The Position:

Over two years into the conflict in Ukraine, the situation has evolved into a protracted crisis with significant humanitarian needs and emerging recovery opportunities. This shift requires a strategic adjustment in UNFPA’s approach, moving beyond immediate emergency response to include recovery planning and development efforts. The humanitarian community has adopted an Area-Based Coordination (ABC) system to improve coordination at lower administrative levels, focusing on comprehensive service delivery and nexus planning.

Aligned with UNFPA’s 2025-2029 Country Programme Document (CPD), which emphasizes human capital development, demographic resilience, and social cohesion, this position will play a crucial role in integrating emergency response with recovery initiatives in the eastern regions of Ukraine. The CPD underscores the importance of a nexus approach, ensuring that short-term humanitarian actions lay the groundwork for sustainable development and long-term recovery.

 

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:

Under the overall guidance of the UNFPA Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Representative/Senior Emergency Coordinator, the Humanitarian and Recovery Coordinator will lead UNFPA’s efforts in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Sumy. The incumbent is responsible for coordinating humanitarian operations, supporting recovery and nexus planning, and ensuring that these efforts are aligned with UNFPA’s strategic objectives of demographic resilience, social cohesion, and evidence-based policymaking.

You would be responsible for:

1. Coordination and Representation:
   1. Strategic Positioning: Position UNFPA as a key humanitarian and recovery actor in the East, strengthening coordination with local authorities, UN agencies, and humanitarian actors to ensure an integrated and effective response.
   2. Regional Leadership: Lead the UNFPA teams in the Eastern regions, ensuring the effective delivery of integrated humanitarian and recovery programs that align with the CPD’s strategic objectives, particularly focusing on nexus and recovery initiatives.
2. Nexus and Recovery Planning:
   1. Collaborate with regional partners and UNFPA staff in Kyiv to enhance nexus and recovery planning, ensuring that emergency responses transition smoothly into recovery efforts and are aligned with long-term development goals.
3. Programmatic and Operational Support:
   1. `Service Delivery Focus: Shift the focus from supply distribution to direct service provision, leveraging improved access to recently de-occupied areas while aligning efforts with the strategic priorities of the 2025-2029 CPD.
   2. Emergency Preparedness and Response: Regularly update emergency preparedness plans in coordination with relevant clusters and working groups, ensuring readiness to respond to evolving needs on the ground.
   3. Monitoring and Evaluation: Conduct regular monitoring of ongoing interventions, identify gaps, and support the planning and implementation of nexus activities to enhance service delivery and program integration.
4. Supervision and Oversight:
   1. Team Management: Provide oversight and guidance to the NOB Field Office Coordinator in Poltava and the P-3 Coordinator in Kharkiv, ensuring effective regional coordination and alignment with the CPD’s objectives.
   2. Liaison with Country Office: Maintain regular communication with the Country Office in Kyiv and other regional hubs to ensure cohesive implementation of humanitarian and recovery interventions.
5. Building and Sustaining Partnerships:
   1. GBV and SRH Coordination: Facilitate inter-agency multi-sectoral GBV and SRH working groups at the sub-national level, promoting the integration of these services across sectors and aligning with broader humanitarian and development goals.
   2. Cross-Sector Collaboration: Work closely with other sectoral groups to ensure that GBV and SRH considerations are integrated into broader humanitarian efforts, contributing to UNFPA’s goals of human capital development and demographic resilience.
6. Strategic Planning and Communication:
   1. SOP Implementation: Facilitate the implementation and regular review of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) throughout the crisis response to ensure consistency, effectiveness, and alignment with the CPD’s strategic priorities.
   2. Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Document lessons learned, prepare handover notes, and support the orientation of new staff and mission personnel to the Eastern region.
   3. External Communication: Assist in preparing external communication materials, including situation reports and internal information briefs, ensuring that messaging aligns with the CPD’s strategic priorities and promotes UNFPA’s role in humanitarian and recovery efforts.

Any other duties

• Write monthly reports documenting progress against work plan outputs.
• Other duties as required.

 

Qualifications and Experience:

 

Education:

Advanced degree in Humanitarian Assistance, Public Health, Social Sciences and/or other related fields.

Knowledge and Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency and recovery coordination.
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency and recovery coordination, or related areas.
• Proven management, coordination, and program development skills.
• Strong communication, networking, and organizational abilities.
• Experience in UN humanitarian and recovery operations; prior experience in the region is an asset.
• Knowledge of UNFPA’s mandate, particularly in SRH and GBV programming, is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required. Ukrainian/Russian/Slovakian an asset

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

 

Functional Competencies:

Providing logistical support

Managing data, documents, correspondence and reports

Planning, organizing and multitasking

Compensation and Benefits:

 

This position offers an attractive remuneration package, including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

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.