The Position:

The Programme Specialist position is based in the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) in Johannesburg, and reports to the Regional Gender and Human Rights Advisor, who provides overall direction and guidance. S/He provides country offices with daily support on programme and operational issues, research, and data collection, and assists in managing the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.

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.

You would be responsible for;

(A) Programme Development and Implementation:

• Serve as the focal point for the management of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and other harmful practices including Child Marriage in the Region
• Provide Technical backstopping to countries and the regional institutions for accelerated programme delivery on FGM and Child Marriage.
• Ensure the integration of gender transformative and human-rights-based approaches in programme design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting in close consultation with other Programme Specialists/Advisers.
• Prepare evidence-based background papers/briefing documents for regional office management on FGM, other harmful practices, and gender-related issues to inform policy advocacy, programming, and resource mobilization.
• Prepare the FGM and CM regional annual work plan ensuring alignment with the UNFPA 2022-2025 Strategic Plan (SP), Regional Programme Action Plan (RPAP) 2022- 2025, and strategic focus of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, Global Programme to End Child Programme (GPECM) and secure approval from ESARO and HQ management as may be required.
• Facilitate development and implementation of flagship initiatives focusing on prevailing issues such as cross-border FGM, medicalization of FGM, and Youth-led accountability to end FGM and CM.
• Coordinate with UNICEF, other partners, and stakeholders in the region and beyond on accelerated actions to end FGM and CM, including regional advocacy and policy development efforts in partnership with Parliamentary bodies, Regional Economic Commissions (RECs), and the African Union.
• Lead in the organization of technical workshops, interagency meetings, strategic events steering committee meetings, and other events organized by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM, CM, to mention a few
• Closely monitor programme implementation against planned multi-year and annual results using agreed templates and tools
• Draft annual report of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage for ESARO and facilitate country-level reporting in the region for internal and external reporting process,

(B) Knowledge Management and Research:

• Support Regional and Country Offices in the identification and documentation of lessons learned/best practices regarding FGM, CM, and other areas including GBV and gender equality, including what works in terms of high-impact interventions and practices in the elimination of FGM and CM.
• Share evidence, knowledge, and information with country offices to assist in the development of programme interventions towards ending FGM, CM, GBV, and improving gender equality.
• Analyse current and emerging trends in the area of harmful practices in general and FGM and CM in particular.
• Strengthen the institutional knowledge base for the joint programme by managing a repository of knowledge, evidence, and data for efforts towards ending FGM and harmful practices

(C) Innovation and capacity building:

• Introduce innovative approaches, tools, and systems in the design and delivery of capacity-building and learning initiatives across countries and regional organizations
• Support innovative solutions towards eliminating FGM and other harmful practices, including social norms change to be implemented at regional and country levels.
• Strengthen the institutional knowledge base on innovative solutions for the joint programme by managing a repository of innovative knowledge, evidence, and data to guide the scaling up of innovations
• Facilitate capacity-building initiatives to enhance the delivery of the Joint Programmes on FGM, CM for UNFPA regional and country offices, country and regional partners. This will include capacity strengthening on operational, programmatic, and monitoring aspects of the joint programmes

(D) Resource Mobilization, Networking, and Partnership Building

• Collaborate with regional and Country offices in resource mobilization efforts in order to scale up the scale of sustainable financing required to meet programme targets
• Foster new partnerships, sustain existing partnerships, and manage partnerships in the sphere of FGM and CM required in eliminating FGM and harmful practices, including with state and non-state actors
• Strengthen UNFPA’s role in the Joint Programme coordination frameworks and partnerships to promote, implement, and track the work plan including advocacy, resource mobilization, and M&E.
• Work closely with UNICEF on the two UNFPA/UNICEF Joint programmes on FGM and child marriage.
• Internally, strengthen the collaboration with other UNFPA business units

(F) Any other organizational duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Advanced University degree in Gender, Sociology, Human Rights Law Social Sciences, or other related fields,

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the substantive technical area ending FGM, ending child marriage, gender, GBV, EVAWG more broadly, of which at least two years at the international level and/or regional level.
• Experience in regional programme and financial management including planning, implementation, and monitoring.
• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in programming on crosscutting issues, population, sexual and reproductive health, and gender programming.
• Experience working in East and Southern Africa regions on FGM, ECM, GBV, and gender equality.
• Programme management and coordination experience is an asset.
• Experience working with continental bodies such as the African Union (AU), RECs in particular EAC, IGAD, SADC, and others is an asset
• Field experience is desirable.

Languages:

Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages is desirable.

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,

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.