The Position:
The Programme Specialist Youth and Gender position is located in UNFPA Botswana Country Office (CO) and reports to the UNFPA Head of Office. The Programme Specialist Youth and Gender provides technical assistance in policy and national development frameworks formulation and implementation, and ensures effective management of UNFPA supported activities in the areas of adolescents and youth and gender equality. S/he will lead and oversee programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation as well as pursue joint programming initiatives in support of the agreed Country Programme between Government of Botswana and UNFPA, the UN Gender Theme Group (GTG) as well as pursue other opportunities of collaboration with government, UN Agencies, civil society and relevant partners.

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 new strategic plan (2022-2025), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.
The transformational journey mapped out in the Strategic Plan leads to 2030 and the achievement of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. Emerging trends inform the plan, new and expanded priorities add to longstanding commitments, and “how we work” is changing. 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:
The Youth and Gender Specialist provides high level programme and technical support for policy and programming in the areas of Adolescent and youth development and Gender Equality. This includes ensuring effective management of UNFPA supported activities, providing thought leadership and oversight to programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as pursuing joint programming initiatives in the support of government priorities, while working in an integrated and collaborative manner with the Country Office’s programme and operations staff.

Responsibilities:
The Programme Specialist, Youth and Gender will be responsible for:
A.Technical support to the programme and policy implementation
● Provides substantive technical support on youth and gender activities, more specifically to generate demand for adolescent and youth and gender services by promoting social and behavioral changes and empowering women and girls, to improve women and adolescent girls’ empowerment and their access to quality reproductive, child and maternal health services.
● Enhance national capacity to mobilize and obtain political support for national policies and programmes in the field of ASRHR and gender equality with a particular focus on the demographic dividend by promoting and advancing the ICPD agenda to accelerate progress towards the transformative results.
● Provides technical and programmatic support to programme reviews, costing, documentation and reporting; including organizing project evaluations.

B. Capacity development and coordination
●Oversee programme implementation, establishing collaborative partnerships with executing agencies, government counterparts and other UN Agencies to facilitate timely and efficient achievement of results.
●Coordinating and developing youth and gender strategic partnerships with potential implementing partners, experts, government counterparts other UN agencies and CSOs.
●Leads, provide substantial inputs and actively engage in inter-agency and national platforms on youth and gender to facilitate joint programming;

C. Knowledge generation and dissemination
● Provides substantive input into advocacy strategies considering local political and social context. Advocates and advances UNFPA’s policy agenda advocacy and policy efforts on scaling up evidence-based models for adolescents and Youth and gender.
● Reviews the political, social and economic environment relevant to family planning, adolescents and youth sexual reproductive health and rights, gender, population dynamics and pursues opportunities for UNFPA interventions. Assesses implications of new policy developments and strategies on programme execution.
● Promote, Protect and advance the ICPD accelerate progress towards the transformative results.
● S/he will provide technical backstopping and support/conduct relevant research, analysis and capacity building activities aimed at providing information and knowledge-base and readily usable methodologies to planners, policy makers, and programme managers.

D. Programme management

● Oversees achievement of adolescents and youth development and gender by ensuring appropriate policies and procedures are applied and appropriate monitoring and oversight mechanisms and systems are established and implemented. This includes but is not limited to: development of work plans, monitoring implementation and budgets, reporting and evaluation;
● Provide regular analytical reports to be shared with MoH, Ministry of Gender, UN Agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
● Document good practices for deepening knowledge base for UNFPA, UN Agencies and partners as an integral resource for linking HIV and SRHR facilitating timely and efficient delivery of programmes.
● Support increased financing and expanded partnerships, including South-South Learning towards achieving universal SRHR through substantive contributions to advocacy and resource mobilization efforts of the Country Office.
● Support timely implementation of the Regional Flagship Programme on the Youth.

E. 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 Public health, or social sciences such as sociology, demography, development studies or related fields.
Knowledge and Experience:
● At least 5 years professional experience preferably in programme management in the public health at policy level on youth and gender.
● At least five years’ experience designing and managing SRHR for young people and gender.
● Experience working in collaboration with government, development partners, civil society organizations and private sector.
Languages:
Fluency in oral and written English is required.

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.

How to apply: Interested applicants should send a letter of motivation and detailed CV with the subject clearly stated Youth Programme Specialist Youth and Gender NOC” to recruitment.bw@unfpa.org by 13 September 2024.

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