoR and maintain updated performance records and indicators.
- Conduct field verifications, monitor implementation progress, and support evaluations of WASH, reporting findings to the supervisor.
- Strengthen partner capacity, particularly in WASH standards.
- Promote community participation throughout all phases of the WASH project cycle.
- Coordinate closely with health, protection, shelter and site development, community services, and other sectors to ensure integrated programming.
- Provide timely inputs for regular reports analyzing challenges and progress in WASH service delivery.
- Record and track feedback from camp management, field teams, and community services regarding water availability, quality, sanitation conditions, and related resolutions.
- Support the establishment and monitoring of complaint and feedback mechanisms to strengthen accountability to affected populations.
- Develop and monitor workplans and implementation schedules (master and detailed chronograms), reporting any delays or cost implications.
- Supervise partner construction and maintenance activities in UNHCR-managed and supported areas.
- Provide data inputs to WASH and shelter monitoring systems.
- Perform other related duties as required.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Provide technical support in the design, supervision, and operational monitoring of WASH interventions.
• Ensure compliance with technical standards, protocols, and guidelines in WASH sector.
• Monitor the effective operation of faecal sludge and solid waste containment, collection, and treatment systems.
• Closely monitor the operationalization of the solarization of water supply systems in Teknaf and provide timely progress updates and cost-benefit analysis demonstrating impact.

4. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education

Minimum Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering, water resource development, water and sanitation management; or other relevant field.

b. Work Experience

Essential
Strong experience in design, supervision and monitoring the implementation of WASH infrastructure projects in the Rohingya refugee camp, covering areas such as water supply, solid waste management, faecal sludge management, community engagement, hygiene promotion, program implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination.

Desirable
• Expertise in technical design, drawings, preparation of BoQs, and construction supervision.
• Knowledge of water and wastewater hydraulics and related physical, chemical, and biological processes.
• Experience in solid waste and faecal sludge management systems, vector control, and hygiene promotion strategies.
• Understanding of the linkages between WASH services and public health outcomes.
c. Functional Skills

• WA-WASH-related Technologies
• WA-WASH Assessment: Survey planning, implementation and oversight
• SP-Vector Control Systems Management
• IT-Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• PH- Public Health Epidemiology
• IT-Computer Literacy

5. Competency Requirements

Core Competencies
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies
Judgement and Decision Making
Empowering and Building Trust

Cross-Functional Competencies
Innovation and Creativity
Planning and Organizing
Technological Awareness

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

,

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No