The Position:

Under the overall guidance of UNFPA Deputy Representative and with direct supervision of the Humanitarian Specialist, based in Yangon, the Programme Specialist, SRHR is located in the sub-office in Sittwe, Rakhine State. The Programme Specialist, SRHR also acts as the head of Rakhine Sub-Office, manages the UNFPA Rakhine Sub-Office, and has direct oversight of the Maungdaw Sub-Office in northern Rakhine State including the coordination and oversight of staff managing and implementing the UNFPA Programme. 

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 programme results.

Job Purpose:

UNFPA’s Fourth Country Programme Document (2018-2022) for Myanmar was approved by the Executive Board in September 2017. The Programme focuses on three key areas of intervention 1) sexual and reproductive health) 2) gender equality and women’s empowerment and 3) population dynamics. The proposed Country Programme is aligned with new UNFPA’s Strategic Plan (2018-2021) and the first United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2018-2021). Youth and adolescents as well as gender equality and related human rights, are mainstreamed throughout the programme. UNFPA has partnerships with the government departments, UN agencies, INGOs and local NGOs, foundations and research institutions.  UNFPA has a presence in a number of priority states/regions, integrating development, peace building and humanitarian spectrums.

UNFPA has launched the second phase of the “Women and Girls First” Programme (2019-2022), which is a large multi-year, multi-donor initiative, that provides knowledge and technical leadership in partnership with civil society organizations and a wide range of national stakeholders to advance:  gender equality, improving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, responding to and preventing gender based violence (GBV) and integrating of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS). 

Emergency preparedness and humanitarian assistance are integrated in UNFPA’s work in Myanmar and are an important aspect in its proposed fourth country programme (2018-2022). UNFPA, in line with its global strategy, contributes to strengthening national capacity to provide sexual and reproductive health services, gender based violence prevention and response and the use of population and rights-based data in humanitarian settings. 

The programme specialist will lead implementation of UNFPA’s SRHR programme in Rakhine State which bridges the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus and oversee smooth implementation of UNFPA’s overall programme in central and northern Rakhine State including GBV including programming on GBV, MHPSS, and youth. This will include the provision of high quality technical, advocacy and coordination support in order to ensure compliance with international standards across the areas of UNFPA mandated areas of work.  The programme specialist is directly responsible for the implementation and coordination of SRHR programming with state government, NGOs and civil society partners; representation of UNFPA in humanitarian coordination mechanisms; management of the Sittwe and Manugdaw sub-offices as well as direct supervision of sub-office staff based in Sittwe and Maungdaw.

Requirements:

Qualifications and Experience

Education:  

Advanced university degree in medicine, public health, international development, social sciences or other related field.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• A minimum of 5 years of increasingly responsible relevant professional experience in SRHR programme implementation and service provision including experience in gender/GBV mainstreaming in health. 

• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in sexual reproductive health and rights programming in humanitarian and post-conflict recovery settings;

• Knowledge of gender issues in development, particularly regarding SRHR and GBV including relevant international human rights standards; and operational and advocacy experience implementing UNSC resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (1325, 1820, 1888, 1889 and 1960, 2347) and Youth, Peace and Security (2050) as an asset;

• Experience and capacity in development and delivery of SRHR training components to government, NGO, and community level participants. 

• Demonstrated leadership, facilitation, and team working skills and ability to establish harmonious working relations in an international and multicultural environment.

• Demonstrated representational, leadership and management skills. 

• Excellent computer literacy (windows environment, MS office applications including Word, Excel and Power-point and Internet skills).  

Languages: 

Fluency in English is required; Working knowledge of another UN language an asset.