The Position:
The Innovation Officer post is located in the Arab States Regional Office (ASRO)and reports to the Deputy Regional Director (DRD) who provides overall direction and guidance. The Innovation Officer post works in tandem with the UNFPA ASRO Innovation Team coordinating across all thematic teams to facilitate the processes of planning, designing, coordinating and implementing effective and creative solutions towards advancing the ICPD agenda and UNFPA’s three transformative results. Under the overall guidance and supervision of the DRD, the Innovation Officer substantively collaborates across the Regional and Country Offices (COs) to advance innovation agendas for improved efficiency and effectiveness of the UNFPA Regional programme.
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 focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender based violence and harmful practices.
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 uphold the values enshrined in the United Nations Charter, who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
Innovation has been recognized as a critical enabler to perform all four outcomes of the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2018-2021. Within that framework, ASRO will support ideation, prototyping and piloting of innovative approaches throughout each thematic area to serve as an incubator for country-level interventions. Working with colleagues in the ASRO Innovation Team and other colleagues across the regional programme and COs, the Innovation Officer will work on promoting and ensuring innovation and corresponding approaches are mainstreamed in programmes and projects to deliver better, faster and more impactful results.
Education: Advanced university degree in Social Sciences and/or other relevant disciplines
Knowledge and Experience:
- Master’s degree with a minimum of 2 years of progressively relevant work experience at the national and/or international level.
- Entrepreneurial, creative, innovative thinker, inquisitive mind, technology curious; self-motivated, open-minded.
- Demonstrated experience in direct implementation of innovation structures and processes. Experience in programme design and management.
- Ability to catalyze and scope for innovative initiatives that enhance programme quality.
- Ability to explain complex ideas and findings in a way that can be easily understood and to work creatively within a budget and use innovations to find ways of more effectively managing resources.
- Experience with mobile and web-based technologies, particularly designing and deploying appropriate tools to low-resourced environments.
- Ability to work in a complex and culturally diverse environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the organization.
- Strong communication skills who can also translate ideas into practical application.
- Strong leadership skills, and ability to work both independently and in teams.
Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory. Working knowledge of Arabic or French is desirable.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.