International Consultant for the Development of Climate-Resilient Faecal Sludge Management Strategy and Operative Guidelines for Bauchi State (Remote-5 months)

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Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

Bauchi state is implementing ODF campaign drives and Local Government Areas (LGAs) including Dass and Warji were among the first LGAs to become ODF in Nigeria. Despite this success, since 2017, the need for adequate emptying, transport and treatment of sludge has grown. With a substantial number of household sanitation infrastructure, especially for low income densely populated settlement towns, being pit latrines, these needs are thus commonly met by manual pit latrine emptiers and other unregulated actors in the sanitation service provision sector.

However, the practice of manual pit latrine emptying is surrounded by many challenges including poor regulation; little clarity on institutional roles and responsibilities; high costs borne by poor household; unplanned desludging operations; indiscriminate disposal of the faecal sludge in an unauthorized place such as water bodies and drainage systems and solid waste collection centres; and lack of options and opportunities for productive use of faecal sludge. Lack of professionalism coupled with unskilled manpower in faecal sludge management has led to the re-occurring challenges in the sector.

The situation is likely to deteriorate as the state continues to urbanize and more LGAs become ODF as a result of the National drive for ODF under the CNC. The challenges in faecal sludge management as well as the entire sanitation sector necessitate the immediate needs for all the relevant stakeholders in the sector to develop a workable and sustainable Strategy and Operative Guidelines that will help guide the government on critical actions to develop and regulate the FSM value chain sector beyond household containment. With up to 99,500 litres of faecal sludge generated each day by Bauchi state residents and 99% being unsafely managed, there is need for effective management and treatment of faecal sludge to protect public health and the environment.

Key responsibilities:

This consultancy aims at supporting the government of Bauchi state strategically ensure that their populations have access to sustainable and safely managed sanitation by developing a climate-resilient Faecal Sludge Management Strategy and Operative Guidelines for Bauchi state. This will frame the set of procedures to address the issue of faecal sludge management, guide stakeholders on how to effectively implement FSM and ensure effective compliance with national guidelines and standards at the national and state level for FSM. This activity will serve as a model for states like Jigawa currently moving beyond ODF towards safely managed sanitation services, as well as the National level to replicate. In addition, learning from the Bauchi state FSM Strategy and evidence generated through state-level data assessments for SMS will be used to feed into the National Sanitation Policy currently under review. In line with the UNICEF shift towards climate-resilient WASH services, the FSM strategy is expected to take into account climate change mitigation and adaptation throughout all components of the strategy.

Based on the above, the following are the key assignments of the consultancy:

1. Inception report detailing the approach to the assignment and associated timelines for completion in consultation with the supervisor and other WASH section staff.

2. Develop a Climate-Resilient, Faecal Sludge Management Strategy and Operative Guideline for Bauchi state. The strategy document will present service delivery approaches and enabling environment changes needed to implement and regulate safe FSM in both rural and urban areas of Bauchi state and covering collection, transportation, treatment, disposal and where possible, re-use of faecal sludge. The document will also include protocols for FSM, as well as technical/operational guidelines, standard operating procedures, monitoring and evaluation framework and estimated investments needed for FSM and applicable to all stakeholders engaged in FSM in Bauchi.

3. This process will also include clarification and articulation of Institutional and Regulatory Framework, roles and responsibilities and cross-functional accountabilities for FSM and recommend amendments/shift in roles or possible creation of new department or creation of new agencies.

4. Produce a consultancy report which will also be used for sharing information on project activities, results, pictures, and lessons learned with a wide variety of audiences from beneficiaries to high-level decision makers.

The Consultant will work with a national external facilitator to carry out the deliverables. The assignment is remote work and will require trip to Abuja and Bauchi, Nigeria, for field visits and consultations. The consultant will be required to have and utilize their own IT and Communications equipment.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will haveâ¦

Education:

Advanced degree in Development Studies, Public Health, Community Health, Public Administration, WASH Engineering, Social and Behaviour Change Communication and any other related field..

Experience:

The Consultant shall have a minimum of 8 yearâs experience in national and sub-national work in the WASH sector with skills in rural and urban sanitation promotion work, including faecal sludge management strategies and technologies.

Proven expertise in and knowledge of diverse, innovative, and climate-resilient Faecal Sludge Management strategies and across different contexts (urban and rural).

S/he should also have a solid writing skill in English language, with experience in producing written analysis of WASH issues and evidence of having done similar kind of work at the national and sub-national level. 

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English language 

For every Child, you demonstrateâ¦Â 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the worldâs most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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 and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background 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. 

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered âstaff membersâ under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEFâs policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible for ensuring that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

Please submit your all-inclusive financial and technical proposal along with the application. Application without these will not be entertained.