Humanitarian Emergency Project Management Specialist

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the lead United Nations agency for sexual and reproductive health matters. Its mission is to create a world in which every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe. A world in which every young person realizes their full potential. The new UNFPA strategic plan (2022-2025) is built around three transformative results: i) ending preventable maternal deaths; ii) ending unmet need for family planning; and iii) ending gender-based violence and harmful practices against women & girls. UNFPA has been active in Guinea for several decades. The central office is based in Conakry and the three (3) zone sub-offices are located in Labé, Kankan, and Nzérékoré, with focal points present in Kindia and Mamou. UNFPA Guinea started a new programming cycle (CPD) in 2024 for the 2024-2028 period. This ninth Cooperation Programme between Guinea and UNFPA stems from the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2024-2028 and is aligned with the Interim Transition Programme, the SDGs (SDGs 1, 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, and 17), and the UNSDCF 2024-2028 (Results 1 and 3). The ninth country programme will contribute to accelerating progress toward the three transformative results of the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and the ICPD Programme of Action through the Guinean government's voluntary national commitments made at the Nairobi Summit (ICPD+25) and the African Union's Agenda 2063, including the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AAPDD).

Context

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the lead United Nations agency for sexual and reproductive health matters. Its mission is to create a world in which every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe. A world in which every young person realizes their full potential. The new UNFPA strategic plan (2022-2025) is built around three transformative results: i) ending preventable maternal deaths; ii) ending unmet need for family planning; and iii) ending gender-based violence and harmful practices against women & girls. UNFPA has been active in Guinea for several decades. The central office is based in Conakry and the three (3) zone sub-offices are located in Labé, Kankan, and Nzérékoré, with focal points present in Kindia and Mamou. The Republic of Guinea and the United Nations Population Fund have developed the 9th Cooperation Programme for the 2024-2028 period. This Cooperation Programme stems from the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2024-2028, which is aligned with the Interim Reference Plan 2022-2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025. It was developed through a participatory process involving the various departments of the Ministries of Planning and International Cooperation, Health, Youth and Women's Promotion, Local Authorities, civil society organizations, the UN System, bilateral cooperation, universities, and beneficiaries (youth, women, and people with disabilities). In line with national priorities, the vision of the country programme is that by 2028, adolescents and youth, and marginalized and more vulnerable people, especially those with disabilities and women in rural areas, will benefit from better access to an integrated package of quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services, including Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC), Adolescent/Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH), and prevention and management of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and harmful practices, particularly female genital mutilation and child marriage, in order to maximize return on investment in accelerating the achievement of the three transformative results. Furthermore, it contributes to the implementation of the joint project (UNFPA-UNICEF) for the elimination of female genital mutilation. This United Nations Volunteer (UNV) assignment is part of an UNFPA project based in Guinea: “Enhance access to maternal and neonatal health services and the fight against GBV through digitalization of Integrated Diagnostic and Treatment System Optimized for Remote Healthcare in Guinea in a humanitarian context (recurrent floods and ongoing epidemics, i.e. Mpox, measles)”. This project was developed based on the health and environmental events that Guinea experienced in 2025, notably floods and the MPOX epidemic. These two events affected Greater Conakry and 13 other health districts in the country, causing at least 50 deaths, mainly due to the floods. This project is financed by the Japanese Supplementary Budget (JSB) for the 2026 fiscal year for a duration of 12 months and will be implemented by the Guinea country team.

Task Description

Under the general supervision of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative a.i and the direct supervision of the designated Project Coordinator, the UN Volunteer Project Officer will be responsible for: 1.Planning and Implementation: • Support the development of quarterly work plans for activities planned under the project; • Contribute to the planning and implementation of interventions and ensure control, quality assurance, and monitoring of project activities. 2.Technical and Financial Monitoring: • In collaboration with the UNFPA monitoring and evaluation team, develop a project monitoring and evaluation plan integrating indicators; • Collect and analyze technical and financial data and information related to the project; • Prepare semi-annual and annual project reports with stakeholders; • Participate in various project-related meetings and disseminate reports; • Support the project review, with the participation of all stakeholders, to report on activities and results achieved, identify best practices and lessons learned, and agree on post-project monitoring arrangements, if applicable; • Support the quality assurance of the final project report and propose a post-project monitoring plan. All these elements will be integrated into the final project report. In collaboration with the project team, prepare the progress report and the final report to be submitted to the Japanese Government in accordance with UNFPA monitoring and evaluation guidelines. Expected Results: As an active member of the UNFPA Guinea team, the volunteer provides effective, timely, responsive, client-oriented, and high-quality support to UNFPA and its beneficiaries in the performance of duties within the project, including: • Improved results-based programming: Contribution to UNFPA Guinea's efforts to achieve the following results under the project: • Increased access to essential sexual and reproductive health services through the use of the mobile clinic; • Capacity building of 20 midwives on the multisectoral prevention and response system for gender-based violence, as well as the use of digitalization kits, is realized; • Enhanced coordination and communication through technical support for the development of quarterly plans and project reports, knowledge management, sharing of lessons learned from project results, as well as information and communication activities aimed at ensuring the visibility of the support provided by the Japanese government and the communication of results. • Capacity development through coaching, mentoring, and continuous on-the-job training during collaboration with national staff and healthcare providers (including supervision), particularly implementing partners, is ensured. • The age, gender, and diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities carried out within the assignment and a final report is drafted on volunteering achievements for data management in emergency situations during the assignment.

Competencies and values

• Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgment and decision-making • Planning and organizing • Professionalism • Self-management

Living conditions and remarks

Guinea is located in West Africa and its capital is Conakry, which is the largest city and the main center of financial and economic activities, with a high population density. Climate: Guinea generally has a tropical monsoon climate, with a rainy season followed by a dry season. The dry season is influenced by the harmattan. The average temperature is 29°C to 30°C; the rainy season is from June to October. Population: The population of Guinea is approximately 12,093,349 inhabitants. The population of Guinea contains about 24 different ethnic groups, with the Fula (Peuls) constituting 40% of the population. Other ethnic groups include the Mandinka, Susu, Kissi, Kpelle, and non-African groups. Religion: About 85% of the population is Muslim. Other religions practiced in the country are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and others. Security: Guinea is generally a safe country to visit, but it is worth noting persistent socio-political moments and cases of crime, especially in Conakry. It is wise not to travel at night since armed robbery has increased in the south. Please refer to the security guidelines provided by the UNDSS Office. Currency: The local currency is the Guinean Franc (GNF). 1 GNF = 0.0001 USD. Health: Continued attention is observed regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking all priority vaccines is required. 14. Conditions of Service: (National UNV COS_FRE) If their application is successful, candidates must carefully examine the conditions of the UNV programme offer before accepting. https://www.unv.org/ Conditions of employment for United Nations Volunteers recruited internationally The initial contract is issued upon arrival for the period indicated above. The contract may be extended depending on the continuation of the mandate, availability of funds, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. A United Nations Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA), which is composed of a monthly living allowance (MLA) and a family allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three). The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications, and other basic needs. The VLA can be calculated by applying the post-adjustment multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of 1,736 US dollars. The VLA base rate is a worldwide rate, while the PAM is specific to the duty station/country and fluctuates on a monthly basis depending on the cost of living. This method ensures that international United Nations Volunteers have comparable purchasing power in all duty stations, regardless of the cost of living. The PAM is created by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of each month on the ICSC website - https://icsc.un.org/ In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international United Nations Volunteers receive a well-being differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. In addition, United Nations Volunteers receive a settling-in grant (SIG) at the beginning of the assignment (if the volunteer has not resided in the duty station for at least 6 months before taking up duties) and in case of permanent reassignment to another duty station. The UNV programme provides life, health, and permanent disability insurance as well as assignment travel, annual leave, and full integration into the United Nations security framework (including residential security reimbursements).