National Consultant (WASH Sector Facilitation and Engagement)

National Consultant (WASH Sector Facilitation and Engagement)

Duty Station:  Office base- BCO.

Contract Duration: 60 working days spread over 6 months.

Number of Vacancies: 1

Contract Type: Contract with E-zone.          

Contract Start Date: 

Reporting to: WASH Section.

A.    Purpose

The Consultant will work to find ways how UN AGENCIES can benefit from the pipeline funding being provided by donors to the government directly, like the WB HELP project set-up. The consultant will facilitate discussions between UN AGENCIES WASH, relevant government entity, and the bi-lateral donors, International Financial Institutes (IFIs), opening the door for UN AGENCIES WASH to get part of the funding under technical support.

B.    Background

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in Bangladesh is going under a significant shift in funding modalities. Donors, including multi-lateral and bilateral (traditional and new donors), that previously funded multilateral agencies such as UN AGENCIES are now directly channelling resources to government institutions, often through large-scale loans and sometime conditional grants. These funds, while primarily for WASH infrastructures’ development and service delivery, include components for technical support, policy development and system strengthening, areas where UN AGENCIES can play a key role. 

Donors such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), JICA, some of the Chinese development banks and institutions, which implement through various government ministries and agencies, informed UN AGENCIES WASH to advocate with the government. However, this arrangement of direct funding to government has had a negative impact on UN AGENCIES’s direct resource mobilization efforts and its ability to deliver on both emergency and development commitments of WASH programming.

Recent consultations by UN AGENCIES WASH Section with development partners, donors, and relevant government counterparts, confirm that there remains potential for UN AGENCIES to be engaged as a technical support partner within the donors’ funded projects to the government, ensuring engagement is proactively facilitated at the right level and right time. Such entry points will include advisory support and role in project design, proposal formulation, reporting, technical supervision and implementation monitoring, capacity building and policy and strategy support at all levels, while all align with UN AGENCIES’s comparative advantages and mandate. 

However, utilizing these opportunities requires knowledge of government system, targeted advocacy, high level engagement and facilitation, and strategic navigation within the government systems. This cannot be done by UN AGENCIES staff alone due to institutional limitations. Instead, a senior sector professional, with in depth knowledge of government systems, policies and procedures, WASH funding stream and pipelines to the government, deep-rooted credibility, stronger relationships with government agencies and functionaries, and technical and political acumen, is needed to facilitate and navigate the process.

C.     Objectives, Purpose and Expected Results 

Purpose of the assignment is to find how UN AGENCIES can be included by DPHE and LGD as technical assistance partner for their projects with ADB and IsDB. But more broadly the assignment is to influence/convince DPHE and other WASH government entities to consider UN AGENCIES as technical partner for projects they are getting funds from donors directly. This can include be technical support, capacity building, developing feasibility study and supervision of activities.

Specifically, the consultancy will focus on the below objectives:

a)     To identify and map existing and upcoming donor/IFIs-funded WASH investments (for example, IsDB funded sanitation project, ADB two WASH projects) in Bangladesh where technical support is required or possible.

b)     To facilitate dialogue and build trust between UN AGENCIES, relevant government institutions, and key donors (ADB, IsDB and WB) to use the existing opportunities so UN AGENCIES can be considered as technical partners.

c)      To provide strategic inputs on when and how UN AGENCIES can intervene in projects cycles (feasibility study, planning and design of schemes, community management, hygiene behaviour change, upstream, system strengthening, policy reform, Institutional capacity building, technical backstopping support, climate change/environmental screening, supervision and monitoring, implementation oversights etc.) to be considered as technical support partners.

Note: Technical support means, any form of support to facilitates smooth implementation of a project such as advisory support during any stage of the project implementation, feasibility assessment, design and technical review, technical supervision and monitoring, system strengthening and developing policies, strategies and technical guidelines or manuals.

The expected results of the assignment are:

• Strengthened partnerships between UN AGENCIES WASH, IsDB, ADB, WB, and other non-traditional donors and key government counterparts.
• Clear opportunities identified where UN AGENCIES can be engaged as a technical partner within donor-funded government projects.
• At least 2 proposals or concept notes under development or negotiation where UN AGENCIES is formally considered/included. For example, IsDB, ADB, World Bank projects which are at the conceptualization stage.

D.    Key Tasks and Responsibilities

Under this assignment, some of the expected tasks include:

·         Stakeholder mapping and analysis:

a.       Identify donor-funded (ADB, IsDB, WB and others) WASH portfolios within the key government departments, those which are funded directly, using government system.

b.      Identify entry points and technical support needed in ongoing/pipeline government projects that UN AGENCIES can take lead on it and government can divert fund to UN AGENCIES.

·         Stakeholder engagement and facilitation:

c.       Establish and facilitate structured dialogue between UN AGENCIES WASH, key government decision-makers and donors to find ways for UN AGENCIES to get involved as it is not traditional fund-raising modality of.

d.      Participate in technical discussions with the donors and government departments to scan the environment and find opportunities for UN AGENCIES engagement.

·         Strategy Development:

e.       Develop and propose engagement strategies tailored to each donor-government arrangement (ADB-funded project, IsDB-funded, and WB-funded LGD project.)

f.        Identify optimal timing for UN AGENCIES involvement and suggest mechanisms for technical inclusion.

·         Capacity Building and reporting:

g.       Brief and support relevant UN AGENCIES staff on government systems, how to use government system for fund-raising and where within the government system opportunities exist.

h.      Maintain records of engagements, discussion, and outcomes, submit updates and reports on an agreed timeline.

E.     Deliverables

F.    Payment

G.    Administrative issues

·         For payment by E-Zone on due time, the Supervisor will forward the certified attendance sheet and confirmation of receiving expected deliverables for the respective period.

·         The contractor/consultant will be responsible for paying all taxes as per government rules.

·         Payment will be made upon completion of each deliverable according to the certification of WASH Specialist, UN AGENCIES.

·         The Consultant must use his/her own Laptop.

·         The consultant will be normally working from home but will be coming to UN AGENCIES office as needed, with frequent visits to DPHE.

H.   Qualification requirement of the company/institution/organization 

• Advanced university degree in Engineering field (Civil, mechanical, environmental engineering, Hydrology, water resource management), Public Health Engineering, or a field relevant to WASH related development assistance.
• At least 15 years working experience in the water and sanitation sector with Government, donors, INGO and donors.
• Well conversant with policies and strategies, WASH sector financing, Institutional capacity building, planning and budgeting of the water supply and sanitation sector in Bangladesh.
• Extensive experience in managing donor-funded government projects. 
•  Extensive experiences in organizing and facilitating strategic level discussions and meeting.
•  In depth knowledge of policy environment of Bangladesh, the challenges within the WASH sector and the capacities of various stakeholders.
•  Good interpersonal, leadership and management skills in implementing multi-party development projects.
• Well conversant with the development programme aspects of water supply and sanitation. 
•  Good written and spoken English.
• Computer skills especially in word processing, spread sheet and PowerPoint presentation are preferred.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team and support unexpected tasks.

I.     Language Requirements

·         Fluency in Bangla and good English communication skills are required.

This position is open for Bangladeshi Nationals only. All candidates, irrespective of gender, religious and ethnic backgrounds can apply for the vacancies. 

The UN Agencies prides itself as fostering a multicultural and harmonious work environment, guaranteed by a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected consultants will undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 

Last Date of Application: 21 May 2026

No phone calls please. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. All applications will be treated according to the merit and with strict confidentiality.