The Position:
The Regional Desk Specialist, Operational Support and Quality Assurance Branch (OSQAB) in the Policy and Strategy Division (PSD) is based at UNFPA Headquarters and will initially cover the West and Central African region. S/He will report to the Programme Coordinator, OSQAB. The post will advise and support senior management decision making and organizational positioning by reflecting regional perspectives across all aspects of UNFPA’s substantive work. S/He ensures effective and timely backstopping of the Region, including keeping the Regional Office/WCA informed about new and emerging corporate and system-wide directions.
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:
The Regional Desk Specialist’s key functions include:
- Contributing to efforts to ensure that regional and country issues and concerns in the region covered by the staff member are reflected and advocated for in global forums/task teams;
- Facilitating the cross-regional sharing of country-level experiences, innovation and good practices with key partners at the global level towards ensuring UNFPA programme effectiveness;
- Supporting interventions for increasing regional visibility and enriching partnerships with evidence-based programme realities and results, including ensuring that partners are knowledgeable across the spectrum of UNFPA’s substantive work.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
Advanced university degree or equivalent in management, international relations, demography, economics, or other related field.
Knowledge and Experience:
- 7 years progressively responsible national and international professional experience in coordination, liaison, support functions and teamwork, of which at least 3 years of practical field experience in reproductive health, population and development, gender, advocacy, management and evaluation;
- Involvement in and understanding of UN intergovernmental and interagency outcomes and systems would be an asset;
- Demonstrated, strong interpersonal skills;
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English and in one other UN official language pertinent to the Region(s) under his or her responsibility;
- Good understanding of or experience in Field programme experience;
- Experience in programme and/or technical assistance with the UN System; and
- UN inter-agency experience in a strong asset.
Languages:
Fluency in English is required; knowledge of other official UN languages, in particular French, is an asset.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
