UNFPA Technical Adviser - Reproductive Health Commodities, Technical Division, P5

We are pleased to advertise the following vacancy:

VACANCY NO: Job ID 2182

CLOSING DATE: 27 February 2013 (5.00 p.m. New York time)

POST TITLE: Technical Adviser – Reproductive Health Commodities
CATEGORY: ICS-12 (P-5)

POST NUMBER: 78492

DUTY STATION: New York

POST TYPE: Non -Rotational

DURATION: One year (renewable)

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Commodity Security Branch (CSB), Technical Division

ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION: The Technical Adviser for Reproductive Health Commodities is located in the Commodity Security Branch (CSB) of the Technical Division, and reports directly to the Chief of CSB who provides overall strategic direction. The Technical Adviser applies an integrated coordinated, and systems strengthening approach which is fundamental to the Division’s and UNFPA’s overall strategy. S/he is a key adviser at the global level for integrated technical and programme advice in RHCS.

The Technical Adviser works with an interdisciplinary team within the Women RH cluster. S/he liaises with other technical and programme staff in the Youth and adolescent cluster and across TD, PD, ROs, and COs.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Technical Adviser post provides strategic technical and programmatic leadership to ensure that UNFPA commitment to the UN Commodities commission is fulfilled and universal access to reproductive health commodities is firmly placed within the global development agenda, including the achievement of the MDGs and within the ICPD Beyond 2014 and the post-MDG/Post-2015 agenda and. The UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children (the Commission) took on the challenge outlined in UN Secretary General’s Global Strategy of saving lives through improving equitable access to life saving commodities.

Responsibilities of the Technical Adviser include: Provide technical guidance and ensure UNFPA leadership in interagency work and regional and country level engagement on meeting the recommendations of the UN Commodities Commission, especially as lead convener for two commodities (Female Condom and Misoprostol) and one recommendation area (Supply and Awareness) is performed successfully.
Provide advice and oversight, as well as ensuring quality and the delivery of results, in all programmes in the areas of Reproductive Health Commodity Security (RHCS). In the broadest definition, this post is multi- sectoral and crosscutting, engaging in all issues affecting commodity security, policy, system strengthening, supply management, demand generation, quality, availability, accessibility and sustainability of RH commodities.

Provide advice and oversight in the development of country plans building on existing and on-going national planning exercises, such as those emanating from the “Child Survival Call to Action” and the “Family Planning Summit” and other events referenced in the Commission’s report. In all activities, s/he fosters collaboration within TD, with the Programme Division, including Humanitarian Response, with Regional offices, and with the UNFPA Technical network, ensuring the timeliness, adequacy and relevance and quality of substantive outputs. The primary roles of the Technical Adviser for Reproductive Health Commodities are:

• Strategic technical support, monitoring and oversight • Capacity development • Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination • Technical representation

A. Strategic technical support monitoring and oversight

• Coordinate interagency work and regional and country level engagement on meeting the recommendations of the UN Commodities Commission • Provide strategic technical advice and oversight in the development, implementation and evaluation of country plans • Lead the global advocacy efforts among all partners for—and facilitate adoption of—an integrated approach to RHCS that takes as its foundation the reliable and consistent availability of planned RH commodities. This integrated approach is complemented by a focus on issues of quality of care, improvements to the national environment as well as questions of access and demand. • Identify priority areas in RHCS and develop UNFPA strategic positions and related policies, frameworks, evidence-based arguments, and operational strategies, in collaboration and coordination with other Branches, for overall system strengthening; • Provide support to coordinate action for the implementation of the GPRHCS II • Implement a RHCS quality assurance framework, including quality assessment of the technical delivery system; • Identify and analyze global trends, threats and risks in RHCS that may affect the ICPD and post -2015 agenda and UNFPA’s work; • Understand and respond to the needs of the field through the regional offices, in developing and updating policies, frameworks, guidance, standards, instruments and tools; • Develop RHCS related indicators, tools and guidance for evaluations; • Contribute to technical support efforts with global partners such as the UN Commodities Commission, RH Supplies Coalition and other multi-and bilaterals, technical agencies and foundations and develop joint RHCS initiatives and approaches for UNFPA global leadership in this area. • Identify and provide advice, in RHCS, on UNFPA’s comparative and substantive role and specific contribution in the changing development agenda; and • Provide cutting edge technical advice to the Division Director and senior management of UNFPA.

B. Capacity development

• Maintain and foster substantive and intellectual global partnerships in RHCS for advancing state-of-the-art knowledge, especially in the area of Supply and Awareness; • Develop and manage substantive partnerships and collaborations with other UN agencies in the UN commodities commission, including in the context of the UNDG; • Lead advocacy for and capacity development of institutions in Total Market approach for sustainable RH supplies and reducing inequalities in access. . • Contribute to substantive technical capacity development of international institutions; • Identify, develop and adapt training materials and manuals in the substantive area and ensure their availability for capacity development; • Contribute to and validate a roster of international experts and institutions in the substantive area; • Coach and manage junior professional, staff and associates, direct expert consultants and facilitate working groups and task teams and,. • Draft and adapt training materials and manuals in the substantive area and support their implementation for capacity development;

C. Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination

• Assist in the process of identifying, analyzing and synthesizing state-of-the-art technical knowledge and evidence in RHCS; • Make significant contributions to UNFPA’s analytic work program to ascertain lessons-learned from implementation and to refine methodologies for effective RHCS within a decentralized planning and budgeting context, • Contribute to the successful execution of impact evaluations and provide support in developing a prioritized operational research agenda for UNFPA. • Remain knowledgeable and up-to-date on all technical and implementation issues that relate to RHCS as well other components of Health systems development to periodically update other the Inter-Divisional Working group members involved in the Program.
• Contribute to and review materials for both internal and external audiences, including presentations, talking points, briefing materials and background documents for Sr. management within UNFPA’s participation in high level external meetings. • Assist in promoting in the substantive area, UNFPA’s comparative substantive role and specific contribution in the changing development agenda.

D. Technical representation

• Represent UNFPA on the UN Commodities Commission, elaborate UNFPA’s global perspective, and advocate for these issues in international, inter-governmental, U.N., and other policy and technical meetings and fora; • Convene commodity –specific technical working group meetings of the UN Commodities Commission • Develop and maintain a pro-active, strategic role in working with the FP 2020 Initiative and the RH Supplies Coalition to promote a focus on the implementation of the ICPD PoA and the achievement of the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda. • Collaborate with UN agencies, academia, research and training institutions, professional societies, and act as focal point for inter-agency working groups in the substantive area; • Act as the Division’s RHCS focal point for one of the UNFPA regions; and • Carry out any other duties as may be required by the Branch Chief or Division Director.

Work Relations

External partners include UN agencies (as part of the UN Commodities Commission), donor and programme countries, international organizations including FP 2020 initiative, the RH Supplies Coalition, Centers of Excellence, foundations both US based and global, IGOs such as IPPF, NGOs, Academia, and Research Institutions, professional associations, and international experts in order to maintain and foster technical networks and partnerships and to ensure that evidence and state-of-the-art knowledge is integrated into UNFPA technical guidance and tools. The Technical Adviser is the technical area spokesperson of UNFPA, presenting opportunities for collaboration, influencing partners and stakeholders in strategic direction, and maintaining the profile of UNFPA as a leader in the technical field.

Internal partners include UNFPA HIV/AIDS branch, Programme Advisers and Specialists in the Programme Division and as well as technical staff in Regional, Sub-Regional, and country offices, for promoting knowledge sharing; establishing effective functional links for the exchange of lessons learned and documentation of success stories; and promoting an effective and integrated technical approach in the substantive area.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Education:
Post-graduate University Degree or equivalent in public health, medicine, logistics management, social sciences of business or other related field. The graduate or post graduate degree must be directly related to the substantive area identified in the title of the post. A course in logistics, essential drugs, and MIS is a plus. Knowledge and Experience: • 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the substantive technical area ideally with direct experience relating to logistics systems, of which seven years at the international level; • Extensive knowledge of supply management: forecasting, warehousing, distribution, transportation and logistics information systems. • General knowledge of the principles and operational aspects of integrated reproductive health care • Proven ability to produce demonstrable results; • Extensive network within the development community; • Demonstrated leadership in the area of RHCS

Languages: Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

Other Desirable Skills:

Initiative, strong conceptual abilities, sound judgment, strong interest in development work, especially the mission of the United Nations Population Fund and dedication to the principles of the United Nations.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Values/Guiding Principles • Developing People • Personal Leadership and Effectiveness • Building and Managing Relationships

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: • Conceptual innovation in the provision of technical expertise – developing innovative and creative approaches. • Leveraging the resources of national government and international partners, and building strategic alliances and partnerships – identifying and building partnerships. • Job knowledge and expertise – in depth knowledge of discipline. • Adaptation and application of knowledge/innovations in different contexts • Integration in a multidisciplinary environment

How to apply:

HOW TO APPLY:

UNFPA has established an electronic application management system. This allows applicants to create a candidate profile, which can be updated regularly and submitted for more than one vacancy.

Download the Step by Step Guide to Applying in the E-Recruit System of UNFPA athttp://www.unfpa.org/employment/application_guide.doc.

Please print out the Guide for your reference during the registration and application process.

Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

UNFPA reserves the right to appoint prior to closing date.

This is a project-funded post.