Closing date: 5 February 2018
Duration: 3 months (with possibility of extension)
Background:
Pakistan is an outlier among major Asian and even Muslim countries as it continues to experience high population growth rates. No significant fertility reduction has occurred in the last decade, while neighboring countries experience fertility rates around replacement. The 2017 Census places Pakistan as the fifth most populous country in the world (207) million) with a population growth rate of 2.4% higher than what was originally projected (1.9 %) and much higher than regional rates of 1%. A high population growth requires an expansion of services and infrastructure which is eating into the developmental gains being made and furthermore makes the task of achieving the Vision 2025 and the SDGs doubly daunting.
After the devolution sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning has received insufficient attention and priority in the provision of health services at the national level. While efforts are underway in several provinces ranging from providing budget supplementation and increasing coverage of service delivery networks, still there are huge gaps in family planning information and service provision throughout the country that requires national urgent action from the highest level. Such a high-level response requires concerted efforts between federal and provincial governments.
To achieve desired impact UNFPA engagement and interventions aim to accelerate delivery of Family Planning information and services by creating an enabling environment conducive to FP policy development and implementation; promoting service delivery normative policies and regulations; and improving sector wide leadership and coordination. This programme is a central part of the RH Thematic area under the 9th UNFPA Country Programme of Assistance and is aligned to the Government of Pakistan Vision 2025, Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030, FP 2020, and International Conference on Population and Development.
The Family Planning (FP) Consultant deigns, manages and oversees programmes at national and sub-national levels that
Will revitalize FP in Pakistan and enable fertility decline. In close collaboration with the Deputy representative and RH team, the FP Consultant plays a leading technical and advisory role to revitalize FP in Pakistan with special focus on reducing unmet for FP and addressing underlying causes of low FP uptake.
Supervisory arrangements: Deputy Representative, UNFPA
Main tasks and responsiabilties;
• Provide leadership and technical support for the design, implementation, oversights and reporting on national and sub-national family planning programmes.
• Support national and sub-national stakeholders for inclusion of FP/RH/RHCS in all national development frameworks, policies, programmes and budgets.
• Provide technical backstopping and support/conduct relevant research and analysis aimed at providing information and knowledge-base and readily useable methodologies to FP planners, policy makers, programme managers and service providers.
• Contribute to enhancing national and sub-national capacity to mobilize social and political support and financial resources for policies and programmes on FP.
• Contribute to overall health system strengthening and related initiatives for increased accessibility to, and use of modern contraceptive methods.
• Provide technical assistance to the implementation of the national and provincial action plans to ensure that contraceptives are available to women and men when needed.
• Supervise FP programme initiatives and collaborate with other Programme Officers to promote integrated approaches to FP particularly in areas of SRHR, improving access to contraceptives by married young people, addressing GBV and women’s empowerment, and population dynamics.
• Collaborate with development partners and UN agencies to promote and provide coordinated and integrated technical support for FP.
• Provide technical assistance to the implementation of the national and provincial action plans to ensure that contraceptives are available to women and men when needed.
• Provide advice in accordance with WHO guidelines on specific contraceptive methods as well as cost-effective contraceptive methods mix.
• Design and support the roll-out of a robust task-shifting strategy/roadmap to expand access to FP services, in particular LACs.
• Support national and sub-national stakeholders for inclusion of FP/RH/RHCS in all national development frameworks, policies, programmes and budgets.
• Supervise FP programme initiatives and collaborate with other Programme Officers to promote integrated approaches to FP particularly in areas of SRHR, improving access to contraceptives by married young people, addressing GBV and women’s empowerment, and population dynamics.
• Collaborate with development partners and UN agencies to promote and provide coordinated and integrated technical support for FP.
• Provide technical advice on stock-taking, monitoring and evaluation of FP programmes to ensure quality of care.
• Support the establishment and implementation of a P-P-P framework to increase FP coverage.
• Coach and monitor experts and facilitate working groups and tasks teams.
• Assert leadership role and promote UNFPA’s comparative substantive advantage in the area of FP, including coordination of development partners,
• Develop policy briefs, analytical papers, presentations and other policy related documents.
• Contribute to the identification, analysis and synthesis of technical knowledge and evidence-based information in FP.
• Make significant contributions to analytical works aiming to collect and review lessons learned from implementation and to define methodologies for effective FP information and services.
• Carry out any other duties as may be requested by the Representative.
Expected travel: With frequent missions to KP, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan
Islamabad with field missions in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KP
Policy or Strategy briefs on task shifting and task sharing- February (at the end of 30 days upon signing of contract)
Draft guidelines on issuance of contraceptives to NGOs (15 days upon signing of contract)
Draft Concept note on Private Sector Engagement and Public Private Partnership (15 March 2018)
Recommendations to improve FP coordination mechanisms at national and subnational levels (CEWG, FP 2020) 20 March 2018
A concept note/ advocacy paper on effective FP advocacy containing key FP messages for parliamentarians and policy makers (30 March 2018)
Strategy paper and guidance note for partners in the roll out of Task Shifting and Task Sharing initiative ( 1st week of March 2018)
Report of 2 inter-provincial fora on FP (Service delivery standards, Task Sharing and Task shifting roll out guidelines) completed
Requirements:
Education:
Advanced university degree or equivalent in public health, medicine, or related field, with post-graduate studies in SRHR or family planning.
Knowledge and Experience:
• At least 10years of increasing responsible professional experience in the field of FP and SRHR with experience in programme/project management.
• Knowledge of Pakistan’s FP landscape, population dynamics and socio-cultural issues.
• Proven ability to design innovative strategies to achieve demonstrable results.
• Familiarity with the ICPD programme of Action.
• Excellent communication skills in speaking and writing in English.
• Strong results based management skills.
• Strong interest in development work, especially the mission of the United Nations Population Fund and dedication to the principles of the United Nations.
• Experience in a humanitarian or crisis context is an asset.
• Computer skills: Proficiency in current office software applications.
Language:
Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.
UNFPA will cover the consultant’s one round trip ticket from home to duty station, visa costs, DSA at duty station and official travel costs to provinces (DSA, terminals for missions), based on prevailing UN rules and regulations. UNFPA will provide office space.
Additional Information:
- This consultancy is ONLY open to Internationals.
- The consultancy is offered on individual contract for three months, with possible extension.
- UNFPA will only be able to respond to those applicants in whom the Country Office has further interest.
- UNFPA offers an attractive compensation package commensurate with experience.
- UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
- UNFPA is committed to maintain balanced gender distribution of the positions and therefore encourage women to apply.
- Applicants should submit their applications directly to Nazish Fatima Syed, UNFPA Administrative Assistant, and at the email address nsyed@unfpa.org by the deadline.
- Deadline for applications: Monday 05 February 2018
- IMPORTANT: There is NO application processing or other fees at any stage of UNFPA application processes.
IPolicy or Strategy briefs on task shifting and task sharing- February (at the end of 30 days upon signing of contract)
Draft guidelines on issuance of contraceptives to NGOs (15 days upon signing of contract)
Draft Concept note on Private Sector Engagement and Public Private Partnership (15 March 2018)
Recommendations to improve FP coordination mechanisms at national and subnational levels (CEWG, FP 2020) 20 March 2018
A concept note/ advocacy paper on effective FP advocacy containing key FP messages for parliamentarians and policy makers (30 March 2018)
Strategy paper and guidance note for partners in the roll out of Task Shifting and Task Sharing initiative ( 1st week of March 2018)
Report of 2 inter-provincial fora on FP (Service delivery standards, Task Sharing and Task shifting roll out guidelines) completed
Monthly accomplishment report based on agreed work plan (every 20th of the current month)
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
