The Position:

UNFPA Iraq seeks a highly qualified and experienced technical consultant to lead a strategic assessment aimed at measuring the effectiveness and reach of innovative health information delivery systems for adolescents and youth across Iraq. The primary purpose of this assignment is to operationalize a robust measurement framework for the indicator: Percentage of adolescents and youth reporting satisfaction with information received through innovative modalities, encompassing digital education programs, mobile health applications, and counseling helplines. Furthermore, the consultant will be tasked with developing a high-level strategic roadmap for the institutionalization of Youth Friendly Services (YFHS) and providing evidence-based recommendations for service integration through school health programs, Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs), and multipurpose youth centers

Background

The Republic of Iraq is currently navigating a pivotal phase in its development history, transitioning from a context of protracted conflict and humanitarian crisis toward a framework of sustained stability and institutional recovery. According to the 2024 population census, Iraq’s population has reached approximately 46 million, representing a significant increase from 27.9 million in 2004.[1] This demographic shift is characterized by a prominent youth bulge, with 56 percent of the population under the age of 25 and 35.6 percent below the age of 15.[2] This "youth wave" presents a unique opportunity for a demographic dividend, provided that the state can successfully invest in human capital, particularly in the areas of health, education, and economic empowerment.[3]

In 2024, Iraq's Human Development Index (HDI) crossed a new threshold, entering the “high human development” category with a score of 0.712.6 Life expectancy has risen to 74 years, and poverty rates have declined from 20.5 percent in 2018 to 17.5 percent in 2024. [4] Despite these macro-level gains, significant disparities persist across governorates and between genders. Adolescent girls, in particular, face heightened barriers to accessing health information and services due to restrictive social norms, mobility constraints, and early marriage. [5] The "National Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health 2025–2030," developed under the technical leadership of WHO and in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH), UNICEF, and UNFPA, highlights the need for evidence-based approaches to address these inequities. [6]

UNFPA Iraq has been at the forefront of supporting the GoI in institutionalizing YFHS. This effort dates back to pilot projects initiated in 2010, which aimed to create a youth-friendly health services package within the Primary Health Care (PHC) setting across Baghdad, Erbil, Missan, and Babel. [7] These pilots, implemented in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB), focused on building the capacity of health providers and establishing monitoring systems. [1] However, the current landscape requires a shift toward "innovative modalities" to match the high level of digital connectivity among Iraqi youth, nearly 70 percent of whom are now digitally connected. [2]

The integration of technology into health services has led to the development of tools such as the "Safe YOU" mobile application, which provides a virtual safe space for women and girls to connect with service providers and authorities in response to gender-based violence (GBV). [3] Other tools include the toll-free "Youth Health Line 120" and digital platforms like "NAWAT" and "Reach4Health".[4] Despite the proliferation of these tools, there is a critical lack of systematic data regarding youth satisfaction and the quality of information provided through these platforms. [5]  This consultancy is designed to fill this evidence gap and provide a roadmap for the future of adolescent health in Iraq.

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 is seeking 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 consultant is expected to lead a multi-dimensional assessment that combines technical research with strategic planning. The scope of work is divided into three primary thematic areas.

Thematic Area 1: Assessment of Innovative Modalities

The consultant will design and implement a comprehensive study to measure youth satisfaction with information received via education programs, mobile health apps, and helplines. This involves evaluating the usability, engagement, and perceived outcomes of platforms currently active in the Iraqi market.

Thematic Area 2: Development of the YFHS Strategic Roadmap

Based on the assessment findings, the consultant will develop a "Roadmap to Provision of Youth Friendly Services." This roadmap must align with the "National Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health 2025–2030" and the "UNFPA Strategic Plan 2026-2029". The roadmap will outline the steps for scaling pilot projects into a national program, ensuring that services are accessible, acceptable, and affordable for all adolescents, including those with disabilities and those in conflict-affected areas.

Thematic Area 3: Institutional Recommendations for Service Integration

A comparative analysis must be conducted to recommend the most effective institutional channels for delivering YFHS. The consultant will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of three primary delivery points:

1. School Health Programs: Leveraging the existing 187 school health units and the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) framework.
2. Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs): Institutionalizing the integrated AYFHS package within the 1,848 health institutions currently utilizing the DHIS2 electronic system.
3. Youth Centers: Utilizing the network of multipurpose youth centers to link health services with employability and civic participation.

Objectives of the Assignment

The primary objectives of this consultancy are to ensure that UNFPA Iraq has the strategic data and planning tools necessary to accelerate the youth health agenda.

1. To evaluate the current "state of the art" regarding innovative health information modalities in Iraq, identifying successes, barriers to access, and gaps in content.
2. To provide a statistically significant measurement of the percentage of adolescents (10-19) and youth (15-24) who report satisfaction with the information received through these modalities, utilizing psychometrically validated scales.
3. To identify the determinants of health-seeking behavior among Iraqi youth, specifically focusing on the role of digital trust, privacy concerns, and gender norms.
4. To develop a costed, time-bound, and stakeholder-validated "Roadmap for YFHS" that integrates climate-resilient and migrant-inclusive health system responses.
5. To recommend a sustainable institutional model for YFHS delivery that optimizes the comparative advantages of the Ministries of Health, Education, and Youth.

Methodology

The consultant is expected to utilize a robust, convergent parallel mixed-method case study design. This approach ensures that quantitative findings on satisfaction levels are enriched by qualitative insights into youth experiences and institutional constraints.

Quantitative Component

The consultant will implement a national cross-sectional survey. The sampling strategy well ensure representation across all targeted governorates, including the Kurdistan Region. The survey will utilize Likert scales (1-5) to measure satisfaction across domains such as access, participation, and outcomes.

Qualitative Component

Qualitative data will be collected through:

• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Targeting diverse groups, including adolescent girls, out-of-school youth, and internally displaced people (IDPs).
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Engaging with policy makers from the Ministry of Planning, MOH, and MOE, as well as digital health developers and youth leaders.
• Facility-Based Observations: Conducting site visits to existing youth centers and PHCCs to evaluate "youth-friendliness" based on WHO global standards.

Thematic Analysis

Qualitative data will be transcribed and analyzed thematically using a deductive-inductive approach to identify patterns related to user engagement, service barriers, and quality of care.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The performance of the consultant will be evaluated against the following indicators:

• KPI 1: Delivery of a high-quality Inception Report detailing the sampling framework and data collection tools within the first 10 working days.
• KPI 2: Successful completion of data collection with a minimum sample size of 1,500 adolescents and youth, ensuring a 95% confidence interval.
• KPI 3: Calculation and presentation of the "Satisfaction Index" for innovative modalities disaggregated by age, gender, and governorate.
• KPI 4: Completion of the "YFHS Roadmap," which must be validated by at least three relevant government ministries (MOH, MOE, MOYS).
• KPI 5: Production of a final report that includes a comparative analysis of school health programs, PHCCs, and youth centers as delivery channels.

Data Collection Methods: The consultant will employ diverse data collection modalities to ensure the inclusion of hard-to-reach populations.

• Method	Target Group	Tools
  Mobile-Based Survey	Tech-savvy youth in urban areas.	Structured questionnaire via ODK or SurveyMonkey.
  In-Person Exit Interviews	Youth visiting PHCCs or Youth Centers.	YHC-SUN (Youth Health Care-Satisfaction, Utilization, and Needs) tool.
  Semi-Structured Interviews	Ministry officials and NGO directors.	Interview guides focused on policy alignment.
  Participatory Workshops	Youth Steering Committee members.	Co-design sessions for the YFHS Roadmap.

  Data Analysis

Quantitative data analysis will be performed using standard statistical software. The consultant will conduct regression analysis to identify factors associated with high satisfaction, such as the age of the user, the type of modality (app vs. helpline), and the cultural appropriateness of the content.

For qualitative data, the consultant will use thematic coding to extract "stories of change" and "lessons learned" from youth who have engaged with digital platforms. This analysis will be used to identify "emergent patterns" that can inform the strategic direction of the YFHS Roadmap.

Ethical Considerations

The assignment must be conducted in strict adherence to the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Ethical Guidelines and WHO ethical recommendations for researching sensitive topics.

• Informed Consent: Written consent must be obtained from all participants. For adolescents under 18, parental consent is mandatory, accompanied by the minor's assent.
• Privacy and Confidentiality: All digital data must be stored in encrypted files. Participants will be assigned unique identifier codes to ensure anonymity during analysis.

Do No Harm: Data collection teams must be trained to identify signs of distress and provide referrals to psychosocial support services if sensitive topics (such as GBV) are discussed.

Duration of working schedule:

The consultancy will have a duration of 3 calendar months, with a total of 40 working days, starting from the contract signing date.

Place where the work to be delivered:  

The consultant will be based in Baghdad with frequent travel to Erbil and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Travel to selected governorates will be required for data collection and facility assessments.

Delivery dates:

Deliverables must be submitted electronically to the UNFPA Iraq Youth Program Specialist.

1. Deliverable 1: Inception Report (End of Month 1): Including a detailed work plan, methodology, and ethical clearance forms.
2. Deliverable 2: Raw Data and Preliminary Findings Report (End of Month 2): Summarizing the results of the satisfaction survey and stakeholder interviews.

Deliverable 3: Final Assessment Report & YFHS Strategic Roadmap (End of Month 3): A comprehensive document incorporating the comparative analysis of delivery channels.

Expected travel:

Extensive travel is expected (up to 15 days per month) within the country to ensure the geographic representativeness of the data

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education

• An advanced university degree (master's or PhD) in Public Health, Sociology, Demography, Social Policy, or a related field.

Knowledge and Skills

• At least 5 years of experience in designing and managing programs or research in the field of adolescent and youth health.
• Demonstrated expertise in "digital health transformation" and evaluating innovative modalities (apps, helplines).
• Strong analytical skills with a proven track record of producing high-level strategic reports for the UN or international organizations.
• In-depth knowledge of the Iraqi health system, socio-political context, and the "National Youth Strategy".
• Experience in conducting facility assessments and training health providers in "youth-friendly" standards.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English and Arabic (written and oral) is mandatory. Proficiency in Kurdish is highly desirable.
 

Required Competencies: 

• Strategic Leadership: Ability to influence national policy through evidence-based advocacy.²⁶
• Communication: Exceptional writing skills in English; ability to present complex data to diverse stakeholders.
• Planning and Organization: Ability to manage complex fieldwork in challenging environments.

Compensation and Benefits:

 This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. 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 is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

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

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.