JOB DESCRIPTION

The Position:

This post is located in the Population and Development Branch of the Programme Division and reports directly to the Chief of the Population and Development Branch. The Programme Specialist provides technical guidance and strategic policy and programme support on demographic dividend and linkages to population and development. S/he works in close collaboration with the demographic resilience and megatrends advisors, adopting an integrated, coordinated, and systems strengthening approach which is fundamental to the division and UNFPA’s overall strategy.

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 Programme Specialist-Demographic Dividend provides strategic and technical support to ensure that the ICPD Programme of Action in population and development is firmly placed within the global development agenda, including the achievement of the SDGs, focusing on countries that are at early stages of the demographic transition. Responsibilities of the Programme Specialist- Demographic Dividend include:

• Technical and programme support
• Capacity development
• Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination
• Strategic partnerships, technical representation and global positioning

You would be responsible for:

Technical and programme support

• Ensuring soundness of technical and programmatic approaches on population-development linkages, with a focus on the demographic dividend and countries in the early stages of the demographic transition.
• Overseeing the development, quality assurance and dissemination of strategic, technical and programmatic reports.
• Generating and supporting the roll-out of products and tools to strengthen national capacities to analyse demographic trends and incorporate population dynamics into development planning.
• Providing substantive advice on evidence- and rights-based population policies that advance the demographic dividend and the transformative results.
• Promoting harmonization of UNFPA’s demographic dividend programs and initiatives across regions, and ensuring coherence and alignment with the broader spectrum of population and development interventions in high, medium and low fertility contexts.
• Supporting resource mobilization efforts for advancing the global technical and programmatic work in population and development.

Capacity Development 

• Developing and providing guidance to countries and governments on tools and models used to assess the demographic dividend, including National Transfer Accounts and time use accounts.
• Organizing technical meetings, trainings and other learning and cross regional events for UNFPA and external partners including virtual eLearning sessions, in-person seminars and workshops on demographic dividend and linkages to development issues.
• Facilitating south-south and cross-regional exchanges, creating platforms for dialogue and information sharing on policy successes and challenges encountered.

Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination

• Collecting and analysing population and development data, writing reports, technical papers, policy briefs, speeches, op-eds, and briefing notes, on high fertility, population growth, women’s empowerment and youth engagement, among others, and disseminating key findings in population conferences and symposiums.
• Tracking scientific developments and innovative approaches in relevant areas and providing advice on their relevance to demographic dividend programming.
• Providing evidence of global, regional and national population trends and dynamics, and their links to other megatrends and relevance to core programmatic concerns of UNFPA, including the high level results of the UNFPA Strategic Plan.
• Scanning the substantive technical and policy environment and maintaining relevant partnerships on technical issues with regional and national technical staff in order to identify substantive gaps and needs related to demographic dividend and development.

Strategic partnerships, technical representation and global positioning

• Representing UNFPA in global, regional and inter-agency meetings on substantive issues in area of expertise, and participate in international, inter-governmental, U.N., and other policy and technical meetings and fora, to elaborate UNFPA’s substantive global perspective, and ensure UNFPA’s visibility.
• Engaging in interagency and strategic partnerships and collaborations, including with UN agencies, academia, research and training institutions, professional societies to advance UNFPA’s population and development mandate.
• Supporting the Branch Chief, Division Director and UNFPA Senior Management in high-level engagements with governments, civil society, donors and other partners and in intergovernmental fora  by drafting briefing notes, preparing talking points and presentations, preparing for and participating in meetings.
• Developing new strategic partnerships to advance the global position of UNFPA as a significant lead on matters of demographic dividend.
• Carrying out any other related duties as may be required by the Branch Chief or Division Director.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

Advanced university degree in demography, sociology, population studies, geography, public health, statistics, or economics with a special emphasis on population data analysis. A PhD is considered an advantage.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• 7 years of professional technical and programmatic  experience addressing policy-relevant population and development issues in high fertility contexts;
• Prior professional experience in any of the following areas is beneficial: sexual and reproductive health; human rights; international migration; urbanization; population and climate change; HIV/AIDS; populations in humanitarian crises; and gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Understanding of the human rights dimensions of population and development;
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills;
• Strong track record of technical leadership and proven ability to produce demonstrable results;
• Extensive professional network within the development and academic community;
• Experience in policy development and national development policy and planning processes an asset;
• Experience with working with governments in developing countries and/or regional development institutions is highly desirable.

Languages: 

Fluency in English, working knowledge of French, Spanish or another UN official language 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,

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual innovation in the provision of technical expertise
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners, and building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Job knowledge / technical expertise
• Adaptation and application of knowledge / innovations in different contexts
• Integration in a multidisciplinary environment

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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements