JOB OFFERS – Water, Sanitation & Hygiene / Intern (International)

• Job No: 582635
• Contract Type: Fellowship
• Duty Station: Yaoundé
• Level: Fellowship
• Location: Cameroon
• Categories: WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

How can you make a difference?

Background / Context

The WASH section which is currently understaffed, is involved in several Humanitarian and System Strengthening projects/Initiatives. It ensures that children have sustained access to water, sanitation and hygiene services, in accordance with UNICEF’s global strategies. It also provides strategic and technical support services to the Cameroon Government and CSOs to improve overall sector performance and bring about transformative results for children.

The workload being quite high, the section needs and is looking for an intern with professional and academic orientations in one of the following areas:

Civil or Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Management, Public Health, Environmental Science, Climate science, Climate Finance.

The purpose and objectives of the UNICEF internship programme are:

• ​To provide a framework by which current eligible undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds are assigned to UNICEF offices, where their educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments.
• To expose the interns to the work of UNICEF.
• To provide UNICEF offices with the assistance of qualified students specialized in various professional fields.

How can you make a difference?

Background / Context

The WASH section, which is currently understaffed, is engaged in several Humanitarian and System Strengthening projects and initiatives. Its mandate is to ensure that children have sustainable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, in alignment with UNICEF’s global strategies. The section also provides strategic and technical support to the Government of Cameroon and civil society organizations (CSOs) to enhance sector performance and achieve transformative results for children.

Given the high workload, the section is seeking an intern with professional and academic orientation in one of the following areas:

• Civil or Environmental Engineering
• Water Resources Management
• Public Health
• Environmental Science
• Climate Science
• Climate Finance

Purpose and objectives of the UNICEF Internship Programme:

• To provide a framework through which eligible undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds can be assigned to UNICEF offices, enabling them to enhance their educational experience through practical work assignments.
• To expose interns to the work and mandate of UNICEF.
• To provide UNICEF offices with the support of qualified students specializing in various professional fields.

Responsibilities of the Internship:

The candidate, demonstrating great integrity and possessing the required qualifications, will be expected to support the WASH section in the following activities:

• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning, through analysis of WASH needs and areas for intervention, and by submitting recommendations for priority setting and goal definition.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by carrying out and managing a variety of technical programme tasks, preparing materials and documentation, and ensuring compliance with organizational processes and management systems, in order to support programme planning, results-based management (RBM), and monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity building of stakeholders.
• Share updates on new developments in WASH and Climate, and promote technical discussions to facilitate knowledge exchange and dissemination among implementing actors.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Conduct research, benchmarking, and reporting on best practices for the development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the competencies of clients and stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues and partners to collect, analyze, and share information on operational and implementation issues. Propose solutions, recommendations, and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision-making. Maintain records of reports and assessments for easy reference and to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, WASH data collection and analysis, programme reviews, and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts. Prepare minutes and reports on results for follow-up action by higher management.
• Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative, and other assets), ensuring compliance with approved allocations, goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures, donor commitments, and standards of accountability and integrity. Report identified issues to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders, and follow up on unresolved matters to ensure closure.
• Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors, and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

Duration: The intern will be required for a period of six (06) months.

To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have:

Minimum Requirements:

• Education: Be enrolled in a degree programme at the graduate or undergraduate level, or be a recent graduate (Bachelor’s degree or higher) in Civil or Environmental Engineering, Public Health, Environmental Science, or Climate Science.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English or French is required, with excellent proficiency in the other language considered an asset.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Relevant experience at the country level, particularly in development, fragile settings, and humanitarian contexts. (This criterion is considered essential as a desirable requirement and should be included in all job postings.)

Deadline: 08 September 2025 – West Central Africa Standard Time

How to apply

https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/582635/water-sanitation-hygiene-intern-international