Leadership Pool Initiative - UNFPA Deputy Representative, P4

Job                                     TitleLeadership Pool Initiative - UNFPA Deputy Representative, P4

Job                                      ID12877

Location                            Multiple Locations

Full/Part Time                 Full-Time

Regular/Temporary       Regular

 

Organizational Setting

 

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA expands choices and possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. Our work is derived from the ICPD Programme of Action; that all human beings are entitled to equal rights and protections and no one person should be left behind in the fulfilment of their fundamental human rights. In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical leaders, who embody these international norms and standards that have come under threat, and who will courageously and with full conviction defend them.

UNFPA’s new strategic plan (2018-2021), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.

UNFPA is seeking leaders that can transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; leaders who can drive the 2030 Agenda through innovation, co-creation and systems-thinking and who thrive working in an increasingly dynamic context.  We need leaders who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Candidates are competing to become members of our prestigious Leadership Pool; the next generation of UNFPA leaders; and our pipeline for international rotational posts. Staff on International rotational posts are required to serve in a variety of contexts including hardship and non-family duty stations.

Job Purpose:

In collaboration with the UNFPA Representative, you play a leading role in strengthening the Country’s capacity to implement the ICPD Programme of Action, supporting national development efforts to achieve the SDGs, and ensuring national ownership.  

Together with the Country Representative you are accountable for the effective development and management of an innovative Country Programme of Cooperation focused on population and development and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including maternal health, family planning, gender, and adolescent and youth empowerment.

You are responsible for promoting, at the national level, the goals of the programme and ensuring the integration of issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the broader national development agenda.  Through engagement with national counterparts, compelling advocacy, and delivery of effective programmes, including in emergency settings, you serve on the frontline, validating the mandate of the organization and its ability to deliver high quality results.  Your ultimate accountability is to the people that you serve; the most vulnerable, excluded, or marginalized and for the causes that you serve; human rights, sustainable development and humanitarian relief.

 

Main Tasks & Responsibilities

The Position:

The Deputy Representative plays a leading role in the design and delivery of the UNFPA country programme.  Through building alliances and partnerships with governments, UN and bilateral agencies, development partners, civil society, academia and the private sector, the programme aims to realize the 2030 Agenda in order to make a positive difference in the lives of millions of people; especially those furthest behind. You are also responsible for day-to-day operations of the Country Office, including supervising assigned Country Office staff.

You will be responsible for:

A.     Programme Leadership

• Develop, manage and monitor the Country Programme, in line with the strategic plan and on the basis of demographic, socio-economic data and national population policies
• Assess and address implications of national trends on UNFPA work in the country
• Expand and diversity UNFPA’s portfolio in pursuit of strategic new programme options in UNFPA’s mandate area
• Feedback country specificities on policy, procedures and lessons learned to the RO/SRO for the development of the global/regional strategic plan
• Establish quality standards for project development and delivery
• Oversee monitoring and evaluation of the programme, ensuring regular, rigorous monitoring and incorporation of lessons learned and adherence to the country programme theory of change; ensure adherence to corporate reporting requirements on CO results
• Take a leading role in ensuring UNFPA’s mandate areas are reflected in the country’s, and the UN country team’s, humanitarian preparedness and response plans, and ensure the country office develops capacities for humanitarian response.
•  

• Develop and implement a strategy for developing national capacity to deliver effectively on ICPD commitments; take the lead in identifying capacity gaps and needs among partner institutions; provide technical assistance and leverage resources to support the development of capacities
• Promote the capacity of national research and academic institutions to produce, analyse, disseminate and use demographic data and statistics for use in evidence based policy making in support of rights-based development programming
• In collaboration with development partners, promote health system strengthening to address the country’s ability to provide universal access to health care including SRHR
• Take the lead in articulating strategies to develop the country’s capacity to develop, implement and monitor rights-based policies and laws, focusing on Government entities, human rights institutions, academia and civil society
• Engage in a continuous dialogue with national partners to promote an enabling environment for the implementation of the ICPD agenda
• Create/improve national capacities to monitor, evaluate and learn from capacity development initiatives
• Foster knowledge sharing and innovative thinking in the country office, country and region.

C.      Partnership and Advocacy

• Build and maintain positive and collaborative relationships with key Government partners in support of shared objectives
• Advocate for the inclusion of the ICPD agenda within national policies, plans and strategies, including those focused on humanitarian preparedness and response
• Represent UNFPA’s mandate within the UN; ensure inclusion of ICPD issues in common country assessments and UN Development Assistance Frameworks and other strategies; where relevant take the lead/participate in inter-UN theme groups and task forces
• Liaise continuously with donors and development partners, contribute to development of joint positions on issues of common concerns, identify allies in advocacy for key UNFPA issues, and articulate UNFPA’s niche areas of value added
• Pursue resource mobilization opportunities among traditional and new donors
• Support efforts to communicate UNFPA’s mandate issues as well as visibility for UNFPA’s donors, by engaging with media partners, drafting articles and opinion pieces, and engaging on social media

D.      Management of resources

• Support the UNFPA Representative in the management of the Country Office including formulation of annual work plans and monitoring implementation through consultations and field visits
• Support the design and implementation of a resource mobilization and partnership strategy; securing and using mobilised funds and budget allocations for the country programme
• Support the Representative in the management of staff, providing them with direction and motivation; fostering empowerment, learning and career management
• Facilitate capacity building of national staff by devolving authority for portfolio management; guide programme implementation with substantive oversight and effective programme representation
• Demonstrate performance appraisal and transparent leadership approaches that support a culture of growth and development, where good performance is incentivized and underperformers are held to account
• Set standards of performance, and assign responsibilities for achieving results according to the Country Office Strategic Information System
• Provide support to JPOs on career issues and advise managers on the JPO programme
• Support the development of a strategic plan for UNFPA’s humanitarian and preparedness actions in-country
• Support the staff safety by driving compliance with Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) and Minimum Operational Residential Security Standards (MORSS)

Carry out any other duties as may be required by the County Representative.

 

 

Education: 

Postgraduate university degree in any of the following disciplines: Public Health, Medicine, Sociology, Demography, Gender, International Relations, International Development, Economics, Public Administration, Management or other related field.

Knowledge and Experience:

• 7 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in public administration and international development including programme designing, appraising and management; of which at least 8 years in the field of population and development, sexual and reproductive health or humanitarian at the international level
• Demonstrated ability to refine programme design to ensure alignment of organizational programme objectives to national priorities/capacities 
• Experience at national and international level in advocacy and policy dialogue
• Excellent media/communication skills to foster engaged partnerships and to maintain political partnerships in the assigned country
• Proven ability to lead teams to achieve demonstrable and high quality results
• Experience in international development, particularly in the mandate of UNFPA and dedication to the principles of the United Nations;
• Field experience is essential; experience from a developing, humanitarian context is an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required.  Depending on the duty station, another language such as French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Portuguese may be required. 

Assessment:

Evaluation of candidates will include an assessment centre.

 

 

Values:

•     Exemplifying integrity,

•     Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,

•     Embracing cultural diversity,

•     Embracing change

Core Competencies:

•     Achieving 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

Managerial Competencies:

• Providing strategic focus
• Engaging in internal/external partners and stakeholders
• Leading, developing and empowering people, creating a culture of performance
• Making decisions and exercising judgment

UN Leadership Characteristics:

•     Norm-based - grounded in UN norms and standards

•     Principled - defends norms and standards without discrimination, fear or favour

•     Inclusive of all personnel and stakeholders

•     Accountable

•     Multi-dimensional

•     Transformational

•     Collaborative

•     Self-applied - modelled in our own behaviour

 

 

 This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus cost of living adjustment, housing allowance, home leave, health insurance and other benefits.

 

Disclaimer

 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you have received a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. You are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web. Should you feel that you have received a fraudulent notice, letter or offer, you may submit a report through the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm

In accordance with the rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, are required to renounce such status upon their appointment.  Exceptions to this rule are very limited and can be made only for: (a) stateless persons; (b) newly appointed staff members who have applied for citizenship by naturalization, when such citizenship will be granted imminently; (c) acting staff members in the General Service and related categories with permanent residency status, on promotion to the Professional category; (d) staff members appointed under a temporary appointment. Please understand that UNFPA is not in a position to provide advice on or assistance in applying for any citizenship. Placement in UNFPA’s Leadership Pool does not guarantee a position. For any questions please contact leadership.pool@unfpa.org