UNESCO Job Vacancies October 2026: Apply for the Latest Career Opportunities

Position: Senior Project Officer (Sciences)

OVERVIEW

Strategic Direction and Integrated Delivery

• Translate the approved project document and inception decisions into a sequenced implementation strategy, multi-year plan, annual work plans and budgets, procurement priorities and performance objectives.
• Direct implementation across all components, resolve interdependencies and bottlenecks, and ensure that scientific work, field investments, governance processes, capacity development, safeguards and communication advance as one coherent programme.
• Exercise delegated management authority over PMU work, resources and schedules, establishing clear assignments, controls, escalation routes and follow-up mechanisms.
• Maintain a strategic risk register and lead adaptive management, recommending material changes to UNESCO, FAO and the PSC through the applicable approval processes.

Transboundary Governance and High-Level Coordination

• Serve as UNESCO’s principal project-level interface with FAO, the co-chairing ministries, national coordinators, basin institutions, the Jumuiya Water Fund and other strategic partners.
• Lead substantive and secretariat support to the PSC by shaping agendas, presenting decision papers, ensuring accurate records and tracking implementation of decisions.
• Guide the Technical Committee and draw on the Knowledge and Scientific Advisory Board for independent advice, while preserving their advisory and country-led roles.
• Steer the political and institutional processes for the permanent transboundary consultation and information-exchange body, the SAP, and related policy and regulatory dialogue.
• Represent the project at authorized national, regional and international forums, including GEF International Waters knowledge platforms, and communicate agreed project positions.

Technical Authority and Quality Assurance

• Set the project-wide technical assurance framework, including review gates, acceptance criteria and agreed standards for hydrogeology, geophysics, hydrochemistry and isotopes, modelling, drilling, monitoring, managed aquifer recharge, ecosystem restoration and data management.
• Approve, within delegated authority, scopes of work and technical specifications, and provide final substantive clearance of key outputs before formal submission by UNESCO.
• Ensure that the TDA, conceptual model, harmonized maps, monitoring framework, information system, Hydro-Environmental Observatory, pilots and SAP are scientifically credible, mutually consistent and suitable for national and transboundary decision-making.
• Convene multidisciplinary review where evidence is uncertain or contested and document the basis for significant technical decisions.
• Ensure cross-cutting integration of gender equality, Indigenous and local knowledge, youth participation, climate resilience, environmental and social safeguards, and conflict sensitivity.

Team Consultant and Partner Performance

• Lead, supervise, coach and assess PMU personnel, including the Project Technical Officer, and promote an accountable, collaborative and inclusive working environment.
• Provide technical supervision of consultants, contractors and service providers; chair key inception and review meetings; assess deliverables against contractual requirements; and recommend acceptance or corrective action through UNESCO procedures.
• Coordinate the performance of co-executing and implementing partners against agreed work packages, milestones, budgets and reporting obligations without displacing their institutional mandates.
• Ensure that terms of reference, technical evaluation criteria and deliverable-review arrangements are fit for purpose and maintain appropriate separation of technical and administrative controls.

Results Compliance and Reporting

• Lead results-based management against the project results framework and GEF core indicators, using disaggregated and verifiable evidence and ensuring early correction of performance gaps.
• Oversee the timely preparation and substantive quality of progress and financial narratives, annual implementation-review inputs, PSC documentation, co-financing reports and other reports required by UNESCO, FAO and GEF.
• Ensure compliance with the UN-to-UN Agreement and applicable UNESCO, FAO and GEF requirements on fiduciary management, procurement, safeguards, gender, ethics, visibility and records management, in coordination with responsible specialists.
• Lead management responses and follow-up for audits, supervision missions, the Mid-Term Review and Terminal Evaluation.

Partnerships Financing and Sustainability

• Maintain strategic partnerships with government, regional organizations, academia, communities, civil society, the private sector and development partners, and ensure complementarity with related programmes.
• Track the realization and alignment of confirmed co-financing, identify gaps, and mobilize additional or parallel financing consistent with the approved project and country priorities.
• Guide the partnership conference and investment dialogue around SAP, including preparation of credible priority investment propositions.
• Embed sustainability and institutional ownership of governance mechanisms, monitoring networks, information systems, the Hydro-Environmental Observatory, capacity and knowledge products beyond project closure.

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)
• Building partnerships (M)
• Driving and managing change (M)
• Strategic thinking (M)
• Making quality decisions (M)
• Managing performance (M)
• Leading and empowering others (M)

EDUCATION

• Advanced university degree (Ph.D) in hydrogeology, geology, water resources management or a closely related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience, preferably including at least three (3) years acquired at international level.
• Demonstrated experience leading a complex, multidisciplinary water, environment or natural-resource programme involving multiple institutions and countries or jurisdictions.
• Substantive experience in groundwater assessment or management and the ability to direct and quality-assure multidisciplinary technical work.
• Experience supervising personnel and consultants, managing work plans and budgets, and delivering results and donor reporting under formal accountability frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating government-led processes and building partnerships across public institutions, technical organizations, civil society and development partners.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong strategic judgement and ability to translate complex scientific and institutional issues into clear decisions and implementation priorities.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation, facilitation and diplomatic skills in a multicultural and politically sensitive transboundary setting.
• Strong command of results-based management, risk management, quality assurance and clear technical and executive writing.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, make timely decisions and maintain accountability.
• Digital proficiency, including standard office and project-management tools, and sufficient familiarity with hydrogeological data, GIS and information systems to oversee quality and use.

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of English (written and spoken).
• Excellent knowledge of Swahili (written and spoken).

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Experience with GEF International Waters projects, project design, TDA/SAP processes, or projects implemented or executed by a United Nations organization.
• Professional experience in Eastern Africa and knowledge of the water-governance systems of Kenya and Tanzania.
• Experience with transboundary aquifers, volcanic hydrogeology, groundwater information systems, managed aquifer recharge, ecosystem-based approaches or climate-resilient investment planning.
• Demonstrated resource mobilization or co-financing stewardship experience.

LANGUAGES

• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russia and/or Spanish).

UNESCO’s salaries consist of a basic salary and other benefits which may include if applicable: 30 days annual leave, family allowance, medical insurance, pension plan etc.

The approximate annual starting salary for this post is 113 814 USD

For full information on benefits and entitlements, please consult our Guide to Staff Benefits.

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.

To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted.

The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.

Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course.

Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).

• UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
• UNESCO applies to a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
• UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply.
• lndividuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
• All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
• Geographical mobility is required for staff members appointed to UNESCO’s international posts.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. UNESCO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO. The list can be accessed through the link: https://www.whed.net
• The statutory retirement age at UNESCO is 65 years.
• UNESCO appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by the Organization, is required for International Professional positions.
• UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

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