Representative, Afghanistan

The Representative serves as the accredited representative of UNFPA in Afghanistan, leading the Country team to develop and manage the Country Programme focused on population and development, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender equality. The role involves high-level political dialogue, strategic diplomacy, resource mobilization, and oversight of humanitarian and development portfolios to advance the 2030 Agenda and UNFPA's mandate in a complex and volatile environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-stakes political and policy dialogue with de facto authorities, diplomatic missions, and donor platforms to maintain operational access and defend human rights, SRHR, and gender equality.
• Provide senior inter-agency leadership within the UN System and serve as a strategic partner in UN Country Team and Humanitarian Country Team.
• Drive UNFPA’s strategic positioning and political accountability across UN-wide planning mechanisms.
• Lead high-level political positioning and advocacy for UNFPA’s mandate on SRHR, gender equality, and population dynamics.
• Navigate and shape UNFPA’s engagement in a volatile aid environment using advocacy, strategic alliances, and innovative operational modalities.
• Provide strategic leadership in positioning UNFPA's mandated areas within ongoing system-wide reform processes.
• Drive macro-level donor diplomacy and establish strategic funding alliances.
• Mobilize resources for the country programme ensuring compliance with UNFPA financial rules.
• Negotiate and secure complex donor agreements for fiscal sustainability and strategic alignment.
• Advocate for inclusion of SRHR and GBV in humanitarian funding mechanisms.
• Provide strategic vision and executive direction for a complex country portfolio in a volatile environment.
• Direct formulation and execution of multi-year emergency response frameworks.
• Establish enterprise risk management and internal control systems ensuring organizational resilience and compliance.
• Exercise leadership over a large, multi-disciplinary, decentralized team, prioritizing staff well-being.
• Institutionalize results-based governance leveraging monitoring and data-driven quality assurance.
• Drive strategic talent management and workforce planning for an agile Country Office structure.
• Manage international and national staff fostering empowerment and career development.
• Ensure fit-for-purpose HR structure aligned with programme priorities.
• Exercise fiduciary oversight and financial governance ensuring audit readiness.
• Ensure safety, security and wellbeing of staff and uphold Duty of Care in high-threat environments.
• Carry out other duties as required by the Regional Director.

Requirements

• Post-graduate university degree in Public Health, Medicine, Sociology, Demography, Gender, International Relations, International Development, Economics, Public Administration, Management or related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of increasingly responsible professional leadership experience in international development, including complex humanitarian crises and fragile state contexts.
• Demonstrated ability in high level representation, sensitive communication/advocacy related to population and development, sexual and reproductive health, and gender.
• Proven track record in high-level political negotiation, sensitive diplomatic engagement, and navigating complex, politically sensitive environments.
• Experience working with non-recognized or de facto authority regimes.
• Dynamic leadership style and ability to work collaboratively with external partners, UNCT and UNFPA regional offices.
• Substantive experience in fundraising, including with non-traditional donors and private sector, and innovative cost efficiency measures.
• Proven ability to lead and manage teams to achieve demonstrable results.
• Experience managing large scale country operations, multi-million dollar portfolios, and large, multi-disciplinary teams in high-threat environments.
• Experience in advocacy and policy dialogue.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of a second UN language is an advantage.

Skills

• International Development Leadership
• Humanitarian Crisis Management
• Fragile State Operations
• High-Level Representation
• Advocacy and Policy Dialogue
• Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Gender Equality Programming
• Political Negotiation
• Diplomatic Engagement
• Engagement with Non-Recognized Authorities
• Partnership Building
• Fundraising and Resource Mobilization
• Private Sector Fundraising
• Cost Efficiency Measures
• Team Leadership
• Large-Scale Operations Management
• Multi-disciplinary Team Leadership
• Strategic Diplomacy
• Portfolio Oversight
• Public Health Expertise

Languages

English