Overview
The Area Coordinator – Reproductive Health (P-4) serves as UNFPA’s senior representative in the Eastern Region of Afghanistan, based in Jalalabad, and provides overall leadership, coordination and oversight of UNFPA programme implementation and partnerships in the region. The position combines the functions of Area Coordinator and Reproductive Health (RH) Specialist and is responsible for overseeing UNFPA Country Office priorities in Reproductive Health (RH), gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE) and youth programming at the sub-national level.
Key Responsibilities
- Represent UNFPA in the Eastern Region, ensuring visibility and positioning of UNFPA mandate priorities.
- Provide overall leadership and management of UNFPA’s presence in the Eastern Region.
- Lead and oversee the implementation of UNFPA’s humanitarian and 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 in and integrated in regional humanitarian planning and BHN planning processes.
- Provide senior technical leadership for Maternal and Reproductive Health (RH) programming and humanitarian response in the Eastern Region.
- Promote integrated programming and nexus approaches linking GBV prevention and response with reproductive health, protection and youth programming.
- Ensure the synergies in programming planning, implementation in the Eastern regions and linkages to the overall Country Programme Document and the subsequent workplans.
- Ensure MISP, survivor-centered case management, psychosocial support and referral pathways are functional and aligned with global standards.
- Provide strategic guidance on multi-sectoral Reproductive Health programming.
- Oversee safe spaces, community-based protection mechanisms and dignity kit programming.
- Ensure quality assurance, monitoring, reporting and results-based management of MRH and GBViE interventions.
- 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 Reproductive Health (RH) standards, MiSP, and humanitarian principles.
- Advocate for Reproductive Health programmes 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 the day-to-day management of UNFPA’s presence in the Eastern Region.
- Ensure sound IP management, workplan management, financial management, monitoring of expenditures and adherence to UNFPA policies and procedures.
- Supervise 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 reproductive health programming in humanitarian settings, 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 supervisor or designated authority.
Required Experience
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in reproductive health programming, including in humanitarian settings is required.
- Demonstrated experience in field-based programme coordination in complex humanitarian environments is required.
- Proven experience in reproductive health in emergencies programming, including implementation of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) is required.
- Experience in managing multidisciplinary teams and overseeing programme implementation is required.
- Experience in humanitarian coordination mechanisms and inter-agency collaboration is required.
- Experience working in fragile or conflict-affected contexts is highly desirable.
- Experience in Afghanistan or similar context is an asset.
- Experience within the United Nations system is an asset.
Qualifications
Advanced university degree in medical sciences, public health, reproductive health, international development, humanitarian affairs or related field is required.
