Organizational Background:

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health (SRH) agency. Its global mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Under the SRH programme in Palestine, UNFPA works to promote access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. This includes increasing access to quality and comprehensive SRH services, strengthen the capacity of local healthcare systems, health providers, and community organizations to deliver quality SRH services, promote gender equality, and respond effectively to issues related to SRHR, conduct research, data collection, and analysis to better understand the specific SRHR needs of the Palestinian population, enabling evidence-based programming and policy formulation, Increasing awareness and advocacy efforts regarding SRHR. In addition to fostering partnerships and collaborations with governmental bodies, civil society organizations, and community leaders to ensure a coordinated approach towards achieving SRH objectives, including interventions related to the humanitarian response for SRH.

The Position:

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:

Project management

• In collaboration with UNICEF, WHO, Government counterparts, NGOs and other partners, the Program Officer will formulate, integrate, and implement the joint project work plans, within UNFPA country programme, to ensure achievement of the project objectives, using a human rights-based approach. This entails day-to-day coordination with UNFPA staff, organization of and participation in relevant committee meetings, UN coordination meetings, annual programme and project reviews, and the provision of technical, programmatic and managerial support to implementing partners.

Close follow up on the three major project outputs through monitoring project progress, establishing collaborative partnerships with implementing partners (IPs), technical experts, government counterparts and other UN agencies, to facilitate timely and efficient delivery of project outputs.

• Oversee achievement of project results by ensuring appropriate policies and procedures are applied by IPs and appropriate monitoring and oversight mechanisms, tools and systems are established and implemented.
• Ensure compliance with project monitoring and evaluation requirements, including the preparation of financial and narrative reports; identifying project constraints and recommend corrective actions; and monitoring project expenditures and disbursements to ensure delivery is in line with the approved project budgets and results and resources framework. S/he will conduct field monitoring visits to project sites, meet and liaise with project staff, participate in review meetings and evaluation missions.
• Support communications and advocacy on the project and SRH, including the collection and dissemination of success stories.
• Ensure the creation, collection and documentation of knowledge about the project through the analysis of the project strategies, approaches and ongoing experience for lessons learned, best practices, and use this knowledge for information sharing, planning future strategies, and possible project scale up.
• Work closely with UNFPA operations team, particularly finance, to ensure proper and timely financial follow up and reporting.

Technical and management Support to the overall SRH portfolio

• Support planning efforts of the UNFPA SRH program including regular assessment of needs and changes on the ground, develop and design new interventions/initiatives as needed.
• Participate actively in developing and reviewing of different country office joint proposals or specifically to SRH, highlight gaps and ensure smooth follow up with relevant focal points.
• Support the overall SRH programme implementation through establishing collaborative relationships with executing and implementing agencies and supporting them technically and operationally. This includes support planning and implementation of SRH interventions under the UNFPA humanitarian response plan, supporting preparedness to SRH needs, and strengthening the coordination with the humanitarian relevant clusters and working groups such as the SRH working group.
• Identify technical assistance needs for the SRH projects from various sources including national institutions/experts, UNFPA advisors and international consultants and facilitate delivery of technical outputs.
• Provide technical, programmatic and managerial support to implementing partners to ensure quality management of UNFPA funded sub-contracts, to ensure effective implementation and quality delivery of SRH services and rights in coordination with relevant UNFPA staff.

Any other related duties as may be required.

Work Relations:

The SRH Program Officer will maintain collaborative relationships with all operations and programme staff in the organization. S/he will work in cooperation with the rest of SRH team and other UNFPA staff based in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza offices and those working remotely. Moreover, s/he will also maintain collaborative relations with external contacts including UNFPA governmental and civil society partners, I/NGOs and other stakeholders, participating agencies WHO, UNICEF and other relevant UN agencies in the country.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Advanced university degree in Midwifery, Medicine, Public Health or any related field is a requirement.

Knowledge and Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience working with project/program management for SRH or public health projects is required
• Significant experience of results-based management and strategic planning.
• Experience partnering or working with a variety of partners, including governmental partners, civil society and international organizations.
• Previous experience with the UN organization is an asset.
• Strong technical understanding of the Palestinian health system.
• Ability to elaborate reports, document and disseminate good practices.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Computer literacy – Word, Excel, Power-point, etc.
• Strong interest and motivation for inter-agency coordination.

Languages:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic

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:

• Advocacy/ Advancing a Policy-oriented agenda
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/ building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Delivering results-oriented programmes
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization

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.