Programme Specialist

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The UNV Programme Specialist is located in the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and reports directly to the Regional Programme Specialist in the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU), under the overall guidance of the Deputy Regional Director. S/He/They will be part of an interdisciplinary team in the PCU, which contributes to UNFPA’s organizational effectiveness and efficiency agenda, by seeking to optimize organizational performance, accountability and risk management to accelerate progress towards the three transformative results of ending unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices. The PCU contributes to the development, monitoring and oversight of country and regional-level programmes, through the application of results-based management, innovation, knowledge management and evaluation.

Within this setting, the UNV Programme Specialist will: 1) support the implementation of the Regional programme Action Plan (RPAP), aligned to the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025; 2) support programme development, oversight and assurance of country programmes; 3) review and monitor programme budgets and financial expenditures; and 4) support development and implementation of systems, mechanisms and tools for effective programme monitoring and management. The UNV Programme Specialist will collaborate closely with the Operations and Technical Units to support coordination and coherence across teams.

1. Support to Country programme Development and Implementation ● Support capacity building for Country Offices in the ESA region in the development, implementation and management of country programmes. This includes supporting organization of capacity building sessions, providing inputs on session content and documenting session outcomes; ● Review and provide inputs on the UN Common Country Analysis (CCA); United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and country programme documents (CPDs) in accordance with the guidelines for developing these programming documents; monitor country programming roadmaps to ensure that the review process is on track; ● Support capacity building sessions and follow-up actions in relation to the ESA regional Programme Review Committee (PRC); ● Support review of country work plans, implementation reports, and facilitating compliance with programme and financial procedures and requirements.

2. Support to Monitoring and Oversight of Regional Programme and budgets ● Assist with monitoring and reporting on regional programme implementation, including work plan and budget preparation, analysis and revision; ● Support implementing partner management and assurance activities;
   ● Support monitoring and analysis of Regional and Country Office programme and financial performance, using key indicators.

3. Support to Improving Knowledge Management in the RO ● Support regular updates of the PCU programme folder with emerging information, updates, and session outcome documents to enhance the programming process; ● Prepare knowledge products reflecting emerging issues, best practices, lessons learned from UNFPA-supported interventions;

4. Support to strengthening integrated technical and programmatic assistance ● Participate in meetings to review evaluation feedback on the delivery of technical assistance by the Regional Office; ● Support development of Technical Assistance feedback reports.

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 Skill Set: ● Strategically positioning UNFPA programmes ● Providing conceptual innovation to support programme effectiveness ● Generating, managing and promoting the use of knowledge and information ● Providing a technical support system ● Strengthening the programming capacity of Country Offices ● Facilitating quality programmatic results ● External and internal relations and advocacy for resource mobilization ●

Required Skillset: ● Advocacy/Advancing a Policy Oriented Agenda; ● Results-Based Programme Development and Management; ● Knowledge Management and Research experience ● Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise.

programme or project formulation and reporting experience, including on results-based management, monitoring and oversight preferably with international development organizations, including UN. ● Ability to use analytical tools and logic to gather, define information, situations, problems, and draw logical conclusions to the data; ● Strong capacity for sound judgement and capability to work with limited supervision; ● Excellent oral and Written Skills; ● Excellent drafting, formulation and reporting skills; ● Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners ● Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision, and tight deadlines; ● Have affinity with or interest in women’s health and rights, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Bigger cities in South Africa can be highly cosmopolitan. In Johannesburg and Pretoria, you will find an abundance of world class gyms, restaurants, bars, recreational classes, galleries, parks etc. The bigger shopping malls host a large selection of international brands. There is a plethora of international cuisine to be sampled, and quirky independent cinemas to be discovered. OR Tambo International Airport is a world class airport, offering highly sophisticated facilities. It is located just outside of Johannesburg, in Kempton Park. It has many international airlines that fly into this airport.

Crime rates in South Africa are ranked on the high end, petty theft and opportunistic crimes are common, and armed robberies, smash & grabs and hijackings are also fairly frequent in certain areas. One needs to remain vigilant especially at night and at road intersections. There are usually sign posts that indicate such hot spots.

Periodic security information updates are sent via email providing information at national level, with regards to circumstances such as incidents of civil unrest, transport security, computer and networking safety and trends in criminality. UNDSS sends weekly security updates via email. Updates from wardens are on an ad hoc basis, following security related events in your residential area. Updates from UNDSS are provided weekly.