Programme Specialist, Youth

The Position: Programme Specialist, Youth Development

The Programme Specialist, Youth Development position is a senior-level role located in the UNFPA Juba Main Office in South Sudan, reporting directly to the Deputy Representative.

This strategic position is responsible for providing technical leadership and management to UNFPA’s comprehensive youth programme. The Specialist will drive policy advocacy and programming to advance youth development, focusing on the pillars of Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS), maximizing the potential of the demographic dividend through strategic investment in young people, and fostering youth leadership and participation.

A core responsibility includes promoting holistic youth empowerment, particularly through economic empowerment initiatives, and strengthening the integration and synergy of the youth programme with colleagues working on ASRHR, HIV, and innovation. The Specialist also plays a critical role in resource mobilization efforts and establishing and maintaining collaborative, multi-sectoral partnerships.

Crucially, the position involves actively contributing to joint programmes and engaging in inter-agency coordination mechanisms across the UN System to ensure a cohesive and high-impact approach, demonstrating leadership in Delivering as One (DaO) to support the national development agenda.

How you can make a difference:

The UNFPA Strategic Plan 2026–2029 serves as the organization’s final push to achieve the 2030 Agenda, centering its mission on four primary outcomes. It continues to prioritize the "three transformative results"—ending the unmet need for family planning, eliminating preventable maternal deaths, and stopping gender-based violence and harmful practices. A pivotal addition to this cycle is a fourth outcome focused on demographic resilience, which seeks to help nations navigate complex population shifts, such as aging and urbanization, while ensuring that individual rights and reproductive choices remain at the heart of national policies.

To accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the plan shifts toward a more integrated approach that bridges humanitarian, development, and peace efforts. By leveraging advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence, UNFPA aims to pinpoint and support those "furthest behind," directly contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). This strategic framework emphasizes sustainable financing and localized agility, ensuring that even in climate-vulnerable or conflict-affected regions, the global community remains on track to fulfill the promise of the 2030 goals.

Job Purpose:

Working under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the Programme Specialist, Youth Development is the lead technical authority for UNFPA South Sudan in advancing the national youth agenda and harnessing the Demographic Dividend (DD). Following the endorsement of the National Youth Development Policy (NYDP) 2025, the Specialist provides strategic leadership to the Government at national and state levels to translate policy into transformative action.

The role drives a holistic "Triple Nexus" approach—integrating Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS), Youth Economic Empowerment, and Leadership with Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH). A primary catalyst for change in this role is the promotion of Innovative Programming and Youth-Led Innovations, moving beyond traditional models to leverage technology and social entrepreneurship in collaboration with the ITC and innovation analyst. The Specialist is responsible for the Resource Mobilization lifecycle related to youth development in collaboration with the Communications and Resource Mobilization Specialist and the management of Implementing Partners (IPs), ensuring all initiatives achieve full compliance with UNFPA corporate systems (Quantum), internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and accountability frameworks.

Responsibilities:

The Specialist will be responsible for: 

A. Strategic Leadership & Innovative Programming

• NYDP 2025 & Demographic Dividend: Lead technical support to operationalize the NYDP. Drive the Country Office (CO) agenda on the Demographic Dividend through multi-sectoral investments in youth education, health, and employment.
• Policy Alignment and Coherence: Guarantee that all youth development interventions are strictly aligned with national and international frameworks, specifically the National Youth Development Policy (NYDP) 2025, the UNSDCF (Delivering as One), and the South Sudan National Development Plan.
• Mainstreaming and Technical Leadership: Drive the systematic mainstreaming of youth leadership and participation across all Country Office programming, including humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding pillars.
• Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS): Institutionalize the UNSCR 2250 framework, ensuring young people are recognized as innovators and leaders in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
• Youth-Led Solutions: Establish mechanisms to identify, fund, and mentor youth-led innovations. Support youth-led startups and CSOs in developing local solutions for social cohesion and economic resilience.
• Strategic Trend Analysis: Perform high-level technical analysis on nascent and evolving trends impacting the Demographic Dividend and the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) landscape within South Sudan. This entails the rigorous monitoring of the socio-economic and policy environment to strategically identify entry points for youth-led innovations and targeted multi-sectoral investments in young people.

B. Operational Excellence & Corporate Compliance

• Corporate Systems Proficiency: Ensure full lifecycle management of programmes within UNFPA’s corporate ERP systems (Quantum), including the Global Programming System (GPS) and Strategic Information System (SIS).
• Regulatory Adherence: Ensure all programme activities, missions, and procurement processes are in strict compliance with the UNFPA Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) and South Sudan-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Risk & Results Management: Guarantee that all data entered into corporate platforms is accurate and timely. Lead the implementation of internal control frameworks to ensure "audit-ready" documentation for the youth portfolio.
• Accountability and Results-Based Management (RBM): Ensure the highest standards of accountability by managing reports, updates, and evidence-based data on programme progress. Utilize corporate systems (Quantum) to track achievements in line with RBM principles, ensuring all outputs contribute directly to the UNFPA Strategic Plan and the Country Programme.

C. Implementing Partner (IP) Management & Accountability

• IP Oversight (HACT): Manage the selection and capacity assessment of IPs. Oversee the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT), ensuring timely micro-assessments, spot checks, and audits.
• Financial Stewardship: Review and certify FACE forms and progress reports. Ensure the timely and accurate liquidation of advances, maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for non-compliance with financial reporting deadlines.
• Capacity Building: Train IPs on UNFPA corporate requirements, including financial regulations, PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), and reporting SOPs.

D. Resource Mobilization & Strategic Alliances

• Collaborative Fundraising: In close coordination with the Representative’s Office and the SRH/Gender units, lead the design of multi-sectoral proposals. Focus on "Innovation Grants" and non-traditional funding streams (e.g., private sector, venture philanthropy).
• Strategic Influencing and Partnership: Establish and sustain collaborative, high-level relationships with government counterparts, multi-lateral/bilateral donors, and civil society. Act as a lead advocate to influence diverse stakeholders, ensuring that investing in young people remains a top priority for South Sudan’s national stability and growth.
• Donor Intelligence & Advocacy: Map donor priorities (EU, World Bank, Peacebuilding Fund, etc.) and develop "investment cases" that highlight the impact of investing in young people and youth-led innovation in South Sudan.
• Visibility: Ensure all donor-funded projects meet visibility requirements and that high-quality, compliant donor reports are submitted ahead of corporate deadlines.

E. UN Coordination & "Delivering as One" (DaO)

• Inter-Agency Leadership: Actively lead or co-lead the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Youth, ensuring UNFPA’s mandate on innovation and YPS is reflected in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
• Joint Programming: Spearhead joint initiatives with agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF, and FAO to maximize the collective impact for South Sudanese youth within the DaO approach.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education: 

Advanced (Masters) Degree in development studies, youth development, political sciences, social policy, public health, social mobilization, business administration, international relations or other related fields required.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least 5 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in programme/project management in the field of youth peace and security, youth empowerment and development programmes including Adolescents Sexual and Reproductive Health. 
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and managerial skills required. Self-starter, proactive, passion for the issues. 
• Proven ability to develop and implement effective resource mobilization strategies and campaigns. 
• Experience in multi-sectoral youth development programmes is an asset 
• Excellent written and oral communications and editing skills both in English and Arabic; 
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems 
• A thorough understanding of the UN system in general, and especially UNFPA mandate, its policies and operations and current development topics and political issues in South Sudan will be an added advantage 
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team. 

Languages: 

Fluency in English is required. A working knowledge of Arabic will be an asset.

Required Competencies:

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 
• Embracing cultural diversity, 
• Embracing change.

Core Competencies:

• Achieve results 
• Being accountable 
• Developing and applying professional expertise/ business acumen 
• Thinking analytically and strategically 
• Working in teams/ managing ourselves and our relationships 
• Communicating for impact.

Functional Skill Set:

• Advocacy/Advancing a policy-oriented agenda 
• Skills, knowledge and experience in ASRHR, youth mainstreaming, youth empowerment, etc. 
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/ building strategic alliances and partnerships 
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilisation 
• Delivering results-based programmes 
• Resource mobilization and donor relations 
• Technical Understanding of the areas of work 
• Project Management
• People Management and Leadership 
• Managing financial processes 
• Proficiency in current office software applications 

Compensation and Benefits: 

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.