Background Information:

The Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project (SWEDD) is a regional collaboration encompassing Cameroun, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Benin, and is funded by the World Bank’s regional IDA (International Development Association) resources. The Project acts on the UN-World Bank commitment and partnership to address the Demographic Dividend in the Sahel. The overall goal of the project is to accelerate the demographic transition, to spur the demographic dividend, and to reduce gender inequality in the participating countries.

The SWEDD Project interventions are structured around 3 primary components: (1) Generate demand for reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health, and nutrition (RMNCHN) services by promoting social and behavioral change and the empowerment of women and adolescent girls; (2) Reinforce the regional availability of RMNCHN commodities and qualified health workers; (3) Reinforce advocacy and dialogue at high levels and promote policy development and the project’s implementation.

Project governance is vested in a Regional Steering Committee, supported by the Regional Technical Secretariat (RTS) located at the UNFPA’s West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO). The RTS is responsible for strengthening project management capacities of implementing agencies at national and regional levels. It also oversees the programming and implementation of all funding channeled through UNFPA for the project activities directly executed by UNFPA or sub-contracted to other agencies and partners.

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 (2018-2021), 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 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 program results.

The Position:

The Programme Specialist Demographic Dividend, Population Dynamics and Big Data provides strategic, technical and programmatic support for the Sahel Women Empowerment and Demographic Dividend project (SWEDD) Regional Technical Secretariat (RTS) and the region in the areas of demographic dividend, population dynamics and big data.

You will work under the direct supervision of the SWEDD Regional Coordinator and in collaboration with the Evidence, Knowledge, Data and Policy Unit at the West & Central Africa Regional Office.

Qualifications and Experience

Education: 

• Advanced university degree in quantitative social sciences, such as epidemiology, statistics, demography, sociology, economics or related disciplines.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum five years of professional experiences in programme/project management, specifically dealing with the interrelationships between population and development, including issues of poverty and/or health economics, population dynamics, demographic dividend, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in modeling the interrelationships of social sectors and development with the application of internationally accepted methodologies.
• Demonstrated understanding of national planning, programming and budgeting processes.
• Strong analytical, synthesis and communication skills on issues related to development, while ensuring respect for aspects sensitive to the culture and values ​​specific to populations.
• Demonstrated experience in the application of demo-economic modeling and monitoring evaluation methods and tools (NTA, DemDiv, small area estimations), as well as statistical methodologies (including statistical packages such as STATA or SPSS).
• Demonstrated mastery of methods and techniques for data quality assessment, processing and analysis using a variety of health and population sources (DHS, MICS and population census).
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the socio-cultural and political context in SWEDD countries.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent report writing and compelling oral presentations.
• Familiarity with the UN system is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken French is required.
• Working knowledge of English.