Maternal Health/Sexual and Reproductive Health Technical Adviser, P5, Technical Division

We are pleased to announce the following vacancy:

VACANCY NO.: Job ID 2634

CLOSING DATE: 3 September 2014 (5.00 p.m. New York time)

POST TITLE: Maternal Health/Sexual and Reproductive Health Technical Adviser

CATEGORY: ICS-12 (equivalent to P-5)*POST NUMBER: 41850

DUTY STATION: New York

POST TYPE: Rotational*

DURATION: One year (renewable)

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Sexual and Reproductive Health Branch, Technical Division

1. Organizational Location

UNFPA’s Maternal Health Thematic Fund (MHTF), which includes the Midwifery Program and the Campaign to End Fistula, is an important contributor to accelerating the attainment of Millennium Development Goal 5 to improve maternal health. Launched in 2008, it is a strategic source of technical and financial support aimed at ensuring that women and girls, particularly those most marginalized, have access to high quality maternal health services through targeting countries confronted with high maternal mortality and morbidity. It is catalytic in approach, aligning with country-led processes to address health systems bottlenecks; promoting innovation; strengthening partnerships and uniquely focusing on evidence-based interventions aimed at advancing the maternal health agenda with proven results at the country level.

Technical Adviser, Maternal Health(MH)/ Sexual and Reproductive is located in the Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Branch of the Technical Division, and reports to the Reproductive Health Branch Chief who provides overall direction and guidance.

2. Job Purpose

The Technical Adviser on Maternal Health/SRH provides technical leadership and ensures overall technical coordination for effective and efficient implementation of the MHTF. He/she provides conceptual and operational support to regional office and countries to ensure the realization of agreed results of each business unit receiving support from the MHTF. Responsibilities of the maternal health/SRH adviser, include: providing technical oversight to the development of Annual Workplans (AWPs); developing strong, collaborative relationships across the organization and with external partners; ensuring the application of effective programme planning, monitoring and evaluation to track implementation and provide the ongoing feedback required for performance excellence and continuous organizational learning; identifying bottlenecks in programmatic implementation and devising strategies to address them; making the necessary assessment of regional and country interventions for the purpose of technical partnerships; establishing technical networks and modality for technical cooperation and assistance to countries; providing leadership to ensure that technical knowledge is updated, generated, collected, and disseminated for effective technical and policy dialogues as well as effective programming; and keeping abreast of the state of the art on SRH, especially maternal and newborn health bringing it to bear into UNFPA substantive work. She/he advises concerned units, including TD, Regional offices and country offices on priority setting and programming of maternal and newborn health in the context of SRH services including to countries beneficiaries of the Maternal Health Thematic Fund (MHTF).

In all activities, and working closely with the Global Non-Core Funds Management Unit, s/he fosters dialogue, collaboration and shares information with all concerned UNFPA HQ Divisions and Branches.

The primary roles of the Technical Adviser Maternal health/SRH adviser are:

1. Programme Management;
2. Strategic Technical Support;
3. Capacity Development;
4. Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination;
5. Representation.
6. Programme Management
7. Ensure the overall coordination of the MHTF, working in close collaboration with the Global Non-Core Funds Management Unit, with a view to maximizing the programme’s effectiveness and efficiency;
8. Support the development of overall workplans, with clear activities, roles and responsibilities;
9. Provide technical guidance to implementing units on the development of the programme components ;
10. Working closely with the Global Non-Core Management Unit, ensure the application of effective planning, monitoring and evaluation to track programme implementation and provide the ongoing feedback required for performance excellence;
11. Advise on the development of indicators and tools designed to support oversight of program results, analyze bottlenecks and identify corrective measures;
12. Conceptualize, develop, manage, monitor and be accountable for components of the Branch’s OMP and global programme outputs and indicators.
13. Strategic Technical Support
14. Scan the substantive environment and maintain feedback loops on technical issues with the Programme Division, Regional Offices and Country Offices in order to identify the gaps and needs in the area of maternal health and in the broad context of SRH and RR;
15. Mobilize technical assistance for situation analysis and assessments and adequate programme elements to address them;
16. Understand and respond to the needs of the field and identify opportunities, uses South-South cooperation in the execution and implementation of selected components of the MHTF;
17. Establish operational guidance to link resources to results, advises on indicators, and specifically support the development and utilization of programme indicators and indicator repository at TD;
18. Identify priority areas in maternal health/SRH, including as it relates to health system strengthening, and develop UNFPA strategic positions and related frameworks, evidence based arguments, and operational strategies, in collaboration and coordination with other Branches, for overall system strengthening;
19. Understand and respond to the needs of the field through the regional offices, in developing and updating policies, frameworks, guidance, standards, instruments and tools;
20. Identify and provide advice, on maternal health/SRH, on UNFPA’s comparative and substantive role and specific contribution in the changing development agenda;
21. Provide evidence-based arguments to support the identification of priority areas in maternal health within the SRH service package and mainstreaming maternal health/SRH in national development frameworks such as UNDAF, PRSPs and SWAps;
22. Assess and guide technical support needs and provide substantive support in reinforcing regional capacities for effective support to countries.
23. Analyze and synthesize missions reports of regional advisers together with monitoring reports on the implementation of the programme, with a view to ensuring optimum use of technical advisory services, recommend corrective actions, if necessary.
24. Capacity development
25. Maintain and foster substantive and intellectual global partnerships in the area of maternal health in the context of SRH and RR for advancing state-of-the-art knowledge;
26. Contribute to substantive technical capacity development of international institutions;
27. Identify, develop and adapt training materials and manuals on maternal health/SRH and ensure their availability for capacity development;
28. Coordinate the UNFPA technical network in maternal health/SRH, maintaining communication and feedback loops on all substantive work; and
29. Coach and manage junior professional staff and associates, direct expert consultants, and facilitate working groups and task teams, as necessary.
30. Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination
31. Lead the analysis and synthesis of trends and research findings in the implementation of the MHTF and related initiatives in order to produce cutting edge technical knowledge and evidence and ensure its transfer to improve the effectiveness of UNFPA operations;
32. Identify and synthesize state-of-the-art technical knowledge and evidence and ensure its transfer to improve the effectiveness of UNFPA operations;
33. Ensure that evidence, technical knowledge and analysis of lessons learned are collected, managed, disseminated and available for application in UNFPA operations, in collaboration with the Programme Division, the Regional Offices, and UNFPA technical network; and
34. Assemble briefing and background materials in the area of maternal health/SRH for senior management.
35. Representation
36. Represent UNFPA on maternal health/SRH, elaborate UNFPAs global perspective, and advocate for maternal health/SRH issues in international, inter-governmental, U.N., and other policy and technical meetings and fora;
37. Develop partnerships and collaborations with other UN agencies (WHO; UNICEF, World Bank; etc.) and other partners (Every Woman Every Child; PMNCH; USAID; IPPF, etc.);
38. Work in collaboration with staff in HQ, Regional/Sub-Regional Offices and country offices to provide state-of-the-art technical support;
39. 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;
40. Carry out any other duties as may be required by the Chief, Sexual and Reproductive Health Branch or the Director, Technical Division.

Work Relations

The Technical Adviser, Maternal health/SRH is responsible to forge and maintain productive working relationships with the following stakeholders:

Internal Partners: Country Offices, Regional/Sub-Regional Offices; other Branches in Technical Division; Programme Division (in particular, the Humanitarian and Fragile Contexts Branch); Information and External Relations Division (in particular, Media and Communication Branch; Resource Mobilization Branch), Finance Branch, Procurement Services Branch, Office of the Executive Director (in particular related to funds management) and other UNFPA organizational units.

External partners: UN agencies; multilateral fora (H4+; Every Woman Every Child; PMNCH, etc), donors, international organizations including Centers of Excellence, IGOs, NGOs, Academia, and Research Institutions, professional associations, international experts and others.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate University Degree or equivalent (preferably Ph.D.) in public health, medicine or other field directly related to the substantive area identified in the title of the post;
• 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the area of public health, of which seven years at the international level;
• An acknowledged expert and recognized authority in the area of maternal health and overall SRH/RR;
• Strong track record of technical leadership, and proven ability to demonstrate results;
• Demonstrated programme management skills;
• Extensive network within the academic and development community;
• Field experience is a strong asset.

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

****Competencies****

****Values****

• Integrity
• Commitment to UNFPA and the UN system
• Embracing diversity
• Embracing change

****Core competencies****

• Achieving results
• Being accountable
• Thinking analytically and strategically
• Working in teams
• Managing ourselves and relationships
• Communicating for impact

****Managerial Competencies****

• Providing strategic focus
• Engaging internal/external partners and stakeholders
• Leading, developing and empowering people/creating a culture of performance
• Making decisions and exercising judgment

****Functional Skill Sets:****

• Organizational Leadership
• Programme and Technical Delivery
• Operational Excellence
• Organizational Oversight

UNFPA Provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender quality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. We offer an attractive remuneration package commensurate with the level of the position. The package includes a competitive salary plus housing allowance, home leave, health insurance and other benefits

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

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.

Notice to applicants: In accordance with the 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, are required to renounce such status upon their appointment. Exceptions to this rule are very limited and can be made only for: (a) stateless persons; (b) newly appointed staff members who have applied for citizenship by naturalization, when such citizenship will be granted imminently; (c) acting staff members in the General Service and related categories with permanent residency status, on promotion to the Professional category; (d) staff members appointed under a temporary appointment. Please understand that UNFPA is not in a position to provide advice on or assistance in applying for any citizenship.

*No expectancy of renewal in accordance with UN Staff Regulation 4.5