Technical Specialist, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Maternal Health Linkages

The SRHR and Maternal Health Linkages Specialist is responsible for developing and implementing guidance and providing technical assistance to countries in line with the Maternal Health Thematic Fund (MHTF) business plan phase 3 on the broader sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) agenda and its linkages to maternal and newborn health (MNH). You will analyse and identify opportunities for integration across areas as well as linkages of both services and interventions inside and outside of the health system, to ensure a holistic, life-course oriented and evidence-based program. You will facilitate linkages with the implementation of the UNFPA adolescent and youth strategy to ensure a holistic approach to SRHR, including for adolescents. You will report directly to the MHTF coordinator in SRH branch.

How you can make a difference:

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’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.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in program results.

Job Purpose:

In a global organisation, where many of our people are based in challenging environments, you will play a vital role in providing technical guidance to support conceptualization and implementation of holistic SRHR and MNH programming and advocacy within and beyond MHTF, while ensuring that different contexts and realities are taken into account, without compromising the mandate of UNFPA and the evidence base. You will build close relationships with stakeholders internally and externally to support best practice in SRHR and MNH programming and advocacy and to ensure ownership in country. You will contribute to the  strategic oversight of SRHR and MNH linkages in programming, to developing and implementing the strategy as well as contributing to  building corporate capacity in this area.

Advanced university degree in Public Health, Medicine, Social Sciences or a related discipline. Research experience and a PhD is an asset.

5 years of experience in global public health, with a focus on SRHR; advanced knowledge on policy development, monitoring and evaluation and programming in low-resource settings; excellent communication, writing and presentation skills; solid field experience within the field of SRHR in low-resource settings is required; prior experience with adolescent and youth SRHR, including child marriage programming is an asset; prior experience of the UN system is desirable; experience in gender programming in an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French and/or Spanish, is desirable.