DEADLINE FOR THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT IS EXTENDED TO 16 MARCH 2016 (5:00 PM NEW YORK TIME)
APPLICATION PROCESS
All applications should be submitted to the email address:
UNFPA.ProgrammeSearch@
This post is non-rotational.
Duration: For this position, the initial appointment shall be for a fixed term of two years.
Grade: Assistant Secretary General (ASG)
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Position Summary:
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a leading international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity.
UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.
UNFPA works in partnership with governments, along with other United Nations agencies, communities, NGOs, foundations and the private sector to raise awareness and mobilize the support and resources needed to achieve its mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted,
every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
The three core inter-related areas of UNFPA’s work are reproductive health, gender equality and population and development strategies. Population dynamics, including growth rates, age structure, fertility and mortality, migration and more, influence every aspect of human, social and economic development. Reproductive health and women’s empowerment powerfully affect, and are affected by, population trends. The organization work is guided by the International Conference on Population and Development (“ICPD”) Programme of Action and its linkage to the post-2015 development agenda. Overall, the organization employs 2,700 staff and is present in more than 150 countries and territories
Strategic direction
The UNFPA Strategic Plan 2014-2017 sets out a vision for the changes in the lives of women, adolescents, and youth that UNFPA seeks to bring about based on an extensive analytical and consultative process. The engagement and feedback from staff throughout the organization and the guidance from the Executive Board and key stakeholders during the strategy development process helped ensure that UNFPA has prepared a strategy that is evidenced-based, field-informed and positions us to more effectively meet the needs of those we serve. The Plan will also improve UNFPA's ability to respond to the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review of the UN's operational activities for development.
The Strategic Plan, which was formally approved at the Executive Board in 2013, is focused squarely on addressing the unfinished agenda of Cairo, with a particular concentration on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
ICPD, the Post 2015 agenda, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, together with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for financing for development, represents a significant moment in the history of development, when the world has come together to agree on a comprehensive way forward that builds on the lessons learned from previous efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure individual rights, agency and well-being, gender equality and women's empowerment equality, while maintaining sustained and inclusive economic growth and protecting the environment for current and future generations.
Central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the recognition in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development that human beings must be at the center of sustainable development, with a focus on women, young people and vulnerable groups, and a framework based on human rights-based for an inclusive, sustainable world.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is integrally tied to the ICPD agenda (International Conference on Population and Development), especially the conclusions and recommendations of the ICPD Beyond 2014 review- they reinforce the political legitimacy for the further implementation of the ICPD Beyond 2014, while their implementation complements the comprehensive actions required to transform the lives of all people, especially women, girls and young people. UNFPA therefore have a huge responsibility to support its implementation.
Analyzing the linkages between those complementary outcomes and assisting countries to integrate these into planning, implementation and monitoring and accountability frameworks, taking into account the interrelated and comprehensive dimensions of the population and sustainable development agenda, will be critical to realizing the transformative agenda of the next 15 years.
Sustainable Development Goals
UNFPA is foreseeing a detailed analysis of the intersections between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its work. Meanwhile, below are preliminary thoughts:
• Goal 3, and its inclusion of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, maternal health, AIDS and more;
• Goal 5, with targets on discrimination against women and girls, gender-based violence, harmful practices including child, early and forced marriage and FGM, and of course universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights;
• Much more, skills and education related to gender equality and human rights including for older persons in aspects of Goals 1 and 4, and aspects of Goal 6, youth employment – central to the demographic dividend – in Goal 8, broadly addressing inequalities and discrimination including for migrants in Goal 10, inclusive urbanization and sustainable cities in Goal 11 and ensuring participation and safety from violence in Goal 16 to strong data systems and means of implementation in Goal 17.
Political Declaration
The SDGs alone therefore would be a truly transformative, integrated platform for UNFPA’s work. Yet the political declaration, just agreed, takes these goals much further. The declaration is a powerful statement on human rights that recognizes the centrality of empowering and enabling women and young people, including for realizing the demographic dividend. It also includes strong focus on data systems, the use of population data and projections and links to humanitarian and emergency situations.
This 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will guide their work in support of countries and their populations for decades to come, by continuing the unfinished agenda of the MDGs while expanding to a holistic and universal set of goals and approaches that of necessity links the social pillar with the economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development.
Given the centrality of our mandate to this outcome, it also represents a clarion call for UNFPA to deliver and deliver better, through integrated approaches, alignment to this new agenda, a revolution in data and statistical capacity building, and relevant and innovative partnerships to deliver maximally on the SDGs. To assist UNFPA in aligning to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals will be front and center of their thinking for future work, including how UNFPA come together with their partners to advance the cause of women and young people in the countries they serve.
PROGRAMME POSITION
Under the direction and supervision of the Executive Director, the Deputy Executive Director for Programme (“DED Programme”) is an Assistant Secretary General (“ASG”) role, and leads a team of nine Directors.
The DED Programme is responsible for leadership, management and communication of UNFPA’s programme work, and specifically for the direct supervision of the Programme and Technical Divisions, as well as for the six Regional Offices in Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, Asia-Pacific region, Arab States, Eastern and Central Europe and Latin America; as well as the Data for Development project. The post also has responsibilities for building and maintaining partnerships with UN and bilateral agencies and others on specific programme themes.
The DED (Programme) is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of UNFPA’s programme related activities are strategic and effectively managed, including accountability for performance, and that matters of strategic importance are shared with the Executive Director and Executive Committee colleagues as necessary.
• Strategy: Directs the Programme Division in promoting knowledge sharing; ensures that all aspects of UNFPA’s programme related activities are strategic and effectively managed, including accountability for performance; ensures that matters of strategic importance are shared with the Executive Director and Executive Committee colleagues as necessary.
• Execution: Directs UNFPA work to achieve enhanced impact in programming at both country and regional levels; directs the Regional Directors’ visions to ensure effective oversight and quality assurance of programming; directs the Technical Division to ensure technical knowledge is harnessed, advocated and shared; directs the Programme Division to ensure that it functions effectively and that UNFPA’s response to humanitarian crisis, transition and recovery is mainstreamed within the organization.
• Team leadership: Ensures clarity in roles, accountability; decision-making; empowers the regional and country heads to deliver at a high level, providing guidance as necessary; develops direct reports including potential successors.
• Collaboration within the UN system and beyond: Represents UNFPA at the highest levels of policy dialogue with regard to programming matters, including with Board Members, with Member States, major international partnerships (such as the PMNCH, UNAIDS, etc.), civil society and represents UNFPA at relevant meetings of the UNDG and HLCP.
Priorities
Specifically, for the coming year the priorities will be:
• Strategy: Continue the strengthening of the regionalization strategy and clarify and strengthen accountabilities between regional, HQ and country levels; guide the implementation of the strategic plan, ensuring an alignment to the recently approved SDGs; promote a culture where the needs of the country/field come first. Lead the team to operationalize, including to strengthening capabilities to deliver on the SDGs relevant to UNFPA.
• Execution: Improve the quality and control of country programmes; focus on robustly strengthening systems, processes, oversight and management structures; support country teams with strategic decision-making and programme alignment/focus on the organization’s core mission.
• Leadership: Systematically strengthen the capabilities of the team; strengthen relationships with the Regional Directors and country offices; promote a culture of knowledge sharing and learning across the regional and country teams.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
• As a global leadership role in one of the world’s leading development organizations, this role represents a truly exciting opportunity for a senior programme leader with extensive experience in public health from the public and/or international organization sectors. Specific knowledge of population and reproductive health issues would be highly desirable. Candidates should have significant international experience and insight, and the ability to build strong working relationships within an international/global operation. Extensive in-country experience is required.
• Candidates require experience managing a complex global portfolio of public health programs and program set-up, metrics and evaluation. He/she should have experience building and managing relationships with UN agencies, governments and other aid agencies. Candidates should have a good knowledge of the international development system and/or experience working for large, delivery-based aid agencies. Candidates will have successfully managed a significant budget and operating plan, and a multi-disciplinary team of experts across a variety of job functions.
Qualification and Experience:
An advanced University Degree in Public Health, Social Sciences or a related discipline, with additional qualifications in business or public administration / management highly regarded.
Over 15 years of professional experience in increasingly responsible roles of which at least 7 years in managerial / leadership roles.
Education and Languages
Excellent knowledge of English required; knowledge of other UN official languages, preferably French and/or Spanish, highly desirable.
Competencies:
Candidates will have the stature and authority to influence at all levels. They will demonstrate conceptual and analytical skills to understand the bigger picture, assimilate information from a variety of sources, and translate this into practical and prioritized action and planning. They will be strategically-minded and service and results-driven, with exceptional strength in team leadership and relationship building, development and implementation of policies, processes and systems, as well as building and maintaining support services, resources and infrastructure. They will combine process skills and discipline with flexibility and adaptability.
Strategic Orientation (Analytical & Strategic Thinking, Fostering Innovation & Empowerment):
o Defines, in close collaboration with the Executive Director, the strategy of the organization.
o Asks questions which open up a new way of seeing the organization and the way it works.
o Promotes better understanding of UNFPA’s strategic agenda with global partners and builds consensus on major initiatives.
Results Orientation (Results Orientation/Commitment to Excellence, Appropriate & Transparent Decision-Making, Ensuring Operational Effectiveness & Accountability for Results):
o Drives systematically and uncompromisingly for higher performance.
o Creates better ways of doing things, so that higher levels of performance are possible, using analysis and benchmarking.
o Works smarter, learns from experience throughout the organization, builds learning into the system.
Collaboration & Influencing (Commitment to the Organization & its Mandate, Working in Teams, Communicating Information & Ideas, Self-Management/Emotional Intelligence, Global Leadership & Advocacy for ICPD Goals, Organizational Leadership & Direction):
o Facilitates collaboration among others, bringing people together across boundaries to achieve results and share best practices; remains accessible to various stakeholders and shows a willingness to become directly and personally involved; creates consensus and communicates coherently the vision and strategic direction to internal and external audiences, showing them how objectives align.
o Internally: Promotes alignment between values and actual behavior, influences the Executive Committee to adopt change strategies, and gains cooperation through sensitivity to the political and organizational culture.
o Externally: Leads partnerships with implementing partners, NGOs and UN agencies; applies systemic thinking, balances conflicting demands (UN system, partners, governments, civil society and UNFPA); maintains internal and external networks (partners, colleagues, interest groups).
Leadership & Organizational Development (Performance Management, Developing People/Coaching & Mentoring, Knowledge Sharing & Continuous Learning):
o Empowers their teams to perform, to identify and solve problems, providing necessary support; holds the team accountable for meeting collective goals; resolves conflicts constructively.
o Systematically works to build team capability; sets specific goals for individuals in order to build capability of the organization; seeks to understand systematic retention challenges and addresses them.
o Creates and instills a vision, a set of values, and creates a supportive, enabling environment in which the vision and strategic direction can be achieved.
Change Leadership:
o Articulates a vision for change and champions the transformation process.
o Advocates change, engaging others by explaining their role in it, and ideally mobilizes others within the organization to initiate change.
Integrity & Values (Integrity, Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing Diversity):
o Creates organizational precedents and acts as a role model, setting an example for the highest standard of integrity for all staff through his/her personal behavior.
o Ensures an organizational environment that respects diversity, gender equality and cultural sensitivity and fosters openness to diverse perspectives.
Compensation:
Total annual salary (net of tax): $204,631 at single rate ($225,978 with primary dependants).
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All applications should be submitted to the email address: UNFPA.ProgrammeSearch@
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
