Job Identification : 14104

Locations : Istanbul, Türkiye

Posting Date : 10/12/2023, 06:57 AM

Apply Before : 10/26/2023, 09:00 PM

Job Schedule : Full time

Grade : P4

Vacancy Type : Fixed Term

Rotational/Non Rotational : Non-Rotational

Contract Duration : 1 Year with Possibility for extension

Education and Work Experience : Master’s Degree – 7 year(s) experience OR Bachelor’s Degree – 9 year(s) experience

Required Languages : English

Desired Languages

Ukrainian, Russian, or Slavik language

Vacancy Timeline : 2 Weeks

Job Category : Humanitarian & Emergency Response

Job Description

Background:

With an increasing number of tensions and crises in Eastern Europe and Central Asia over the last few years in direct relation to the overall deterioration of the situation in many countries due to several interrelated factors (economic, political, social and geopolitical) which led to a significant increase of the risks that may affect countries in the region, UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECARO) is playing an increasingly significant role in humanitarian response and preparedness effort in the region.

In order to fulfill this purpose, EECARO has established a humanitarian team whose primary goals are to coordinate and provide tailored technical and operational support, with a specific focus on the areas of responsibility of UNFPA, namely gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH), both for emergency preparedness and response, for programme delivery as well as humanitarian coordination with UN agencies and partners at both the national and regional levels.

Under the overall guidance of EECARO Regional Director and the supervision of EECARO Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, the team has been expanding rapidly and is composed of several specialists, including individuals specialized in SRH in emergencies (SRHiE), GBV in emergencies (GBViE), Information Management, and Programme management.

The humanitarian team may later be strengthened with other profiles based on the evolving context, needs and capacity.

Purpose:

UNFPA EECARO requires a Regional SRHiE Specialist to coordinate and provide tailored technical, operational support and practical solutions on SRHiE programmatic and coordination matters to UNFPA partners and country offices in all countries in EECA that are affected by an acute or protracted crisis and/or face risks for a deterioration of the situation, including Ukraine and neighboring countries including in the European Union (EU) countries affected directly or indirectly by the crisis. Other countries in EECA may also require support from the Regional Office for SRH-related emergency responses, preparedness planning, and/or capacity building.

Role description:

Under the overall guidance of EECARO Regional Director and the direct supervision of EECARO Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, the Regional SRHiE Specialist supports UNFPA country offices (COs) and partners in strategic decision-making processes at country and regional levels in emergency response efforts with the aim to promote SRHiE programming and coordination and the timely implementation of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISH) for SRH at the onset of crises, based on the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) Field Manual and other UNFPA and inter-agency guidelines.

The regional SRHiE Specialist supports strategic decision-making processes at country and regional levels in emergency response efforts with the aim to promote SRH programming and the implementation of quality SRH services in preparedness, humanitarian crises, resilience building, and early recovery situations. The incumbent also encourages and assists COs and UNFPA partners and implementing partners (IP) in capacity building and establishing relevant partnerships with other humanitarian stakeholders, NGOs, donors and government counterparts, not only in countries in EECA where UNFPA has country offices, but also in neighboring countries such as EU countries. The incumbent may also provide tailored support to UNFPA COs in their internal and inter-agency preparedness and contingency planning efforts.

More specifically, the regional SRHiE specialist will provide remote support in both emergency preparedness and response efforts to UNFPA COs and partners, including for capacity building for SRHiE; develop tools and guidance notes; review contingency plans and national DRR and preparedness strategies; support planning and development of country office responses; review response-related documents such as fund requests and donor proposals; and provide guidance and insight on the best ways to advocate for survivor-centered responses, and apply the strategies, plans and tools in order to best respond to the SRH-related needs of affected populations in the region.

The incumbent will work under the overall guidance of UNFPA EECARO Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director, under the direct supervision of EECARO Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, and in close collaboration with UNFPA SRH advisor, specialists and analysts as well as specialists in other fields of expertise (GBViE, communication, resource mobilization, operations etc) at country level, in EECARO and in UNFPA Humanitarian Response Division (HRD), Geneva. The regional GBViE specialist will also collaborate with partners at the regional level but also at country level, in countries where UNFPA does not have country offices.

In order to provide the most field-driven support to colleagues and partners responding to the crisis, the successful candidate will be based in Istanbul, Turkey, and will undertake frequent missions to the different countries affected by crises (including in Ukraine) and others where support for preparedness is needed.

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 three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who 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.

Duties and responsibilities

The following responsibilities are to be prioritized based on current and evolving humanitarian situations and needs of countries within EECA.

Coordination and Partnership

•  Represent UNFPA in regional interagency emergency response and preparedness coordination meetings and establish relationships with UN sister agencies and governmental agencies in order to ensure that SRHiE needs are addressed and prioritized, map key actors, identify SRHiE-related gaps in the responses provided by local, national and international actors, and provide support based on needs, requests and UNFPA capacities and resources.
•  Support the establishment of relevant partnerships with humanitarian stakeholders, including government, UN agencies, INGO and CSOs throughout EECA, as appropriate
•  Represent UNFPA and the SRH mandate in national health working groups in countries without UNFPA operational presence, in order to ensure that SRH gaps are identified, and needs are understood and prioritized.
•  Support the SRH working group coordination mechanism in country offices that have UNFPA-led working groups, ensure cross fertilization and coordination with other working groups and clusters / sectors, including for health, GBV, CMR, MHPSS, and CVA
•  Regularly represent UNFPA in other relevant working groups (such as inclusion, GBV, cash and voucher assistance, information management, Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) etc.), and in the Refugee Health Extension (RHE) to advocate for the integration of SRH into intersectoral programming and to foster multi-country collaboration amongst agencies.
•  Support UNFPA country offices to assess the capacity of existing implementing partners and explore new partnerships including with non-traditional partners such as private sectors, universities etc. as necessary
•  Nurture close partnerships and collaboration with UNFPA SRH advisors, specialists and analysts (both from staff and colleagues deployed on surge), in country offices, EECARO and in the UNFPA Humanitarian Response Division, Geneva.
•  Ensure integration of SRH work with other UNFPA humanitarian actors and regional specialists, including for adolescents and youth, communication, HIV/STI, gender, human resources, security, resource mobilization and partnership, monitoring and evaluation and operations.
•  Participate in crisis response teams (CRT) as needed to support the coordination of new onset emergencies.

Tailored operational and technical support on SRH

•  Provide technical inputs and support for the minimum initial service package (MISP), maternal and newborn health, family planning, STIs and HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, women’s preventative and curative health care, and clinical management of rape and to aim for comprehensive SRH services as soon as is possible in the given specific context.
•  Support submissions to the country and regional-level sitreps / snapshots and ensure that SRH is clearly and well represented in RO level communications (stories, social media etc.)
•  Provide support to country offices for the planning of SRH procurement, transport, distribution and post distribution monitoring of commodities and medical supplies
•  Support creative SRH programming including for cash and voucher and integration of SRH into GBV and MHPSS programming and for consideration into intersectoral response interventions
•  Lead the development of regional-level humanitarian SRH analysis and strategy, guidance notes and tools for sharing
•  Provide strategic advice to country offices and EECARO senior management as needed and upon request, including for the preparation of talking points and other documents ahead of external and internal high-level meetings
•  Ensure alignment and compliance of country office-level humanitarian responses with UNFPA standards and policies and procedures, providing practical guidance to country offices in the implementation of international standards, including from the Interagency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises (IAWG).
•  Assist with the development of SRH referral pathways and community level information, education, communication, and outreach materials.
•  If needed, implementing partner management may be required to support and oversee programming on the ground and to ensure quality, timely completion, adherence to UNFPA reporting, and fiscal monitoring.
•  Conduct missions to provide in-person technical support and capacity building as needed throughout EECA.
•  Supervise field/roving SRHiE and MHPSS positions, based in countries with no country offices; support relationship and collaboration with other UN agencies and local CSOs.

Capacity Development

•  Evaluate gaps in knowledge on SRH at the local level and support country and regional level capacity development to ensure quality implementation of robust services and referral systems and the presence of trained SRH providers; based on gaps, consider the need for training of clinical management of rape, MISP, SRH commodities, family planning etc. and the need to adapt to the country context.
•  Provide briefing/orientations and coaching to newly recruited staff and newly deployed surge staff, where appropriate, and as requested by UNFPA country offices, with a focus on MISP, SRHiE and UNFPA ongoing interventions.
•  Support intercountry knowledge sharing on SRHiE tools, good practices and lessons learned
•  Coach and build capacity of UNFPA staff members and staff of implementing partners responding to regional humanitarian crises, as needed, and upon request by UNFPA country offices and respective partners.
•  Support the creation of the regional pool of the SRHiE experts from EECA countries

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

•  Support UNFPA SRH specialists in country offices and UNFPA implementing partners to ensure appropriate SRH indicators and to collect relevant Sex, Age and Disability Disaggregated (SADD) data on populations reached and services provided, including for local populations, IDPs, third country nationals, and refugees.
•  Conduct monitoring visits where appropriate, and ensure a systematic approach for tracking coverage of targeted populations by UNFPA assistance in humanitarian settings.
•  Work closely with the UN partners and national counterparts (MOH), operations teams and logisticians regarding SRH distribution of commodities and medical supplies, and ensure that country level teams are adhering to last mile assurance principles and standards for storage and tracking of commodities.

Knowledge Management

•  Contribute to the global knowledge on SRHiE by capturing best practices and lessons learned from UNFPA humanitarian operations at the country and regional levels.
•  Contribute to the efficient and rational storage of UNFPA information for the humanitarian team, ensuring that all SRHiE relevant documents are in UNFPA folders and accessible by other UNFPA colleagues when needed for knowledge and continuity of programming.
•  Complete mission reports and training reports on time and, depending on the context, share with country offices, working groups, and regional level staff for full accountability, lessons learned, recommendations, and program transparency.

Resource Mobilization

•  Support Humanitarian Response Plans, and Regional Refugee Response Plans, and Flash Appeals where needed; contribute to resource mobilization and reporting efforts, including for Emergency Funds, the Humanitarian Thematic funds, CERF, and bilateral donor agreements.
•  Support EECARO and country office resource mobilization efforts including proposal development and review, with a focus on SRHiE coordination and programming.
•  Contribute to donor reporting both at the country and regional levels, represent at donor meetings and potentially at bilateral in-person meetings when requested.

Emergency Preparedness and Contingency Planning

•  Review, when required, internal and inter-agency contingency plans, emergency preparedness plans and documents to support integration of SRHiE, including country contingency plans, national DRR plans, disaster management laws or other relevant humanitarian preparedness and response policies.
•  Ensure that MISP principles are well understood by staff at the country office level and the basics of UNFPA rapid response and humanitarian programming, should it be required.

Any Other Duties

•  The incumbent will carry out any other duties that may arise and as required by EECARO Regional Director and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator.

Qualifications and Experience

•  Clinical degree (midwifery, medicine, nursing)
•  Advanced university degree in Public Health or relevant Social Sciences.
•  A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional humanitarian experience, including experience in programming and coordination of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Emergencies (SRHiE). In the absence of a Master or equivalent degree, 9 years of relevant experience are required.
•  Substantive knowledge and practical experience in the programming and coordination of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for SRH in crises in humanitarian and post-conflict recovery settings;
•  Experience and capacity in development and delivery of MISP and SRHiE training components to UN, government, NGO, and community level participants.
•  Ability to develop and coordinate SRH programs that target refugees, IDPs/returnees and their host communities.
•  Expertise in integrating SRH and GBV programming an asset.
•  Field experience in complex emergencies, including humanitarian emergency response.
•  Experience working in a politically sensitive conflict context is an asset.
•  Demonstrated leadership and management experience within a multinational and multicultural environment.
•  Must be a strong team player, supportive, empathic and dedicated. Ability to establish harmonious working relations in an international and multicultural environment;
•  Experience in remote working and remote management/supporting is highly desirable.
•  Willing and capable of traveling to Ukraine, Moldova and other countries in EECA and EU is a must (of course while taking into consideration all security and safety measures taken by the United Nations in each country)
•  Knowledge of and work experience in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region is an asset. Work experience in developed and upper-middle income countries is an asset.
•  Fluency in English required. Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian or another Slavik language is highly desirable
•  Strong advocacy and written and oral communication skills required.
•  Excellent computer literacy (MS office applications including Word, Excel and Power-point and Internet skills).

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, teamwork, Embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities for all including persons with disabilities.

Disclaimer:

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm

In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.