Overview
Serves as UNFPA’s senior representative in the Western Region of Afghanistan, based in Herat, providing overall leadership, coordination and oversight of UNFPA programme implementation and partnerships. The position combines the functions of Area Coordinator and GBViE Specialist, overseeing priorities in reproductive health, gender-based violence in emergencies, and youth programming.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as UNFPA’s representative in the Western Region, ensuring visibility and positioning of UNFPA mandate priorities.
- Provide overall leadership and management of UNFPA’s presence in the Western Region.
- Lead and oversee the implementation of UNFPA’s humanitarian, Basic Human Needs (BHN) and early recovery programme components.
- Represent UNFPA in the regional humanitarian and Basic Human Needs (BHN) coordination platforms and relevant inter-agency fora.
- Conduct continuous environmental scanning and political, security and socio-economic analysis.
- Ensure UNFPA mandate priorities are reflected and integrated in regional humanitarian and BHN planning processes.
- Provide senior leadership and technical oversight of GBV in Emergencies programming for the Western Region.
- Promote integrated programming and nexus approaches linking GBV prevention and response with reproductive health, protection and youth programming.
- Ensure synergies in programming planning, implementation in the Western regions and linkages to the overall Country Programme Document and subsequent workplans.
- Ensure survivor-centered case management, psychosocial support and referral pathways are functional and aligned with global standards.
- Provide strategic guidance on multi-sectoral GBV prevention and response programming.
- Oversee safe spaces, community-based protection mechanisms and dignity kit programming.
- Ensure quality assurance, monitoring, reporting and results-based management of GBViE interventions.
- Identify bottlenecks in GBV prevention and response and devise strategies to address them.
- Strengthen sub-national coordination mechanisms relevant to UNFPA mandate.
- Engage and maintain strategic partnerships with local authorities, civil society organizations, UN agencies, NGOs and donors.
- Promote localization and build capacity of regional implementing partners in GBViE standards, MiSP, and humanitarian principles.
- Advocate for GBV risk mitigation across sectors and ensure cross-sectoral integration of protection principles.
- Maintain close coordination with Country Office programme units, M&E and operations.
- Contribute to proposal development, donor reporting and resource mobilization efforts.
- Identify funding opportunities and support development of multi-year and flexible funding strategies.
- Provide evidence-based inputs for advocacy materials, briefing notes and external communications.
- Oversee day-to-day management of UNFPA’s presence in the Western Region.
- Ensure sound IP management, workplan management, financial management, monitoring of expenditures and adherence to UNFPA policies and procedures.
- Supervise regional programme staff and consultants; provide mentoring, performance management and capacity development support.
- Ensure safe and secure programme implementation.
- Establish appropriate monitoring and oversight systems to track programme implementation, partner performance and commodity distribution.
- Strengthen technical capacity of staff and implementing partners on GBViE standards, protection principles and ethical data management.
- Document best practices and lessons learned from the regional response and contribute to national strategy discussions.
- Promote adherence to humanitarian principles, accountability to affected populations and safeguarding standards.
- Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Humanitarian Coordinator, Representative, or designated authority.
Required Experience
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in gender-based violence programming, including in humanitarian settings is required.
- Demonstrated experience in leading area-based or field-level programme coordination in complex humanitarian or fragile settings, including representation in inter-agency coordination platforms is required.
- Proven experience in managing multidisciplinary teams and overseeing programme implementation, including financial and operational accountability is required.
- Demonstrated senior technical expertise in GBV in Emergencies programming and coordination is required.
- Proven experience with survivor-centered case management approaches is required.
- Experience working within humanitarian and development coordination structures is required.
- Strong understanding of protection principles, safeguarding and accountability to affected populations is required.
- Experience in fragile and conflict-affected contexts is highly desirable.
- Experience in Afghanistan or similar context is an asset.
- Experience within the UN system is an asset.
Qualifications
Advanced university degree in gender studies, social work, public health, international development, humanitarian affairs, law or related field is required.
