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United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) · 15 hours ago

Deputy Executive Director (Programme) (Assistant Secretary-General), Office of the Executive Director, New York, USA

New York, United States

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

20+ years exp

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the lead UN agency focused on reproductive health and rights. They are seeking a Deputy Executive Director (Programme) to provide strategic leadership and manage the UNFPA programme and humanitarian response while building partnerships and mobilizing resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

CommunitiesHealth Care

Responsibilities

Uphold UNFPA’s normative role and mandate on sexual and reproductive health and rights and role as custodian of the International Conference on Population and Development

Provide strategic direction and leadership across all of UNFPA’s programmatic functions, including humanitarian response

Supervise a senior leadership team of Directors to ensure the seamless integration of policy, strategy, technical expertise, and evidence-based programming

Lead the organization’s programmatic contributions and oversee implementation overall of the new UNFPA Strategic Plan, 2026-2029

Champion and lead the strategic shift from traditional funding models to funding and leveraging sustainable financing and investment

Lead the organization's agenda on demographic change, ensuring that demographic intelligence and foresight inform rights-based policies and national development strategies

Direct UNFPA's work to achieve enhanced impact in programming at both country and regional levels

Improve the quality and control of country programmes by robustly strengthening systems, processes, and oversight structures

Ensure that all relevant organizational units provide cutting-edge, integrated technical and policy guidance across the organization

Oversee programmatic performance and lead the development of related risk mitigation strategies

Oversee UNFPA’s humanitarian response strategy, policies, and implementation

Represent UNFPA at the highest levels of policy dialogue on programming and humanitarian matters with Executive Board Members, Member States, major international partners, and civil society organizations

Lead technical, strategy, and advocacy coalition-building to drive the mobilization of diverse and sustainable financing for transformative investments

Build strong partnerships with governments, international financial institutions, civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector

Systematically strengthen the capabilities of the senior programme leadership team and developing direct reports

Work closely with the Deputy Executive Director (Management) on change management initiatives that support UNFPA's programme aims

Ensure clarity in roles, accountability, and decision-making, empowering the senior leadership team and country office heads to deliver results at a high level

Model highest standards of ethical behaviour and zero tolerance for any wrongdoing

Support other activities, initiatives and priorities as determined and guided by the Executive Director

Qualification

Public HealthSustainable DevelopmentHumanitarian ResponseResource MobilizationDemographic AnalysisStrategic PartnershipsProgramme DesignResults-Based ManagementAdvocacyPolicy DialogueChange ManagementTalent DevelopmentEthical StandardsCrisis ManagementCultural CompetenceNegotiationTeam LeadershipCommunication

Required

An advanced university Degree in Public Health, Social Sciences or related discipline, with additional qualifications in Business or Public Administration/ Management highly regarded

Over 20 years of professional experience in increasingly responsible roles in public health, sustainable development or humanitarian response, with at least 10 years in a senior leadership capacity is required

Substantial experience managing a complex, large-scale portfolio of development and humanitarian programmes at the global or regional level, including expertise in programme design, results-based management, and evaluation across diverse contexts, including settings in the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus

Strong experience in mobilizing resources and shaping financing strategies for development and humanitarian response, with exposure to diverse sources such as international financial institutions, domestic resource mobilization, and innovative financing mechanisms

Demonstrated ability to utilize demographic data, population analysis, and foresight to inform the design and implementation of rights-based policies and development strategies

Significant experience in advocacy, negotiation, and policy dialogue in high-level intergovernmental, multi-stakeholder, or similar fora

A strong track record of establishing and cultivating effective strategic partnerships with senior leaders across governments, multilateral organizations, financial institutions, and civil society

In-depth knowledge of the international development and humanitarian systems, gained through senior-level experience

Excellent knowledge of English is required