JOB DESCRIPTION

General Information

Position Title

Markets Specialist (Sanitation Economy)

Job Category

Project

Duty Station(s)

Home based

Seniority Level

Mid Level

ICS Level

ICS 10

Contract Type

ICA – IICA – Retainer

Contract Level

IICA 2

Posting Start Date

05-Nov-2025

Posting End Date

20-Nov-2025

Duration

1 year with the possibility of extension, subject to satisfactory performance, availability of funds and necessity of services

Job Highlight

This role contributes to strengthening SHF’s sanitation markets across Sub-Saharan Africa by providing expertise in financing, market development, and private sector engagement. It focuses on coordinating with government counterparts and partners to enhance programme delivery, identify investment opportunities, and expand strategic collaborations.

About the Region

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

About the Country/Multi-Country Office

Based in Nairobi, UNOPS East and Southern Africa supports sustainable development across 14 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Since 1995, UNOPS has expanded its footprint in Kenya, delivering services in project management, infrastructure, procurement, and financial management. Across the region, the office implements diverse, partner-funded initiatives that respond to national priorities. In Mozambique, this includes delivering specialized equipment (EU), supporting health services (UNICEF), promoting agro-processing (KOICA), and advancing peacebuilding efforts through a Multi-Donor Fund. UNOPS also supports agricultural input distribution and the Northern Crisis Recovery Project, both funded by the World Bank. In Malawi, efforts include developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in partnership with the EU and the British Council. These initiatives reflect UNOPS’ commitment to strengthening national capacities, enhancing service delivery, and supporting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Job Specific Context

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF)

Operational since 2021, The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is dedicated to improving access to sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health (MH) through market-based approaches. SHF works with Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to build robust and climate-resilient sanitation economies and MH markets through catalytic financing. We do this by working in partnership with governments, development partners, development financing institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector to tackle barriers to inclusive growth and accelerate sustainable markets. We put women and girls – their choice and agency – at the center of our approach, with gender responsiveness being integrated into the design and delivery of sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health products and services, thereby contributing to human, social, and economic development outcomes. By promoting circular and sustainable sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health value chains, we support climate mitigation and adaptation and minimize environmental impact.

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a project of UNOPS.

Role Purpose

Reporting to the Technical Services Unit Manager and being briefed by the SHF Sanitation and Hygiene Markets Specialist and working closely with the SHF technical team, this role will support the coordination, oversight, and advancement of SHF’s sanitation markets work in the priority countries. Currently, these countries include Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, but SHF is targeting to expand to further countries in 2026 in Sub-Saharan Africa. This will also require collaboration with external stakeholders, partners, and third-party service providers.

This role will add financing, market building, and private sector expertise in the SHF countries of operation and strengthen the delivery of activities and programs. It will enhance the capacity to engage with government partners and other stakeholders from a technical perspective, increase the relevant market understanding for the individual countries, and help identify opportunities to expand SHF work and partnerships in the sanitation sector.

Specifically, this role will support the timely and successful delivery of several SHF sanitation market programs and activities, including but not limited to:

• Support with the identification and information gathering for new opportunities, partnerships, and sanitation market players, by drawing on relevant experience in the private sector, microfinancing, impact investing, and/or development finance space.
• Support the SHF’s existing grants and programs from the private sector, market building, and financing perspective
• Representation of SHF at relevant technical working groups, events, and public meetings
• The role may require official travel, which will take up about 10% of the assignment.

Through this work, the role will support SHF’s mission to catalyze the sanitation economy in a tailored and sustainable way.

Functions / Key Results Expected

1. Market Insights and Opportunities

• Expanding insights and understanding of sanitation markets, including the work conducted by the private sector, multilateral development banks, public actors, UN organizations, NGOs, financial institutions (e.g. microfinance and banks), and other existing and new sector stakeholders.
• Engage with sanitation economy stakeholders and identify and develop mechanisms/incentives to enable new partnership opportunities for sanitation financing for example via de-risking or capacity building by leveraging financial institutions or impact investors.
• Support SHF”s work on structured market scoping and mapping of pipeline opportunities from a sanitation economy perspective (e.g., municipal financing, microfinancing);
• Support SHF’s work regarding public and private capital mobilization for large-scale sanitation investments;
• Leverage market data, trends, and stakeholder actions to identify opportunities for SHF

2. Support for Existing Programs and Grants

• Support by providing technical inputs (financing, market building, private sector) to strengthen the delivery of SHF’s existing grants/programs

3. Supporting Organizational Priorities

• Support the development and execution of the SHF sanitation roadmap from a commercial sanitation financing perspective.
• Participate in selected technical working groups, events, and public meetings that are related to the market scoping and mapping of pipeline opportunities
• Support with the identification of risks in relation to identified pipeline opportunities
• Support with the provision of financial and economic modelling, PPP development, business development, SME support, micro-financing, consumer financing
• Provide technical expertise in support of SHF missions

4. Documentation & Knowledge Management

• Review and contribute to SHF’s existing relevant documents and outputs
• Create a work plan and schedule with delivery milestones (agreed and monitored with the hiring manager)
• Have regular check-in meetings with the hiring manager and/or SHF team representatives
• Provide a brief monthly progress report in a written format
• Create a final written report on findings regarding sanitation markets, insight,s and opportunities that SHF could pursue (e.g., collaboration with MDBs/development partners, municipal financing opportunities, microfinancing opportunities, SMEs)
• Track meetings and pipeline opportunities in a spreadsheet format

Skills

Finance, Financial Structuring, Market Analysis, Sanitation

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organisation. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organisation.

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organisational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education Requirements

Required:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in finance, economics, business administration, engineering, international development, WASH, or a related field is required
• A Bachelor’s degree in the above-mentioned areas or a related field in combination with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree

Experience Requirements

Required:

• A minimum of 5 years of work experience in a private sector enterprise, development finance, financial institutions, impact investors, or public-private partnerships, of which a minimum of 2 years from LMIC countries is required.
• A demonstrated understanding and experience of market-based approaches in WASH or related sector is required

Desired:

• Work experience in the sanitation sector is a strong asset.

Language Requirements

LanguageProficiency LevelRequirementEnglishFluentRequired

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.