Action Against Hunger Seeks Research Specialist for Global WASH Cluster Consultancy|Deadline 28 Aug 2026

Action contre la Faim (ACF) France is inviting qualified researchers and consultancy teams to apply for a Research Specialist – Global WASH Cluster/Field Support Team consultancy. The assignment offers an opportunity for an experienced humanitarian or development researcher to contribute to global discussions on humanitarian coordination, transition, localization and sustainable national leadership.

The application deadline is 28 August 2026, with the consultancy expected to run for approximately three months, from mid-September to mid-December 2026.

About the Consultancy

The research assignment will support the Global WASH Cluster (GWC) through its Field Support Team (FST), a mechanism that provides surge and remote technical support to National Coordination Platforms and other WASH coordination arrangements in humanitarian contexts.

The researcher will build on existing evidence produced by the Global WASH Cluster rather than conducting an entirely new literature review. The focus will be on translating existing knowledge into practical recommendations and coordination models that can be adapted to different humanitarian environments.

The assignment will explore how humanitarian coordination mechanisms can transition toward stronger national leadership while maintaining effective WASH coordination and accountability.

Key Research Objectives

The selected consultant will be expected to examine operational transition pathways across different humanitarian contexts and identify approaches that can strengthen National Coordination Platforms.

Key areas of research will include:

• Area-Based Coordination and multisectoral coordination.
• Localization and sustainable national leadership.
• Humanitarian coordination transition pathways.
• Governance, institutional and financing arrangements.
• The role of government and development actors.
• Engagement of Women-Led Organizations and Women’s Rights Organizations.
• Factors that enable or prevent sustainable coordination.
• Adaptation of coordination systems to different crisis trajectories.

The research will consider contexts including conflict, protracted crises, recurrent climatic shocks, recovery environments and mixed humanitarian-development settings.

Three-Month Research Assignment

The consultancy will be implemented through four main phases.

During September 2026, the researcher will conduct inception and research design activities. This will include reviewing existing Global WASH Cluster evidence, refining research questions, selecting country or context cases, developing data-collection tools and preparing a detailed methodology and workplan.

In October, the researcher will conduct interviews, review country-level documentation and consult National Coordination Platforms, UNICEF offices, government representatives, local actors, development partners and other stakeholders.

A sense-making workshop will take place toward the end of October to test preliminary findings and identify areas requiring additional research. Further interviews and comparative analysis will then be undertaken during November.

The final phase, running from late November to mid-December, will focus on consolidating evidence, developing practical recommendations and producing the final research outputs.

Expected Deliverables

The successful consultant will be responsible for several important outputs, including an inception report, interim findings and a comprehensive comparative research report.

The final research is expected to provide:

• Key findings and lessons learned.
• Good practices in humanitarian coordination transition.
• Strategic and operational recommendations.
• A comparative typology of coordination pathways.
• Enabling conditions for sustainable coordination.
• Governance, accountability and financing options.
• Approaches for retaining and transferring essential coordination functions.
• Transition-readiness considerations.
• Practical approaches for maintaining WASH analytical leadership within multisectoral structures.

The consultant will also prepare a concise signposting note directing National Coordination Platforms, Women-Led Organizations and Women’s Rights Organizations toward relevant existing guidance and resources.

Additional presentations will be required for an international restitution workshop, a global webinar and an internal ACF learning event.

Who Can Apply?

ACF is seeking an experienced humanitarian or development researcher with a strong understanding of coordination systems.

Applicants should have:

• A Master’s degree or higher in humanitarian or development studies, political science, international relations, public policy, social sciences or a related discipline.
• At least five years of professional experience in humanitarian or development research, policy analysis, operational research or similar work.
• In-depth experience with humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
• Relevant experience with the Global WASH Cluster, Field Support Team, UNICEF, cluster coordination or comparable humanitarian coordination architecture.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Working knowledge of French.
• Working knowledge of Spanish is desirable.

Experience in academia or possession of a PhD will be considered an advantage.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete application package consisting of several documents. These include the completed application form, CV, a maximum two-page methodology note, one relevant research sample and one presentation sample demonstrating the ability to communicate complex findings effectively.

Applicants must also provide their proposed daily consultancy rate in USD, inclusive of applicable taxes and professional fees. Travel and mission-related expenses will be managed separately according to ACF procedures.

Candidates should clearly demonstrate their availability from mid-September through mid-December 2026, including availability for the final in-person workshop and potential international travel during November.

Why This Opportunity Matters

This consultancy presents an opportunity to contribute to an important area of humanitarian reform. As humanitarian responses increasingly seek stronger local leadership, sustainable financing and more effective coordination between humanitarian, development and government actors, evidence-based research can help identify models that work in different contexts.

The successful researcher will therefore play an important role in translating existing evidence into practical approaches that National Coordination Platforms and humanitarian partners can use.

Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate strong analytical skills, experience with qualitative research and key informant interviews, knowledge of the humanitarian-development nexus and familiarity with localization, transition and area-based approaches. ACF will also assess candidates’ ability to use Artificial Intelligence responsibly to support research, evidence synthesis and comparative analysis.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should complete the required application documentation and submit all materials together as one PDF file using the required naming format:

Surname_Name_Researcher_ApplicationDocuments

Applications should be submitted to madadamo@actioncontrelafaim.org.

The application deadline is 28 August 2026.

This consultancy is particularly suited to experienced researchers who can combine rigorous analysis with practical humanitarian knowledge and turn complex evidence into clear, actionable recommendations for coordination actors working in diverse crisis settings.

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Disclaimer: Remote Job Opportunities (RJO) is not the  organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the responsible organization directly. Please do not send your applications to RJO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of  emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.