National Post: Programme Specialist, Gender & Youth Empowerment, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, NOC

The Position:

The Programme Specialist, Gender and Youth Empowerment position is located in the UNFPA Tanzania Country Office (CO). The position leads the Country Office efforts in advancing gender equality and the economic empowerment of women and young people. This includes addressing discriminatory gender and social norms that undermine access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, perpetuate gender-based violence (GBV), hinder economic empowerment, and prevent the full realization of bodily autonomy, particularly among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).


The position will support the effective functioning of Adolescent and Youth Groups/ organizations to promote meaningful youth participation, leadership and engagement on issues of SRHR, GBV prevention, and peace-responsive efforts. The Specialist  will provide functional leadership in programming, delivery, stakeholder relations, knowledge management, and M&E efforts towards delivering the Country Programme and accelerating the attainment of UNFPA's transformative results.

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 focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.


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 seeks 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:

The Programme Specialist provides programme and technical support for policy and programming in the areas of adolescent and youth development and gender equality, and women's empowerment. S/he will support UNFPA Tanzania in ensuring that women, youth, and the most marginalized populations are empowered to exercise their  sexual and reproductive health and rights in a safe and enabling environment free from gender-based violence and harmful practices through gender-transformative and intersectional approaches.

The incumbent focuses on normative work in  advancing gender  equality and youth development, implementing human rights-based, context-specific, evidence-based, and innovative approaches to address harmful social norms and gender discrimination. S/he will ensure close coordination and partnership with UN entities, national partners, civil society organizations, and youth networks to promote meaningful youth leadership, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and the prevention of GBV and harmful practices.

Responsibilities:

The Programme Specialist, Gender and Youth Empowerment will be responsible for the following : 

A. Policy Dialogue and Technical Support

• Provide technical oversight and leadership for women, adolescent girls and youth empowerment programming in the Country office- including on ASRH, GBV prevention and response, FGM and child marriage prevention, and women's economic empowerment;
• Support the development and implementation of laws, policies, programmes and strategies that advance gender equality and SRH, address gender discrimination, and provide women, adolescent girls and young people with life skills, financial literacy, and economic empowerment pathways;
• Lead the development and implementation of social and behavioral change initiatives that empower  adolescent girls and young women to access quality SRH information and services, and reject  harmful gender and social  norms;
• Provide technical inputs to promote disability-inclusive approaches in  programming, ensuring that women and young persons with disabilities are meaningfully engaged and have equitable access to SRH / GBV prevention and response services, and opportunities for participation and leadership;
• Leverage digital technologies and platforms to make virtual/digital spaces safer for women and girls, and oversee the creation of gender- and age-inclusive digital content in collaboration with relevant organizational focal points; 

B. Partnerships, Coordination and resource mobilization

• Actively engage in United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanisms, government-led coordination mechanisms, development partner groups, and other dialogue structures to advocate for gender equality, including prevention and response to harmful practies such as female genital mutilation, child marriage, and  promote youth empowerment and participation;
• Provide technical inputs to strengthen the capacity of youth-led groups/organizations and women led organizations to meaningfully participate and influence policy formulation, programming and national decision-making, particularly on issues directly impacting their health, rights, dignity and well-being, and peace and security;
• Develop high quality innovative financing proposals to mobilize resources to advance youth empowerment ,gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Support the communication and resource mobilization strategies of the Country Office by compiling and synthesizing relevant background materials on adolescent and youth empowerment, including transforming harmful gender and social norms for use in discussions, public events and social media platforms;

C. Knowledge generation and dissemination

• Provide technical leadership to strengthen and operationalize the evidence base on current and emerging issues on ASRH, youth engagement and empowerment, gender equality and GBV prevention to inform national, sub-national and sectoral policy development, planning and monitoring networks and coordination.
• Document good practices for deepening the knowledge base for UNFPA, UN Agencies and partners as an integral resource for linking HIV and SRHR facilitating timely and efficient delivery of programmes.
• Contribute to the creation and sharing of knowledge by synthesizing and documenting research findings, lessons learned, success stories, best practices, strategies and approaches of the Country Office on youth engagement, gender equality and women’s empowerment, male engagement to address harmful gender and social norms, and other strategic issues in the portfolio;
• Provide inputs to content for visibility of UNFPA’s work and achievements on adolescents and youth, including for development of briefs, reports and social media.

D. Programme management and coordination

• Provide substantive leadership and inputs into the design, implementation and monitoring of programs  and workplans to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, adolescent girls and young people, ensuring alignment with national development priorities, UNFPA’s Strategic Plan and the UNSDCF;
• Oversee budget planning and utilization, results-based management (RBM) systems,  and quality assurance of deliverables within the Gender and Youth team;
• Ensure that work plans, budgets and progress reports for the Unit and Implementing Partners are developed timeously;
• Lead the reporting on achievement of results in collaboration with implementing partners, and proactively oversee the effective utilization of financial and human  resources in the portfolio;
• Provide technical and programmatic support to programme reviews, costing, documentation and reporting; including organizing project evaluations.. 

E. Supervision, performance management

• Lead the Gender and Youth Empowerment team and ensure effective management of staff within the team;
• Supervise, mentor and coach team members in order to strengthen or further develop capacity;

F. General Support 

• Stand-in for other team members on selected functions as may be required. 
• Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership. 

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Sociology, Public Health, Development Studies, Public policy, Sociology, Development Management, or related disciplines or advanced Degree in Law and Human Rights.

   

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least five years’ experience in  gender equality, women's empowerment, SRHR programmes, and/or economic empowerment programming for women, adolescent girls and young people;
• Demonstrable technical expertise in adolescents and youth development, civic engagement,  gender equality and gender-based violence.
• Experience working in collaboration with government, development partners, civil society organizations and private sector.
• Strong understanding of reproductive rights and gender equality dimensions in policy and programme formulation, implementation and monitoring;
• Strong technical knowledge in the science and application of social and behavioral change in the area of health services, family planning, youth and gender issues
• Proven track record in advocacy and multi-stakeholder engagement on gender and women's rights at national or regional level.
• Demonstrated experience in working on adolescent and youth, human rights, and/or gender equality and women’s empowerment programmes will be a strong advantage.

Languages: 

Fluency in oral and written English is required. 

Fluency in oral and written Kiswahili and/ other official UN language is desired. 

Required Competencies:

Values:

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

Core Competencies:

• Achieve 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.

Managerial Competencies:

• Providing strategic focus
• Engaging internal/ external partners and stakeholders
• Leading, developing and empowering people/ creating a culture of performance
• Making decisions and exercising judgment

Functional Skill Set:

• Advocacy/ Advancing a policy-oriented agenda
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/ building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Delivering results-based programme
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization

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.