The Position:

The Assistant Representative, in coordination with the Country Office Representative, designs, develops, and manages an innovative and responsive country programme. The incumbent will lead the programme team, inspiring it to translate the global, regional and country goals into tangible solutions and results.

How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies. 

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 seeks candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact and sustained results and ensure effective external relations, communications, and partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

The candidate will contribute to the management of UNFPA programme activities in the areas of Population and Development, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Gender. Working to advance the ICPD policy agenda in a politically sensitive, volatile and uncertain environment, she/he will respond to changing priorities of governments. Promoting partnerships and strategic alliances with counterparts in government, multilateral and bilateral agencies, financial institutions, civil society, academia, the private sector and the media will be key to the role. She/He will coordinate technical advisers and contribute to UN system coordination through participation in policy dialogue and provision of inputs into joint common system initiatives.
 

Reporting to the Country Office Representative, she/he will act on his/her behalf as required.

You would be responsible for:

• Conducting policy dialogue with Government, UN and other development partners to incorporate UNFPA’s priorities and agenda into national plans and strategies, and UN systems, initiatives and development frameworks.
• Translating global strategies into country-specific advocacy strategies. This includes creating and delivering evidence-based advocacy messages and expanding the normative role to promote UNFPA’s programme goals, considering political and social sensitivities.
• Promoting a results-based approach, integrating innovative policies and strategies into the design and formulation of country programmes, sub-programmes and projects. She/He will ensure programmes are responsive to the country’s needs in areas of UNFPA’s strategic priorities.
• Facilitating the achievement of programme results by identifying, providing and coordinating inputs into programme development and implementation, ensuring programme monitoring and oversight, and coordinating and evaluating the inputs of consultants and technical experts.
• Promoting knowledge sharing and continuous learning including testing, evaluating and documenting innovative strategies and best practices internal and external to UNFPA, and integrating these as appropriate.
• Contributing to resource mobilization and the shift from funding to financing by identifying potential donors, preparing proposals including outlining co-financing resources for support to the country programme, and supporting the government and other agencies in coordinating assistance for programmes.
• Leading rapid adaptation of programme management to respond to the changing environment arising from humanitarian situations to reach displaced populations and LNOB using common operational data on population statistics and the provision of life-saving sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence prevention activities.
• Promoting UNFPA positioning in the interagency space through active participation and management of the programme team participation in interagency groups, contributing substantively to interagency documents and other knowledge products, and leading opportunities for joint programming and resource mobilization.
• Analyzing population and development, reproductive health and gender issues in the country to provide substantive inputs to institutional responses and advocacy strategies taking into account political and social sensitivities. Creating and making use of opportunities to leverage the positioning of UNFPA’s policy agenda by participating in public information events.
  Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience
Education

• Master’s degree in public health, Medicine, Sociology, Demography, Gender, International Relations, International Development, Economics, Public Administration, Management or other related disciplines.
   
• Knowledge and Experience:
  • 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of development and population activities, including programme designing, appraisal and management.
  • Demonstrated ability to refine programme design with innovative and strategic focus to ensure alignment of organizational programme objectives to national priorities/capacities.
  • Proven ability to lead and manage teams to achieve demonstrable results.
  • Evidence of resource mobilization and contribution to normative role.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills to foster engaged partnerships at a high level of representation and to maintain political partnerships.

Languages:

• Fluency in Spanish and English is required.
• Other official UN languages, preferably French and Portuguese, are desirable.
   

Required Competencies:

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system
• Embracing cultural diversity
• Embracing change
   

Functional Competencies: 

• Advocacy / Advancing a policy-orientated agenda
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners / building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Delivering results-based programmes
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization 

Core Competencies:  

• Achieving results
• Being accountable
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen
• Thinking analytically and strategically
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships
• Communicating for impact  

Managerial Competencies: 

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

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA offers a work environment that reflects the values ​​of gender equality, diversity, integrity, and a healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity within the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, ethnic minority groups, Indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation, and selection for all, regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the foundation of the UNFPA workforce: click here https://www.unfpa.org/diversity-equity-inclusion to learn more.

Notice:

Selection and appointment to the position may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any fees for application, processing, training, interviews, testing, or other charges related to the application or recruitment process and does not handle applicants' bank account information.