Lead Writer and Advisor, UN System-Wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation

UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster; Michigan; Remote; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Part time

Job summary

A United Nations organization is seeking a Lead Writer and Advisor for the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation. This role involves developing sustainable business strategies and enhancing coordination across the UN system to support water-related goals. The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree in a water-related field and experience in program management. This position is home-based, with an international contract for initially 100 days.

Qualifications

• Develop and implement sustainable business strategies.
• Provide support to the delivery of SDG 6 at the country-level.
• Enhance coordination of water-related UN system actions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation.
• Coordinate efforts across various UN entities to meet water and sanitation goals.

Skills

Business strategy development

Water management knowledge

Programme management experience

Education

Advanced university degree (MSc or equivalent) in a water-related field

Job description

Lead Writer and Advisor, UN System-Wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation

Hosted Entities Technical Advisory Unit (UN Water)

Job categories: Water Management, Programme Management

Vacancy code: VA/2025/B5007/30816, Level: ICS-12, Department/office: GPO, GVA, Geneva, Duty station: Home based, Contract type: International ICA, Duration: 100 days within one year initially, renewable subject to programme need, funding availability and satisfactory performance (Retainer)

Application period: 01-Oct-2025 to 15-Oct-2025. Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.

Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.

UN-Water is the United Nations (UN) inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater related issues, including sanitation. The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) established UN-Water in 2003 in response to the need for strengthened coordination of United Nations’ work on water and sanitation related issues.

For the international community, the coming years will be critical to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Although Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) – ‘to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030’ – supports many of the other 16 SDGs, the world is off-track and the challenges are unprecedented and growing.

The UN system launched the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation, which builds on the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework – a unifying initiative that involves all sectors of society to speed up progress by improving support to countries.

As UN-Water aligns its strategy toward achieving SDG 6, one emerging area where it is well-positioned to play an important role is to provide support to the delivery of SDG 6 at the country-level. UN-Water promotes coherence in, and coordination of, water-related UN system actions aimed at the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant policy frameworks.

The Strategy enhances UN system-wide coordination and delivery of water and sanitation priorities across the United Nations system in support of Member States. To implement the Strategy, its Collaborative Implementation Plan includes time-bound actions towards the achievement of the Strategy’s outputs and outcomes.

Responsibilities and requirements include developing and implementing sustainable business strategies and having an advanced university degree (MSc or equivalent) in a water-related field.

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.