Please note the closing date for this vacancy is extended to 28 December 2016.

Position Summary:

Under the guidance of the Director, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, the Representative post is located in the Country Office in Astana, Kazakhstan and has overall responsibilities for UNFPA representation, policy, programme, finance, staff and office administration in her/his country of assignment.  The Representative leads and motivates the UNFPA team in the development of innovative, relevant approaches for engagement on issues related to population and development, sexual and reproductive health and gender.

The Representative also acts as non-resident Country Director for Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. As Country Director the incumbent is responsible for policy, programme, finance, staff and office administration. In this function the incumbent is supported by the national staff in the respective country offices. The Representative leads and motivates the UNFPA team in the development of innovative, relevant approaches for engagement on issues related to population and development, sexual and reproductive health and gender.

The Country Office is in the process of developing a new model of engagement that will include the development of new partnerships, leading and building a new approach that involves a combination of Government co-finance activities to advance ICPD implementation and south-south cooperation that will allow to leverage partnerships in Kazakhstan and Central Asia for global impact and to transform the way that UNFPA operates in the new international aid environment. Thus, the Representative will also advise and assist the Director of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office in overall direction and strategic leadership of the Organization particularly related to the implementation of projects and initiatives that serve to  strengthen coordination and cooperation between the countries of Central Asia  as well as leveraging political and financial resources from countries and potential donors  and maximizing and accelerating  opportunities for South to South collaboration, especially for programme and technical support to countries in the Central Asian region, within the overall framework of the UNFPA Regional Programme.

Requirements and Qualifications

Education: 

Post-graduate university degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Public Health, Medicine, Sociology, Demography, Gender, International Relations, International Development, Economics, Public Administration, Management or other related field.

Knowledge and Experience:

• 15 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in public administration and international development of which at least 8 years in the field of population and development at the international level;
• Job knowledge and technical expertise –up-to-date knowledge of issues of population and development, sexual and reproductive health, and gender, and their place in the development agenda;
• Proven ability to lead and manage teams to achieve demonstrable results;
• Excellent communication skills in speaking and writing in English;
• Strong interest in development work, especially the mission of the United Nations Population Fund and dedication to the principles of the United Nations; and,
• Field experience is essential.

Languages:

Fluency in English. Fluency in Russian is considered an advantage.