WASH Programme Intern (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), 14 weeks, Full-Time (Paid Internship)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, care.

The Government of Mongolia and UNICEF’s current Country Programme 2023-2027 support Mongolia in addressing inequity in accordance with the Vision of Mongolia-2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals.  The Country Programme supports high-impact child-friendly integrated interventions, including the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme which promotes energy-efficient, climate-resilient WASH technologies suitable for local communities, households and institutions (schools/dormitories, kindergartens and health care centres). The current WASH programme is contributing to the achievement of the SDG-6 targets in Mongolia, which encompasses not only the ambitious new targets for universal access to safe drinking water and for equitable sanitation and hygiene but also demands that all water and sanitation system be “safely managed.” However, the combination of rapid modernization, traditional lifestyle under harsh weather conditions and climate change impact presents many challenges for peri-urban and rural households and for the delivery of equitable and safe drinking water supply and sanitation services.  

The UNICEF Internship Programme offers eligible/qualified students the opportunity to acquire direct practical experience in UNICEF’s work under the direct supervision of experienced UNICEF staff. This internship is for the purpose of acquiring organizational knowledge of rules, regulations and processes to supplement academic and theoretical knowledge.

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How can you make a difference? 

Under the guidance of WASH and Climate Change Specialist the intern is accountable for supporting the implementation of WASH construction projects, including construction designing, site inspections for the planned WASH facilities, on-site construction monitoring, and hand-over to the beneficiaries (local governments).  The intern’s immediate assistance is required in the implementation of the project “Improving sanitation and hygiene in flood vulnerable communities for improving public health situation”, funded by the Government of Japan. The project aims to improve access to WASH services for the vulnerable population in flood-affected communities in Ulaanbaatar city.  

The intern will assist in the following duties and responsibilities: 

• Provide support to the implementation of WASH facilities and services.  
• Update the progress of water and sanitation facilities and analyze the innovation, cost-effectiveness and climate-resilient factors of the facilities.  
• Support in collecting data and narrative reports from districts and design templates for full compliance. 
• Visit WASH facilities construction sites in partnership with 9 district governments of Ulaanbaatar city and follow up on the initial technical assessments of the feasibility of the WASH facilities in accordance with the National Emergency Management Agency for the approved identified assembly locations. 
• Ensure the designs are complete in accordance with UNICEF Branding and requirements that include people with disabilities, lightning, water usage etc 
• Monitoring of each site with the local governments to estimate the population using the facilities according to construction specifications 
• Support any other assignments as needed.

What the intern will learn:

• Understanding of the UN and UNICEF systems and processes.
• Internal processes and inter-divisional collaboration in a large humanitarian organisation.
• Working in a multicultural and multilingual team.
• In-depth technical knowledge of the principles and concepts of water, sanitation and hygiene services and system strengthening.
• Knowledge management on WASH.
• WASH facilities’ monitoring and evaluation system.
• Overall project management understanding.  

Internship Title:  Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme Intern

Duration of the internship: 14 weeks

Working modality: Full-time and Onsite

Monthly stipend: Paid

Entitlements: 2.5 days off (including medical reasons) each month

Duty Station: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate program and be at least in your junior and/or senior year in one of the following relevant disciplines:   Construction Engineering, Sanitation Engineering, or a field relevant to WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) designs and constructions.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
• Relevant experience will be desirable but not required.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge/expertise/ skills required in AutoCAD, Geo-referencing, Microsoft planner and new technology usage, Figma, MS excel, PDF etc.
• Have excellent academic performance as demonstrated by recent university or institution records.
• Have no immediate relatives (e.g. father, mother, brother, sister) working in any UNICEF office; and have no other relatives in the line of authority that the intern will report to.​​​​​​​

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, 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) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s 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.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.

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