Programme Specialist, Population Dynamics & Youth

Host entity: UNFPA

Volunteer type: International

Areas of expertise: Economics, poverty reduction, livelihoods, Information technology and telecommunications, Natural resources management

Application deadline: 09/09/2026

Mission and objectives

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health and rights agency, expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. It 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.

Since 2003, UNFPA Timor-Leste has supported the Government of Timor-Leste to conduct Census and has strongly promoted sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality as key elements to achieve human rights and human dignity. Over the past decade UNFPA assistance has contributed towards establishing basic social services and generating baseline socio-demographic data for Timor-Leste.

The main focus of the programme is to support national efforts to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, in line with the UNFPA transformative results to end maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning, and gender-based violence and harmful practices -- responding to the principle of leaving no one behind, focusing on women, adolescents and youth, particularly those living in rural areas, people with disabilities and key population groups.

Assignment context

According to the 2022 Population Census of Timor-Leste, the country has a population of 1,341,737. The total fertility rate declined from 6.4 to 3.6 live births per woman between 2010 and 2022, while the life expectancy has increased, from 62.9 years in 2000 to 68 years in 2022. With 62 per cent of the population under the age of 25, Timor-Leste’s youthful demographic presents both opportunities and challenges. Although harnessing a demographic dividend is possible, nearly 29.3 per cent of youth are not in education, employment or training (NEET), underscoring the urgent need for investment in education, vocational training, job creation and gender-inclusive labour policies, as well as meaningful youth engagement and leadership.
UNFPA’s fifth Country Programme (CP5) in Timor-Leste covering 2026-2030 is aligned with the UNFPA Strategic Plan (2026-2029), national development plans and strategies, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2026-2030). The programme is aimed to achieve the interlinked four outputs, one of which focuses on empowering young people through coordinated multisectoral programmes and strengthened evidence-based policy advisory towards harnessing the demographic dividend. The country programme also envisages a technical data working group with the Resident Coordinator, the World Bank, other UN agencies, and INETL (National Institute Of Statistics Timor-Leste) to strengthen the quality and use of demographic and socio-economic data for planning, monitoring, and evaluation, and supporting periodic demographic analysis for policy and advocacy engagement. This IUNV position was established to work with the UNFPA Country Office team in Timor-Leste and deliver dedicated technical and programmatic leadership on population dynamics, harnessing the demographic dividend, youth investment and development issues.

Task description

Under the overall guidance of the UNFPA Representative and direct supervision of the International Programme Coordinator, the International UN Volunteer will lead UNFPA’s technical work on population dynamics, demographic dividend and youth development, translating demographic evidence into policy dialogue, multisectoral youth programming and programme results, and ensure linkages with UNFPA’s programmatic outputs and initiatives in sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, prevention and response to gender-based violence, and climate change.
Within delegated authority and under the overall supervision of the International Programme Coordinator (IPC), the IUNV Programme Specialist, Population Dynamics and Youth will:
● Analyse and assess relevant political, economic and social trends, population dynamics, age structure trends, and their socio-economic and environmental implications, and provide inputs to national development frameworks.
● Lead and manage the planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the Population Dynamics and Youth Development portfolio under the Country Programme, in close collaboration with relevant ministries, the National Institute of Statistics, civil society organizations (CSOs), and youth groups.
● Lead development of youth investment cases and demographic dividend analysis in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, National Institute of Statistics and other partners, to integrate youth development issues into national and local plans, and advocate for investment in youth development issues
● Produce decision-ready policy and programme briefs for government counterparts, UN partners, UNFPA, and other partners to support efforts to harness the demographic dividend and strengthen evidence-based policies and programmes.
● Support policy dialogue and technical coordination with the Government of Timor-Leste, line ministries, INETL, UN agencies, and development partners, including co-facilitation of the inter-agency technical working group on Data for Development.
● Represent UNFPA’s technical position on population dynamics in interagency forums, national policy dialogues and planning processes as delegated.
● Lead resource mobilization and partnership development for population dynamics and youth development by preparing funding proposals, concept notes, conference papers, donor reports, and other relevant resource mobilization and partnership materials.
● Support strengthening of multisectoral youth coordination mechanisms to enhance intersectoral coordination, monitoring, reporting and financing of the National Action Plan for Youth (NAP-Youth).
● Provide guidance and support to strengthen youth programme implementation, including improving comprehensive sexuality education for in-school and out-of-school adolescents and youth, youth empowerment, and strengthening youth networks.
● Provide capacity-building support to national counterparts and Country Office staff on demography, population dynamics, megatrends, and the use of population and youth data through training, mentoring, and knowledge-sharing.
● Perform other related tasks as required by the Country Office management.

Skills and experience

● Minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience in population dynamics, demographic analysis, population and development, youth development, or related fields.
● Demonstrated ability to conduct data analysis, research, policy analysis, and apply demographic methods and translate quantitative analysis into policy-relevant outputs. Experience working with national statistics systems is an asset.
● Proficiency in data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, GIS, or similar platforms is desirable.
● Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;
● Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
● Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
● Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
● Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;
● Have affinity with or interest in UNFPA, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Competencies and values

☒ Accountability
☒ Adaptability and Flexibility
☐ Building Trust
☐ Client Orientation
☐ Commitment and Motivation
☐ Commitment to Continuous Learning
☐ Communication
☒ Creativity
☐ Empowering Others
☐ Ethics and Values
☐ Integrity
☒ Judgement and Decision-making
☐ Knowledge Sharing
☐ Leadership
☐ Managing Performance
☒ Planning and Organizing
☒ Professionalism
☐ Respect for Diversity
☒ Self-Management
☐ Technological Awareness
☐ Vision
☐ Working in Teams

Living conditions

Timor-Leste is half of a tropical island on the Australian continental shelf, characterized by a rugged mountain chain running east-west that divides the country into a generally warmer north coast and a milder south coast. The capital city, Dili, is located in the north.  Climate: The climate along the coast is relatively warm to hot year-round, with an annual average temperature of 30°C. There are two distinct seasons: the north-east monsoon season, which runs from November to March, constitutes the rainy season throughout the country. The southeast monsoon season, which runs from March to October, constitutes the dry season, with some rain on the southern coast but otherwise dry and windy conditions in the rest of the country. The climate inland with its high mountains, can be very cold, with an annual average temperature of 15°C.  Health: Public hospitals and private clinics provide services to the community. Stamford clinic in Dili serves as a recommended medical facility for UN staff. There is a national hospital with some international staff and a limited number of other private clinics in Dili (such as DMC). For more complex medical treatment and assessment, it is necessary to evacuate to neighbouring cities/countries such as Darwin or Singapore. There is currently no reported cases of Corona Virus in Timor-Leste.  Diet, Food and Water: Most staple foods can be found in the markets such as rice, meat, vegetables, cooking oil, salt and sugar. There is a variety of food ranging from Western to Southeast Asian fare. You can also find several local restaurants with less expensive meals.  Telecommunications: There are three telecommunication providers in country, Timor Telecom and Telcomcel and Telemor. While Timor Telecom has been long present, Telcomcel and Telemor were newly launched in Timor-Leste, and started operating in February 2013. The SIM cards cost $2-3 and pre-paid/pulsa cards range from $1 to $50.    UN Volunteers should be provided equal duty of care as extended to all host entity personnel. Host entity support to the UN Volunteer includes, but is not limited to:  • Introductory briefings about the organisation and office-related context including security, emergency procedures, good cultural practice and orientation to the local environment;  • Support with arrival administration including setting-up of bank accounts, residence permit applications and completion of other official processes as required by the host government or host entity;  • Structured guidance, mentoring and coaching by a supervisor including a clear workplan and performance appraisal;  • Access to office space, equipment, IT support and any other systems and tools required to complete the objectives of the assignment including a host entity email address;  • Access to shared host entity corporate knowledge, training and learning;  • Inclusion of the volunteer in emergency procedures such as evacuations;  • Leave management;  • DSA for official travel, when applicable;  • All changes in the Description of Assignment occurring between recruitment and arrival or during the assignment need to be formalized with the United Nations Volunteer Programme.  The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

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