RHCS Regional Advisor, LAC, Panama City, P5

The Position:

UNFPA´s Strategic Plan includes its first Transformative Result (TR1) “reaching zero unmet need for Family Planning in 2030”. One of the most relevant tools UNFPA rolled out for accelerating this TR is its commodity program, UNFPA SUPPLIES. In Latin America and the Caribbean there are three countries that receive direct support from UNFPA SUPPLIES (Bolivia, Haiti, and Honduras), which include supplies donations and technical assistance. Nevertheless, LACRO has assumed that for the rest of the countries within the region, promoting an evidence-based policy dialogue would be a proper way to accelerate achievements toward TR1. So LACRO supports UNFPA SUPPLIES but is also deploying initiatives for enhancing national capacities for procuring and delivering contraceptives efficiently. Among those initiatives, LACRO prioritizes five main lines of intervention: 

• Promoting an evidence-based policy dialogue aiming to extend public coverage and financing for modern contraceptives, particularly looking for leaving no one behind.
• Enhancing countries’ capacities for efficiently procuring modern contraceptives.
• Strengthening Supply Chain Management aiming to reach the Last Mile.
• Promoting the incorporation of Logistic Management Information System aiming to build the governance on the supply chain at a whole.
• Promoting the incorporation and expansion of the use of the most cost-effective contraceptives in the public rosters.

You will report to the Regional Director and collaborate with Deputy Regional Director.

 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:

The primary purpose of this position is to design and lead the regional strategy and work toward achieving the UNFPA´s first Transformative Result (reaching zero unmet needs for modern contraceptives in 2030). It includes formulating and implementing the UNFPA Supplies Partnership Annual Working Plan for the LAC region, as well as monitoring and giving advice on implementing the Annual Working Plans of the countries receiving support from the UNFPA Supplies Partnership. It also includes contributing to LACRO initiatives in RHCS by working together with the regional Reproductive Health Cluster, strategic partners, and regional consultants. And to collaborate with the Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director in preparing documents, presentations and statements required by UNFPA´s headquarters or by other institutions regarding the situation of Reproductive Health Commodity Security in the region and its contribution to achieve the TR1. Finally, the Regional RHCS advisor will have to promote innovative approaches and tools aiming to facilitate networking and advances for the TR1.

You would be responsible for:

The following list of duties and responsibilities is organized based on the five main lines identified in the regional approach for reaching TR1:

Promoting an evidence-based policy dialogue aiming to extend public coverage and financing for modern contraceptives, particularly looking for leaving no one behind.

• Formulating and reviewing a regional strategy for promoting evidence-based policy dialogue for preventing adolescent pregnancy.
• Monitoring and evaluating advances in the regional strategy for promoting evidence-based policy dialogue for preventing adolescent pregnancy.
• Implementing and disseminating assessments on the opportunity-cost of adolescent pregnancies using the MILENA model.
• Operationalizing national strategies for preventing adolescent pregnancies using the MEMI model for building a costed road map for the policies with goals and milestones.
• Promoting evaluation tools for the national policies for preventing adolescent pregnancies.
• Consolidating regional reports on socioeconomic consequences of adolescent pregnancies.
• Support regional initiatives, conferences, calls and presentations on adolescent pregnancy prevention.

Enhancing countries capacities for efficiently procuring modern contraceptives. That includes:

• To roll-out effective forecasting of contraceptive´s needs based in reducing the gap for the TR1 rather than in historical consumption.
• To benchmarking procurement strategies and prices paid by governments looking for better opportunities for more affordable acquisitions.
• To analyze the method-mix looking to optimize the contraceptive basket.
• To communicate and sensitize governments and decision makers within them, about the convenience of making changes in their procurement strategies.

Strengthening Supply Chain Management aiming to reach the Last Mile.

• To design and roll-out methodologies for assessing Supply Chain of Reproductive Health Supplies.
• To implement Supply Chain dashboards for the region with disaggregation at country level.
• To give Technical Advice to LAC governments at national and local level and to UNFPA´s country offices aiming to strengthening Supply Chain Management and to reach the Last Mile.
• To collaborate with key partners, like FOROLAC, in designing and implementing conceptual frameworks and innovative technologies for strengthening Supply Chain Management and  Last Mile assurance in the region.
• To identify, systematize, document, and disseminate good practices in RHCS within the region. 

Promoting the incorporation of Logistic Management Information System aiming to build the governance on the supply chain at a whole.

• To assess and identify good practices in Logistic Management Information System.
• To promote innovative and affordable solutions in Logistic Management Information System within the region.
• To give Technical Advice to LAC governments at national and local level and to UNFPA´s country offices aiming to strengthening governance on the Supply Chain through the incorporation, scale-up and promotion of Logistic Management Information System within the region.
• To promote networking and knowledge management development in Logistic Management Information System within the region through training sessions, meetings, and community of practices.

Promoting the incorporation and expansion of the use of the most cost-effective contraceptives in the public rosters.

• To collaborate with the Regional Reproductive Health Cluster in activities linked to promoting the use of Long Active Reversible Contraceptives in LAC countries.
• To assess cost-effectiveness of alternative technologies in Family planning using data from LAC countries.
• To prepares and disseminates factsheets and presentations about the cost and benefits of alternative contraceptive provision.
• To design, support and sharing investment cases focused on the UNFPA´s first Transformative Result.
• To design, support and promote innovative technologies for tracking the use of modern contraceptives, like applications, web-based platforms, etc.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Postgraduate degree in Economics, Logistics Management, Pharmacy, or Public Health.
• Bachelor’s degree in Medicine or Health Sciences, Social Sciences or Economic with five years of experience in RHCS.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• Minimum of 10 years in the management of Reproductive Health Commodities and Health Service and Policies management
• Experience working in reproductive Health Commodities and Health Service and Policies management in Latin America a significant advantage. 
• Knowledge of health commodity procurement, logistics management, portfolio risk assessment,
• and projects coordination and support.
• Knowledge and experience using technologies for planning and advocacy for adolescent pregnancy prevention.
• Experience and success in managing relationships with a variety of partners (governments,
• NGO, senior management, external solution providers).
• Skills for operating quantitative tools and analysis.
• Good knowledge of IT-tools such as Windows office package is a strong advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in Spanish and English.

Languages: 

• Spanish
• English

Required Competencies: 

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity 
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system 
• Embracing cultural diversity
• Embracing change

Core Competencies: 

• Achieving results
• Being accountable
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen
• Thinking analytically and strategically
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

Disclaimer: 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm

In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.