The Position:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide high-level technical and strategic leadership in the implementation of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) components of the UNFPA Nepal Country Programme. The consultant will provide policy and advocacy leadership to strengthen and advance national SRHR priorities, while promoting partnership, synergy, and strategic alliances with counterparts in government, multilateral and bilateral agencies, development partners, and civil society organizations. The consultant will facilitate innovative approaches to strengthening health systems, including quality improvement, institutional capacity development, and domestic financing and workforce strategies in the key priority areas including family planning, midwifery, maternal and newborn health, mental health, adolescent SRHR, and other emerging SRHR priorities. 

The consultant will ensure strong integration and coherence across UNFPA programme areas, particularly adolescent and youth development, gender equality, and population and development. In addition, the consultant will ensure state of art technical support to federal, provincial, and local governments to enhance implementation of policies, programmes, and action plans, ensuring that equitable, accessible, and rights-based SRH services are available to women, men, adolescents, and marginalized populations when and where needed.

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the consultant will play a key role in the efficient and effective implementation of SRHR programmes promoting partnership, synergy and strategic alliances with counterparts in government, multi-lateral and bi-lateral agencies and civil society.

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 strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

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:

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative, direct supervision of the Deputy Country Representative and close collaboration with relevant thematic teams, the consultant is expected to provide programme and technical support as follows:

You would be responsible for:

• Lead policy advocacy engagements with Government, UN system, and other development partners to position SRHR including mental health in the broader development and humanitarian agendas, and within UN system-wide frameworks. 
• Contribute to effective implementation of the Country Programme by leading SRHR components as well as by providing substantive inputs in monitoring, evaluation and reporting in line with government priorities and according to UNFPA programme policies and procedures.
• Represent UNFPA in substantive technical and policy dialogues at country level, advancing the organization’s mandate and strategic positioning on SRHR, mental health, and climate adaptation and resilience, while ensuring effective communication, coordination, and feedback mechanisms with key stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with relevant Government counterparts, External Development Partners and other key stakeholders.
• Assert UNFPA’s comparative advantage and substantive contributions in advancing SRH across both development and humanitarian contexts, ensuring the organization’s role is visible and strategically recognized.
• Develop policy briefs, analytical papers, presentations and other policy related documents on accelerating access to and utilization of SRH services in Nepal.
• Ensure close coordination and synergy with the integrated programme teams of the Nepal Country Office; Ensure complementarities and alignment with the needs, realities, and activities at different levels.
• Identify and analyze trends, threats and risks related to SRH, midwifery and family planning issues that may affect the ICPD agenda, SDGs and UNFPA’s work in the country.
• Ensure that state-of-the-art thinking in SRH, including mental health, family planning, midwifery education and regulation and maternal and newborn health.
• Advise and report on achievement of the programme results, proactively measuring substantive progress and the effective utilization of the resources using appropriate monitoring and measuring mechanisms and tools.
• Provide strategic guidance and technical support in preparing donor reports, proposals, and concept notes. 
• Spot at least two funding opportunities to scale up the SRHR programme outreach.
• Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Advanced university degree in public health, medicine, sociology, health systems, economics, or other field directly related to the substantive area identified in this job description.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• 7 years of professional experience, preferably in programme/project management in the public or private sector.
• Demonstrated ability to refine programme design to ensure alignment of programme objectives to national priorities and capacities.
• Strong track record of programme leadership, and proven ability to manage complex programmes/projects and produce demonstrable results, with shared visions and goals.
• Understanding human rights and gender equality dimensions of reproductive health is desirable.
• Strong negotiation, liaison, analytical and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products.
• Demonstrated expertise in advocacy and policy dialogue is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to network within the development community. 
• Field experience is strongly desirable.

Languages: 

• Fluent in English Language. 

Required Competencies: 

Values:

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

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.

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.