Demographic Resilience and Policy Adviser CDD
UNFPA
UNFPA recrute un Demographic Resilience and Policy Adviser
The Position:
The Demographic Resilience and Policy Adviser post is placed in the West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO). The adviser will work with the WCARO, WCA Country Offices, UNFPA HQs and other RO technical advisors to formulate and generate strategic UNFPA contributions toward advancing ICPD Programme of Action (PoA), the 2030 agenda and the AU Agenda 2063 in the West and Central Africa Region, focusing on incorporating demographic dynamics within development policies, and highlighting the implications of population issues for environmental, economic and social trends and policies in the region.
The adviser will work under the overall guidance and leadership of the Regional Director and reports directly to the Deputy Regional Director. S/he is the Principal adviser at the regional level for evidence-based advocacy, policy dialogue/advice, capacity building and technical assistance in population and development issues including implications of demographic changes and megatrends such as climate change, urbanization, displacement and migration, changing household structures, gender inequality and population aging on sustainable development. S/he works in an integrated manner with the technical, operations, programme and communications staff in the WCARO. S/he is an active member and contributes thinking to the community of practice network coordinated by the Population Branch of the Technical Division in UNFPA headquarters.
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 (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
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 adviser provides strategic technical and programmatic leadership and policy direction on population and development issues for the region to ensure that WCARO and the UNFPA Country Offices in the region play a leadership role in advancing the Strategic Plan, ICPD PoA and the 2030 agenda. S/he maintains primary responsibility for coordination of provision of technical assistance, and for providing policy and programme support to the countries of the region on using population data (e.g. census, CRVS, household surveys), to assess the implications of populations trends for development, for national investments to achieve the SDGs, and for the formulation of evidence-based population and development policies. S/he will provide guidance on how UNFPA Country Offices (COs) can support governments to use population data, including results from the 2020 round of census, to assure resilient national planning in the face of complex megatrends. S/he will provide technical guidance and support on the generation of national and sub-national population projections, and the development of use cases on how the prevailing population dynamics are likely to affect attainment of UNFPA’s Transformative Results and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). S/he analyses regional, as well as specific sub-regional trends, and contributes to strategic action in response of these as well as to the monitoring of UNFPA substantive areas being firmly placed within national development frameworks and programmes, including the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the AU Agenda 2063.
You would be responsible for:
Responsibilities will include identifying new and emerging needs in the area of evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogue, providing guidance on the impact of population dynamics and demographic transition in public policies and investments; establishing clear links between investments in SRHR, education, gender equality, young people, and the reduction of poverty and inequality, and maintaining technical partnerships in the region; coordinating and providing leadership to regional efforts around evidence, knowledge and innovation; and ensuring that technical knowledge is updated, generated, disseminated and utilized for effective technical, capacity building, policy dialogue and advocacy.
The primary roles of the Demographic Resilience and Policy Advisor are:
A. Evidence Generation and Analyses
B. Strategic Population and Sustainable Development Policy Advice
C. Quality Technical Support and Capacity Development
D. Evidence and Knowledge Management
E. Technical Representation, Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Positioning.
- Evidence Generation and Analyses
- Identify and analyze demographic trends and projections, including fertility, mortality, migration, displacement and urbanization, that may affect the achievement of UNFPA’s transformative results, ICPD PoA and SDGs within the region at the regional, subregional and country level;
- Leverage population censuses and other demographic data sources for the production and analysis of disaggregated data on vulnerable population groups such as persons with disabilities, adolescent and young girls, older persons, ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees and IDPs, including for SDG monitoring purposes.
- Analyze conditions and interventions that can facilitate countries to harness demographic, health and gender dividends to accelerate progress towards UNFPA’s Transformative Results and the SDGs;
- Scan and analyze political, economic, social, technical, environment, health and legal factors pertaining to population and development issues, and provide strategic advice on their implications for the UNFPA mandate in the region;
- Strategic Population and Sustainable Development Policy Advice
- Demonstrate the value of demographic analysis and demographic intelligence for sustainable development, and advise on the importance of integrating and addressing demographic dynamics within development policies across different sectors at the regional and country level;
- Contribute to the development of new or updated population and development policies at country level, as well as regional position papers and policy products;
- Participate in UNFPA technical networks, symposia and Reference Groups on Demographic Resilience and Population Policy, demographic dividends, population dynamics and climate change, migration, healthy aging, and provide input into UNFPA corporate thinking for the advancement of the three transformative results and ICPD PoA in the region;
- Develop and synthesize policy briefs and publications to better target public investments in the region toward sustainable development and demographic resilience;
- Quality technical support and capacity development
- Advise country offices and provide technical capacity strengthening for the effective use of demographic data for development policies and planning;
- Support capacity strengthening on technical tools and approaches, including population projections, the use of the UNFPA Population Situation Assessment (PSA), National Transfer Accounts (NTAs) (including National Time Transfer Accounts, NTTAs); and related model-based estimates and tools on demographic dividend(s) in the region, ensuring consistency and coherence in addressing priorities for UNFPA;
- Work with HQ and other ROs to support the WCA regional adaptation of training materials, manuals and tools, including basic and advanced training on demographic analysis, NTAs/NTTAs, and ensure their availability and promote their use for capacity development;
- Contribute to the development and implementation of a regional integrated strategy to strengthen capacities pertaining to population and development issues in the region, including regional and sub-regional institutional capacities for supporting and sustaining high-quality technical work by governments;
- Monitor the quality of the technical support received at the country level on issues pertaining to population dynamics, demographic resilience, demographic dividend and population megatrends, and coach and manage junior professional staff and consultants to assure quality technical work;
- Evidence and knowledge management
- Coordinate and monitor the regional knowledge platform as a mechanism to share technical skills and knowledge within and among programme countries and/or other regions in population dynamics and demographic dividend;
- Work closely with HQ and COs to support the WCA regional sub-section of the UNFPA Population Data Portal (PDP), and support the coordination with governments and COs to facilitate national portals and thematic dashboards for the region;
- Coordinate the preparation of white papers, policy briefs and related materials for evidence-based policy dialogues at regional level, and provide similar support at the request of country offices and in support of the corporate executive leadership at HQs;
- Identify regional experts and institutional sources of technical knowledge on population dynamics, demographic intelligence and dividends, and population policies and establish and maintain a consultant roster for the region;
- Technical Representation, Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Positioning
- Develop and co-ordinate partnerships and collaboration on population dynamics and resilience, demographic dividends, and population policies with other UN agencies and global partners, including in the context of the UNDG and the UN Africa Regional Collaboration Platforms and Opportunity and Issue Based coalitions, the Regional Economic Commissions, the African Development Bank, the African Union Commission, and other regional institutions;
- Represent UNFPA on relevant technical fora in the region, and elaborate UNFPA’s substantive regional and global perspectives in relevant international, inter-governmental, and other policy and technical meetings;
- Initiate, develop, strengthen and monitor substantive partnerships in population dynamics, demographic resilience, demographic dividends and population megatrends, including with counterparts in UNFPA’s HQ and ROs to identify opportunities for South-South cooperation and study tours to enhance technical excellence in the population development ecosystem in the region;
- Collaborate academia, research and training institutions, think tanks, centers of excellence, professional societies in the region; and;
- Act as focal point for inter-agency working groups including through the Opportunity Issues Based Coalition (OIBCs) on Demographic Dividend, Migration and Climate Change;
- Carry out any other duties as may be required by the Regional Director, the Deputy Regional Director or Chief Population Branch in HQs;
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
- Advanced degree (doctorate level preferred) in demography, development economics, economic demography, population statistics, development policy or other population and policy related fields directly related to the substantive area.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Ten years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the substantive area, with emphasis in the linkages between population, economic development, and social policies of which seven years has been at the international level;
- Demonstrated expertise in the substantive area of work including a track record of high-quality analyses and related publications;
- Demonstrated ability to translate evidence and research findings into actionable policy programmatic recommendations;
- Familiarity with methods and tools for modelling the demographic dividend and the generational economy, especially NTAs/NTTAs;
- Experience working with a diverse range of countries, and with national leaders including government partners;
- Strong track record of technical leadership, and proven ability to produce quality and timely results;
- Excellent verbal and written communication, especially for the transmission of technical knowledge to non-experts;
- Demonstrated ability to network within the academic and development community;
- Familiarity with management and monitoring tools is desirable;
- Familiarity with ICT/ERP is an asset;
- Field experience is strongly desirable;
Languages:
- Fluency in English is required and French is desirable. Other UN languages are assets;
Required Competencies:
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 Competencies:
- Advocacy/ Advancing a policy-oriented agenda,
- Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners / building strategic alliances and partnerships
- Delivering Results Based Programmes
- Generating, managing and promoting the use of knowledge and Information
- External and internal communication and advocacy for results mobilization
Managerial Competencies:
- Providing strategic focus,
- Engaging in internal/external partners and stakeholders,
- Leading, developing and empowering people, creating a culture of performance,
- Making decisions and exercising judgment,
Compensation and Benefits:
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
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
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
