Position Title: Assistant Representative
Grade: Fixed Term Contract - NOD
Location: Nairobi
Duration: 1 year, annual renewal based on availability of funding
Organizational Unit: UNFPA Kenya Country Office
Under the guidance of the UNFPA Representative or Deputy Representative the Assistant Representative designs, develops and manages an innovative and responsive country programme.
He/she responds creatively to complex challenges and frequently changing demands in terms of a fluctuating resource base, multiple funding arrangements and donor contacts, and complex programme/project execution modalities.
The Assistant Representative advances the ICPD policy agenda in a politically sensitive environment responding to changing substantive priorities of Governments.
The Assistant Representative facilitates and coordinates technical advisers and experts and promotes partnership, synergy and strategic alliances with counterparts in government, multi-lateral and bi-lateral agencies and civil society.
The Assistant Representative leads the programme team, inspiring it to translate the regional and country goals into specific solutions and results.
He/she acts on behalf of the Representative/Country Director in his or her absence.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Conducts substantive policy dialogue with Government counterparts and UN and other development partners to facilitate the incorporation of UNFPA’s programme priorities and ICPD agenda into national plans and strategies, UN systems initiatives and development frameworks (CCA, UNDAF, PRSPs, SWAPs, CAPs, MDG)
- Translates global strategies into country specific advocacy strategies, creates and delivers effective evidence-based advocacy messages to promote UNFPA’s programme goals taking into account political and social sensitivities.
- Promotes a results based approach and integrates innovative policies and strategies into the design and formulation of country programmes, sub-programmes and projects based on strategic priorities and responsive to the countries’ needs in the areas of reproductive health, population and development and gender.
- Facilitates the achievement of programme results by identifying, providing and coordinating substantive and technical inputs into programme development and implementation, ensuring substantive monitoring and oversight and coordinating and evaluating the inputs of consultants and technical experts.
- Promotes knowledge sharing and continuous learning, testing, linking and documenting innovative strategies, approaches, lessons learned and best practices inside and outside UNFPA and replicating these strategies and approaches.
- Ensures that programme staff integrate new substantive policies, methodologies and tools (RBM, gender concepts etc)
- Mobilizes co-financing resources for support to the country programme recommending a strategic approach and encouraging Country Office action.
- Assists the government and other executing agencies in the coordination of assistance for population programmes.
Functional Competencies
Advocacy/Advancing a policy oriented agenda
- Creates effective evidence-based advocacy messages and strategies using opportunities to bring forward and disseminate advocacy work.
- Performs analysis of economic and political situations and scenarios and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses.
Results-based programme development and management
- Achieves results by effectively monitoring, evaluating programmes and projects and managing the projects’ human, financial and information resources.
- Seeks out best practices and innovative approaches and applies them to programme/project development and implementation.
Innovation and marketing of new approaches
- Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals using documented successes and lessons learned in the design of innovative approaches.
- Identifies new approaches that are replicable, generalizable and promotes their use in other situations.
- Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/Building strategic alliances and partners
- Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances with institutions and individuals relevant to UNFPA’s mandate and strategic agenda.
- Sensitizes UN partners, donors and government authorities to the Fund’s strategic agenda, identifying areas for joint efforts.
Resource mobilization
- Analyzes information on potential bilateral donors and government authorities to recommend a strategic approach.
- Promotes and encourages Country Office action for increased contribution to core resources, including cost sharing modalities
Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Health or Social Sciences, preferably in Public Health, Population Studies, Sociology, Management or Public Administration;
- At least 8 to 10 years of increasingly responsible professional and managerial experience in the field of development and humanitarian operation at the national levels
- Experience in the field of reproductive health/safe motherhood and family planning, with preferably some experience on gender and development issues.
- Prior experience in the UN system will be an asset;
- Fluency in written and spoken English. Working knowledge of Kiswahili;
- Proficiency in current office software applications.
Application Procedures
Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications may send their applications to email address: kenya.recruit@unfpa.org by Friday 11 July 2014, quoting the post title on the subject line.
Applications should have a cover letter, curriculum vitae, names and contacts of three referees.
Applications received via other means will not be accepted.