Grant and Proposal Development Support

Host entity: UNFPA SWZ

Areas of expertise: Communication, advocacy, public information, Community development, Gender, women's rights

Application deadline: 17/11/2026

Mission and objectives

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

Assignment context

UNFPA Eswatini Country Office supports the Government to advance sexual and reproductive health rights, adolescent and youth empowerment, gender equality, and population data. UNFPA’s work is aligned with the Government / UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and UNFPA 8th Country Programme for 2026-2030 with the following priorities:
• Strengthening systems to deliver high-quality SRHR services and commodities for adolescents and youth
• Address multidimensional inequalities, particularly the underlying gender, socio-cultural and economic barriers especially in rural communities challenging harmful gender stereotypes and inequality.
• Address data gaps through investments in data analysis, particularly in subnational disaggregation, to inform programming for targeted interventions aimed at bridging inequality gaps and reaching
marginalized populations.

The national context is characterized by persistently high teenage pregnancy rates, high burden of GBV prevalence and limited access to youth friendly SRH services underscoring the need to scale up targeted interventions and mobilize sustained donor support.
UNFPA launched its h 2026 – 2030 Country Programme to accelerate progress towards national development priorities, the SDG targets, strengthen strategic partnerships and mobilize resources critical to advance the ESA commitments.
A UNV is required to support these priorities by strengthening resource mobilization and strategic partnerships, thereby facilitating the scale up of SRHR, GBV prevention and youth empowerment programmes.

Task description

Under the direct guidance of the UNFPA Eswatini Programme Specialist – SRHR/HIV / Officer-in-Charge, and in virtual collaboration with the Country Office programme pillars, the Online Volunteer will execute the following tasks:

A. Grant, and Proposal Writing:
• Drafting Funding Proposals: Lead the structural drafting of competitive concept notes and full project proposals tailored for global thematic funds, bilateral agencies, and corporate foundations.
• Designing Log frames & Theories of Change: Formulate clear Results-Based Management (RBM) matrixes, detailed logical frameworks (log frames), indicator tracking mechanisms, and Theories of Change (ToC) aligned to specific donor criteria.
• Data & Evidence Integration: Synthesize localized Eswatini country data specifically relating to adolescent pregnancy, GBV incidence rates, and youth health service access gaps into persuasive investment rationales.
• Review & Copyediting: Provide high-level editorial support and quality assurance l for draft proposals, concept notes, and donor pitch materials developed by the Country Office, ensuring clarity, coherence, strategic alignment, and adherence to donor requirements.

B. Donor Intelligence & Strategy Support:
• Quarterly Donor Mapping: Research, update, and compile a database profiling donor priorities, funding eligibility guidelines, call-for-proposal cycles, and geographic allocations relevant to Eswatini.
• Trend Analysis: Monitor and analyze global and regional official development assistance (ODA) trends and shifts in donor priorities to identify emerging financing opportunities (e.g., climate change adaptation and SRHR ).
• Strategic Alignment Verification: Verify that all developed proposal materials reflect the core priorities of the 8th Eswatini CPD, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), and national health, SRHR, GBV and youth development policies and guidelines.

C. Strategic Communications & Stewardship Assets:
• Donor Pitch and Presentation Materials: Conceptualize and design professional donor pitch decks, operational briefing sheets, and executive summary notes that clearly communicate programme priorities, expected results, investment opportunities, and impact to support resource mobilization and high-level leadership engagement.
• Donor Reporting Quality Assurance: Assist in reviewing and copyediting high-priority donor reporting packages to ensure structural clarity, visual appeal, and strict compliance with donor expectations.

Skills and experience

• Demonstrated experience in grant writing, technical proposal formulation, institutional resource mobilization, or donor relations management.
• Thematic Familiarity: Previous project design or working experience in fields relating to SRHR, youth development, gender equality, or demographic data infrastructure is highly valued.
• Sector Context: Prior experience collaborating with UN agencies, multilateral institutions, or international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) is a strong competitive asset.
• Technical Writing skills: Ability to write clear, concise, and highly persuasive text utilizing international development and humanitarian terminology.
• RBM Framework Competency: Practical familiarity with constructing logical framework models, outcome and output pathways, and indicators.
• Self-Management: Highly organized individual capable of working independently, adhering to strict, nonnegotiable proposal deadlines, and working smoothly across virtual, cross-cultural environments.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.