Overview
The Programme Specialist, Youth Development is a senior-level role responsible for providing technical leadership and management to UNFPA’s comprehensive youth programme, driving policy advocacy and programming to advance youth development, focusing on Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS), maximizing the potential of the demographic dividend, and fostering youth leadership and participation.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead technical support to operationalize the National Youth Development Policy (NYDP) 2025.
- Drive the Country Office (CO) agenda on the Demographic Dividend through multi-sectoral investments in youth education, health, and employment.
- Guarantee that all youth development interventions are strictly aligned with national and international frameworks.
- Drive the systematic mainstreaming of youth leadership and participation across all Country Office programming.
- Institutionalize the UNSCR 2250 framework, ensuring young people are recognized as innovators and leaders in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
- Establish mechanisms to identify, fund, and mentor youth-led innovations.
- Perform high-level technical analysis on nascent and evolving trends impacting the Demographic Dividend and the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) landscape.
- Ensure full lifecycle management of programmes within UNFPA’s corporate ERP systems (Quantum), including the Global Programming System (GPS) and Strategic Information System (SIS).
- Ensure all programme activities, missions, and procurement processes are in strict compliance with the UNFPA Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) and South Sudan-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Guarantee that all data entered into corporate platforms is accurate and timely.
- Lead the implementation of internal control frameworks to ensure "audit-ready" documentation for the youth portfolio.
- Ensure the highest standards of accountability by managing reports, updates, and evidence-based data on programme progress.
- Manage the selection and capacity assessment of IPs.
- Oversee the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT), ensuring timely micro-assessments, spot checks, and audits.
- Review and certify FACE forms and progress reports.
- Ensure the timely and accurate liquidation of advances.
- Train IPs on UNFPA corporate requirements, including financial regulations, PSEA, and reporting SOPs.
- Lead the design of multi-sectoral proposals.
- Establish and sustain collaborative, high-level relationships with government counterparts, multi-lateral/bilateral donors, and civil society.
- Map donor priorities and develop "investment cases" that highlight the impact of investing in young people and youth-led innovation.
- Ensure all donor-funded projects meet visibility requirements and that high-quality, compliant donor reports are submitted ahead of corporate deadlines.
- Actively lead or co-lead the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Youth.
- Spearhead joint initiatives with agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF, and FAO.
Required Experience
- At least 5 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in programme/project management in the field of youth peace and security, youth empowerment and development programmes including Adolescents Sexual and Reproductive Health.
- Experience in multi-sectoral youth development programmes is an asset.
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.
- A thorough understanding of the UN system in general, and especially UNFPA mandate, its policies and operations and current development topics and political issues in South Sudan will be an added advantage.
Qualifications
• Advanced (Masters) Degree in development studies, youth development, political sciences, social policy, public health, social mobilization, business administration, international relations or other related fields required.
