Le Fonds des Nations unies pour la population, créé en 1967, est la plus grande source des fonds de développement international pour la population, pour la planification familiale et à la santé de la mère et de l’enfant.
Job Description
The Position:
The Technical Adviser is the principal adviser at the regional level for integrated technical and programme advice on health economics and financing in West and Central Africa Regional Office. The Technical Adviser works in an integrated manner with the technical and programme staff in the Regional Office and Country Offices, and reports directly to the Deputy Regional Director.
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:
In the West and Central Africa Region, the Economics Adviser will provide strategic technical and programmatic leadership to ensure that the RO and COs are well-equipped to accelerate UNFPA’s programmatic shift moving from “Funding to Financing” the ICPD agenda and use economics evidence to advocate for effective investments to support UNFPA’s three transformative results, the Sustainable Development Goals and the ICPD Programme of Action.
You would be responsible for:
The main responsibilities of the adviser are to support the implementation of the UNFPA Strategic Plan in the region, particularly concerning the shift moving from “Funding to Financing”; to identify new and emerging needs and new delivery modalities for technical guidance and support; to develop and maintain technical partnerships in the region; and to ensure that technical knowledge is generated and disseminated for effective technical, capacity building and policy dialogue.
In all activities, the adviser will work within an interdisciplinary team providing integrated programme and technical support to the region. The adviser will also liaise with other UNFPA units (regional and HQ) and the UNFPA Technical Network, ensuring the timeliness, relevance and quality of technical support to UNFPA.
A. Strategic technical development and engagement
- Support UNFPA’s strategic shift from Funding to Financing and strengthen a conducive policy environment to deliver the UNFPA Strategic Plan;
- Scale up collaboration with governments and the private sector, including government-UN cooperation in financing and leveraging complementary resources for the ICPD Agenda, particularly to increase domestic resource allocations for SRHR;
- Support UNFPA’s engagement in policy dialogue with respective Governments and Development Partners in the region in areas of UNFPA’s comparative advantage, including strengthening financing architectures, promoting innovative financing modalities, and securing sustainable financing for SRHR to accelerate the ICPD agenda;
- Provide technical leadership and advice on health financing, universal health coverage and systems within the West and Central Africa region to improve national policy frameworks and equitable and efficient service delivery in areas relevant to UNFPA’s mandate with a particular focus on sexual and reproductive health;
- Engage with UNFPA RO staff to provide strategic and evidence-based advice, in the areas of health economics and health financing analysis, to UNFPA Country Offices and to ensure that UNFPA supported Country Programmes contribute to strengthening health systems in the region;
B. Quality technical support and capacity development
- Initiate, develop, strengthen and monitor substantive and intellectual regional partnerships in Health, Gender and Intergenerational Economics, including for South-South technical support to countries and for the implementation of the Regional Programme;
- Work with relevant country offices to engage in discussions on SRHR in universal health coverage, especially for the most vulnerable women and girls. Support senior management of country offices to build their capacities and literacy on financing for SRHR including engaging with UN Country teams, Ministries of Finance and Economics;
- Coach and manage junior professional staff and associates, direct expert consultants and facilitate working groups and task teams, as required;
C. Evidence, knowledge development and dissemination and networks
- Play a key role in building up, coordinating and monitoring a regional knowledge platform in health economics such as investment cases for SRHR, health financing and costing analysis, public financial management, reproductive health accounts analysis and health systems strengthening in areas which contribute to achieving the ICPD Programme of Action;
- Collect, analyze and synthesize information/data and experience to be used in regional and global advocacy and for resource mobilization efforts to advance the ICPD agenda;
- Lead the analysis and synthesis of substantive trends, emerging needs and research findings in the region in order to produce and disseminate cutting edge technical knowledge, based on most up-to-date methodology and tools including for financing gaps and performance based financing;
- Collaborate on substantive issues with UN agencies and multilateral partners, academia, research and training institutions, think tanks, centers of excellence and professional societies in the region;
D. Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
Advanced university degree in health economics, public health or related discipline.
Knowledge and Experience:
- 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the substantive area, of which seven years at the international level;
- Proven experience in a lead health economist role, including health sector reform, public financial management, health systems strengthening;
- Understanding of areas relevant to UNFPA’s mandate such as family planning, sexual and reproductive health, gender based violence, population dynamics;
- Demonstrated expertise in policy engagement within developing countries and Middle Income Countries;
- Established global and regional professional networks related to health economics;
- Strong track record of producing demonstrable results;
- Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with national counterparts, academia and development partners;
- Field experience is required, ideally within the West and Central Africa region;
Languages:
Fluency in English is required and French is desirable to enable effective communication with English speaking and French speaking country coordination groups and local organizations (West and Central Africa region).
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,
- Communicating for impact,
Functional Competencies:
- Strategically positioning UNFPA programmes,
- Providing conceptual innovation to support programme effectiveness,
- Generating, managing and promoting the use of knowledge and information,
- Strengthening the programming capacity of Country offices,
- Facilitating quality programmatic results,
- Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization,
Managerial Competencies:
- Providing strategic vision and focus,
- Engaging internal / external partners and stakeholders,
- Leading, developing and empowering people / creating a culture of performance,
- Making decisions and exercising judgment,
Compensation and Benefits:
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
