The Position:
The Youth Team Lead and Regional Coordinator, Safeguard Young People (SYP) Programme is located at the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) and works under the overall direction of the Regional Director. The Youth Team Lead and Regional Coordinator, SYP programme will provide leadership and technical guidance for policy and strategy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes related to adolescents and youth in the region. The position will ensure synergies across regional initiatives on advancing adolescent and youth potentials and outcomes through evidence-based youth policies, enabling laws, access to youth-friendly services within responsive health systems, scaling up comprehensive sexuality education, menstrual health, as well as actions to end child marriage and other harmful practices. The Youth lead will mobilise actions to ensure age-disaggregated data to guide targeted decision-making, youth participation, leadership and accountability. The Youth Team Lead and Regional Coordinator, Safeguard Young People Programme will provide oversight for the effective and efficient implementation of the Safeguard Young People programme at regional level and across the 12 focus countries in East and Southern Africa, with the aim of promoting adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. He/She will facilitate regional and national engagements of relevant political and technical intergovernmental organs and institutions as well as regional organizations, academia and research institutions, relevant Civil Society Organizations, professional associations, private sector, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, to mention a few. The strategic partnerships with the entities will contribute to the inclusion of adolescents and youth-related issues relevant to the ICPD and SDGs into policies and programmes.
The Youth Team Lead and Regional Coordinator, Safeguard Young People Programme will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Health System Adviser.
Job Purpose
Adolescents and youth policy underpinned by enabling laws, youth participation, leadership and accountability are at the core of UNFPA’s mandate and the three transformative results. Sexual and reproductive health and rights is an integral part of adolescent and young people’s transition into adulthood. Decisions about these are closely tied to their education, employment, sustainable livelihood and participation in decision-making processes. UNFPA is one of the pioneering agencies in working with young people and has contributed to shaping the youth space within the UN system. As such, UNFPA’s work on youth leadership and participation provides a crucial backbone for its mandate.Through its Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the UNFPA’s Strategy on Youth, known as My Body, My Life, My World, UNFPA supports global, regional and national youth networks and organizations in advancing youth development issues, human rights, humanitarian action and peacebuilding efforts.
Qualifications and Experience Required
Education:
Advanced university degree/ Master's degree in Public Health, Medicine, Social Sciences, Sociology, Demography, Gender, Economics, International Relations, International Development, Public Administration, Management, Communications or other related fields.
Knowledge and Experience:
- 7 years of increasingly responsible professional experience required in management and/or programme development related to Adolescent and Youth, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, of which at least three at the international level;
- Hands-on experience in participating or leading a youth-led organization or network is an asset
- Substantive knowledge and practical experience in population and development, sexual and reproductive health, and gender;
- Experience in programme and/or technical assistance within the UN System;
- Field experience is required.
Languages:
Fluency in English is required; French and/or Portuguese are desirable.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
