NOTE: This vacancy is being re-advertised with the aim of expanding the pool of candidates. Previous applicants need not re-apply.
The Position:
The Humanitarian Programme Specialist will support the development of the Country Office’s humanitarian strategy and the repositioning of its implementation on resilience building and innovation. They will work under the direct supervision of the Humanitarian Coordinator, and in close coordination with UNFPA programme and operations team at Islamabad and Provincial offices.
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 new strategic plan (2022-2025), focuses on accelerating progress towards the achievement of UNFPA’s three ‘transformative results’: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.
UNFPA under the 10th Country Programme Document (2023-2027) envisages to contribute to resilience building by strengthening institutional, community and individual capacities to prepare for and respond to future threats including natural disasters and emergencies. UNFPA has a long-standing partnerships and humanitarian presence in the country, working in close collaboration with the federal and provincial government institutions, non-governmental organizations and other humanitarian actors to prioritize provision of lifesaving sexual and reproductive health, and gender-based violence risk mitigation and response services. Existing programmes, including for the flood response in 2022 in affected areas are being pivoted to ensure continued provision of essential services.
Following the lessons learned in the current humanitarian situation in the country for response and preparedness plans, UNFPA intends to scale up the humanitarian response and preparedness actions by using different approaches. Creative thinking and innovative solutions are key to accelerate progress for women and girls around the world. During conflicts, natural disasters and public health emergencies, sexual and reproductive health needs are often overlooked – with staggering consequences. Pregnant women risk life-threatening complications without access to safe delivery and emergency obstetric care services. Women and girls may lose access to family planning services, exposing them to unintended pregnancy in perilous conditions. Equally, the risks for Gender Based Violence heightens during emergency as women and girls become more vulnerable to sexual violence, abuse, exploitation and HIV infection.
UNFPA in Pakistan is on the ground before, during and after crises, working closely with governments, local NGOs, UN agencies and other partners to ensure that sexual reproductive health and rights and responses to gender-based violence are integrated into emergency responses. UNFPA CO delivers the humanitarian response in Afghan refugee settlements, which is considered as one of the long-lasting humanitarian crises. The flood emergency which negatively impacted the life of people in Pakistan, brought the heavy impact in the lives of women and girls and duplicated pre-existing vulnerabilities. The access and availability of uninterrupted lifesaving reproductive health services, and GBV prevention, mitigation and response is a key priority of UNFPA.
In a world where fundamental human rights are challenged, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
It is against this backdrop that 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 excellent results.
Job Purpose:
In the current disaster prone and protracted crisis situation, the Humanitarian Programme Specialist will provide the technical assistance to deliver UNFPA’s strategic vision on the three transformative results. The specialist will be required to provide a high-quality guidance and integrated knowledge management and programmatic support to operationalize the innovation and resilience within the country programme. Their primary role is to accelerate the humanitarian response implementation by providing innovative solutions and support initiation of models and approaches that can be scaled up and replicated. In addition, to provide capacity development to UNFPA staff and implementing partners and knowledge management for innovative humanitarian approaches in flood affected areas and in response to the dire needs of Afghan refugees and flood affected population. In close coordination with humanitarian and development unit staff, including field offices, the Specialist is required to put in motion the interagency collaboration with aim to leverage the resources for better covering UNFPA mandate areas and target population in recovery phase of the flood emergency.
Qualifications and Experience
Education:
Advanced University degree in Health, Medicine, Sociology, Anthropology, International Relations, International Development or other related fields.
Knowledge and Experience:
At least 5 (five) years of increasingly responsible professional experience in humanitarian program implementation work preferably in the area of resilience building and innovative projects management aimed to improve SRH and GBV service delivery in emergencies; Substantive knowledge and practical experience in humanitarian strategy implementation; Experience in resilience programming and humanitarian development and peace nexus Knowledge of warehousing and supply chain management in humanitarian settings Good understanding of the UN humanitarian response system, particularly in the joint programming and partnership contexts; Field experience, preferably working in a multi-cultural environment; Strong results orientation, with proven experience in using results-based management tools Good analytical and strategic thinking and sound judgment; team building and advocacy skills Experience in programme/project planning, design, follow-up, monitoring and evaluation Strong verbal and written communications skills are a strong asset.
Languages:
Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
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