The Position:
Under the supervision of the Director, Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships (DCS), the Chief of the UNFPA Representation Office in Tokyo serves as UNFPA’s most senior Representative in Tokyo and has overall responsibilities for managing UNFPA relations with the government and partners, in close coordination with DCS/RMB/MCB/SPB and APRO. The Chief is also responsible for supporting the relationship with Australia and New Zealand.
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:
Within the goal to deliver on the three transformative results contained in the UNFPA Strategic Plan, and ultimately on the ICPD and the 2030 Agenda, the renewed architecture of Representation Offices is aimed at strengthening advocacy and partnerships capacities of UNFPA.
The Chief of the UNFPA Representation Office in Tokyo will proactively engage to advance collaboration with UNFPA on issues of common interest, including the integration of the ICPD agenda in relevant frameworks and regional and global development agendas as well as the implementation of those agendas and relevant continental instruments, especially those on population, youth, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. S/he will, in coordination with other business units in DCS and HQ, and APRO to ensure constant and senior level interface with high level missions, ambassadors, diplomatic community and highest-level political officials in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. S/he will support UNFPA’s inter-governmental objectives globally through a focus on partnerships for resource mobilization, influencing and communication.
Qualifications and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Public Health, Medicine, Sociology, Demography, Gender, International Relations, International Development, Economics, Public Administration, Management or other related field.
Knowledge and Experience:
- 10 years of relevant increasingly responsible professional and managerial experience, including at the national and international levels.
- Job knowledge and technical expertise – up-to-date knowledge of issues of population and development, sexual and reproductive health, and gender, and their place in the development agenda; strong knowledge of human rights, global health and humanitarian affairs an asset.
- Proven ability to lead and manage teams to achieve demonstrable results.
- Knowledge of NGOs and the resource base of Development Assistance in Japan, including the media.
- Sound knowledge and familiarity with UNFPA programmes and policies, knowledge of international development policies and institutions, and international politics.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, negotiation skills, and managerial skills required.
- Field experience with UNFPA an asset.
- Familiarity with intergovernmental processes;
- Initiative, sound judgment, analytical and political acumen;
- Excellent knowledge of donor community and innovative fundraising skills;
Languages:
- High level Japanese language skills in diplomacy and politics (both in writing and speaking) and fluency in English are required;
- French, Spanish, Chinese and other UN language skills are assets in managing development program proposals from different regions, and important events such as TICAD (African development).
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
