National Consultant - Programme Manager, Comprehensive Condom Programming

The Position:

The Programme Manager, based in the UNFPA Zambia Country Office plays a key role in the design and ensuring the implementation of scalable combination prevention programmes.   The specific focus is strengthening comprehensive condom programming contributing to sustainable SRH and HIV prevention programming in Zambia to address the triple challenges of HIV infections, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections.  S/he will spearhead the roll out of the people-centered last mile condom initiative integrated with other SRH and HIV prevention programmes. Under the overall guidance and support of the Management Team, the Programme Manager will report to the Programme Specialist (ASRH and Youth) and work closely with a team of Programme and Operations staff.  S/he will liaise with external condom programming and sexual and reproductive health partners, notably USAID, Global Fund and UNAIDS.

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 strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

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 programme results.

Job Purpose:

As the UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency, UNFPA focuses on the delivery of the integrated programmes aimed at the realisation of sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR).  Condoms are a highly effective, low-cost commodities for preventing HIV infection, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy. In several countries with high HIV prevalence, condom utilization falls significantly short of targets needed for impact, inequities in access to and utilization of condoms persist and particularly among young people recent trends show declining levels of condom use.  As a follow-on to the Global Fund’s Strategic Initiative on Condom Programming that was established to address these challenges,  UNFPA through a UN to UN agreement has been awarded a one-year condom programme to be implemented as part of a global programme of UN cosponsoring agencies under the overall outcome: Country and community capacities are strengthened to define, prioritize, implement and bring gender-responsive HIV combination prevention programs for and with key populations and other groups at high risk of HIV at a scale to drive impact and achieve national HIV prevention targets.  The UNFPA specific component of the programme contributes to the global key objectives to (1) Strengthen the implementation of integrated services in HIV combination prevention and primary health care and (2) scale up condom distribution beyond health facilities.

You would be responsible for:

Overall Function:

• To support the Ministry of Health and provincial and district authorities in designing the scale-up based on learning from the Kabwe Province community condom last mile distribution model implemented in 2023 under the GC6 Global Fund supported under the Condom Stewardship Strategic Initiative to cover all Global Fund supported districts under GC7 grants in Zambia.
• Provide technical assistance that leads to shifts in national standard operating procedures and the optimization of investments from Global Fund HIV grants, PEPFAR and other partner programs to expand the delivery of condoms beyond health facilities to take condoms nearer to the users at community and improve delivery of combination prevention programs.
• Support actions of lead government agencies (NAC; MOH) to provide program stewardship and oversight, enhancing coordination across all sectors and aligning the collective work of key actors around the national condom strategy and operational plan, as well as the wider HIV and SRH response.

Communication, Coordination & Advocacy:

• Support coordination and actively participate in country condom and HIV prevention coordination and review meetings
• Establish and effectively communicate a vision for a healthy condom programme and market that will deliver sustained and equitable levels of condom use, while decreasing – where possible - reliance on external subsidy, development and implementation of condom operational strategy, which includes support for a Total Market Approach (TMA)
• Carry out all in-country actions of stewardship, community last mile distribution and innovative demand generation in support of the national condom programme and related condom programming aspects supporting the Global Fund target districts in Zambia.

Planning and implementation

• Facilitate in-country partners, including through capacity building, to scale up community-led condom distribution systems in selected provinces and districts in the county, optimizing investment by major funding streams, including USAID and Global Fund 
• Facilitating NAC, MoH, ZAMMSA and partners to rollout and implement the integrated condom program delivery in priority Global Fund supported districts.
• Facilitating functionality of condom program tracking mechanisms with specific focus on last mile distribution and demand creation including through the NACMIS

Program analytics and quantification

• Design and implement relevant program analytics activities, supporting analysis, sharing, and application of data-informing programs
• Lead processes for compiling any condom programming good practices, abstracts and other documentation for sharing

Supply & Demand Initiatives

• Last mile distribution: supporting design and implementation of strategies to optimize the role of free condoms, condoms at a cost, and lubricants and ensuring condoms are available ‘when and where’ priority populations need them
• Work with RH Supplies teams to promote integrated supply chain initiatives 
• Demand: support the design and implementation of evidence driven, user focused demand creation strategy and activities in line with strategy

Other:  Undertaking any other tasks as may be assigned by the country office management team

Deliverables:

1. Q1 (July-Aug 2024): Work in partnership with district authorities and beneficiary KP and AYP community members to conduct geospatial hotspot mapping and integrate into the established condom last mile distribution tracking mechanism,
2. Q2 (Sept – Nov 2024): Conduct training of district condom focal points and hotspot focal points utilizing developed tools; mobilize, secure dispensers and install at mapped hotspots,
3. Q3 (Dec 2024 – Mar 2025): Support roll-out of expanded last mile distribution of free to user and discounted condoms to all Global Fund supported districts and functionalize commodity tracking mechanisms. Covers human resource requirement to enhance functionality of condom stewardship platforms at national and district levels,
4. Q4 (Apr – May 2025): Expand learning to all districts through national learning sessions.
5. May 2024 – May 2025: Strengthen and support sub-national condom coordination mechanisms

Indicators:

1. Number of people trained to support condom last mile distribution to scale up delivery of combination HIV prevention programmes
2. Number of condoms distributed through the mapped hotpots in implementation districts
3. Functionality of the national and provincial condom coordination platforms

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, supply chain and logistics management, behavioral and social sciences or in a related field.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least five years’ experience planning, implementing and managing projects or programmes, at national level;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in planning, implementing and coordinating HIV prevention programmes desirable (including in relation to condom programming or programming around supply, demand and management of other health products);
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in results-based management desirable; 
• Good skills in quantitative analysis of programme and financial data and their interpretation;
• Good written and oral communication skills;
• Computer literacy (with emphasis on databases development and management);
• Good organizational, analytical or interpersonal skills; 
• Advanced working knowledge of English;

Required Competencies: 

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. 

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. 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.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.