The Position:

The Technical Officer for Policy and Advocacy, stationed at the Dhaka, UNFPA Bangladesh Project Office (Parliament and GED), is an integral part of the Population, Planning, and Research (PPR) Unit and reports to the Chief of PPR. This key role involves leading project implementations in collaboration with the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat (BPS), General Economics Division (GED), and Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC). The incumbent's responsibilities include engaging with Parliamentarians, members of the Population Expert Committee & NTA Technical Committee, local administrations, elected public representatives, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other stakeholders to expedite the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and to harness the demographic dividend.
 

Job Purpose:

The Technical Officer- Policy and Advocacy with Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat (BPS), General Economics Division (GED) and Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC). S/he provides substantive inputs to planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the various capacity building events for and with MPs, population experts, CSOs and facilitates the delivery of UNFPA’s programmes by monitoring results achieved during implementation. S/he ensures and guides the appropriate application of systems and procedures. The Technical officer will work closely also with Chief, PPR, technical officers of SRH, A&Y, Gender, and M&E units in carrying out the adaptive and participatory approach to monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning outlined below.

You would be responsible for:

A. Programme/Project Management

• Contribute substantively to the formulation and design of component projects and relevant budgets of the PPR programme with/for Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat (BPS), General Economics Division (GED) and Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) on child marriage, SRH, gender and social norms, in line with UNFPA policies and procedures;
• Operationalize BAPPD and its associated three sub-committees, organize consultation meetings with concerned Parliamentary Standing Committees, engage Parliamentarians, local administrations, elected public representatives and stakeholders to end child marriage, protect adolescent health, create access to SRH services to reduce adolescent pregnancies and maternal mortality in targeted communities;
• Operationalize Population Expert Committee (PEC) and National Transfer Accounts (NTA) Technical Committee, and facilitate in developing background and policy papers for 9th FYP;
• Operationalize 3 zeros Action Network to strengthen CSO, and other stakeholders' capacity on SRHR, FP, GVB, MMR, etc. issues;
• Ensure the timely development of results-based work plans and related annual and quarterly documents for relevant PPR projects and programme(s) consistent with the defined project strategies and approaches as well as the financial regulations of UNFPA; 
• Collaborate with the SRH, A&Y and Gender units to ensure cross-fertilization of interventions and effective coordination;  
• Support the implementation of project/programme activities under direct UNFPA execution, such as coordination of research/studies, organization of seminars/workshops/events, and facilitation of consultants’ work, in collaboration with other colleagues;
• Seek support and interventions from UNFPA management, when required to ensure effective management of all projects under her/his purview.

B. Advocacy, Knowledge Management and Partnerships:

• Advocate with MPs to raise UNFPA-mandated issues in the Parliament Sessions by providing evidence-based information, drafting brief speeches, and talking points and follow-up on the implementation;
• Advocacy with concerned Parliamentary Standing Committees to enact/amend necessary laws and policies, allocate adequate budget, prevent GBV, stop child marriage, reduce adolescent pregnancy and maternal mortality, and create access to SRHR services in hard-to-reach areas including urban slums;
• Advocacy with Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman to include UNFPA-mandated issues in the meeting agenda, and follow up on the implementation of recommendations made in the meetings; 
• Engage Parliamentarians, local administrations, elected public representatives and stakeholders to stop child marriage, protect adolescent health, create access to SRH services to reduce adolescent pregnancies and maternal mortality in targeted communities;
• Policy advocacy for specific policy actions, investment programs, and institutional reforms to reap demographic dividends including gender dividends;
• Maintain collaborative relationships with all project counterparts and external stakeholders, as relevant for UNFPA’s programmes and represent UNFPA at external meetings upon request;
• Establish and maintain strong relations with relevant UN agencies and focal persons to ensure synergies in project interventions;
• Provide inputs to facilitate policy dialogue/discussion and other advocacy-related activities on youth and other P&D-related issues; 
• Ensure information sharing and collaboration between all relevant units of the UNFPA office and any other relevant projects;
• Support the PPR Unit Chief in drafting correspondence, periodic documentation and dissemination of project processes, lessons learned and best practices internally and externally through different knowledge-sharing forums/communication tools;
• Develop and document knowledge on current and emerging topics in Population & Development (P&D), Gender, Child Marriage, CSO, and youth engagement. This involves analyzing programs, projects, strategies, and approaches, as well as ongoing experiences, to identify lessons learned and best practices and share with management to facilitate knowledge sharing and inform the planning of future strategies.

C. Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning:

• Lead data/information collection of indicators from all the IPs and facilitates timely reporting to SIS Milestones, etc;
• Identify monitoring data gaps and ensure that data/information is accessible; 
• Identify opportunities for active participation of affected communities in monitoring processes to increase participation, buy-in and accountability;
• Increase reporting frequencies on qualitative outcome measures to allow for more adaptive programming;
• Adapt monitoring processes based on the learning and evidence generated with evaluation and research colleagues.

D. Other Corporate Tasks:

• Collaborate with all relevant units and UNFPA Field Offices to ensure teamwork and promote programmatic convergence.
• Any other relevant activities/responsibilities as assigned by the Supervisor, Representative, and/or Deputy Representative.

Please apply and find more information on the vacancy here.

The deadline for the application is 21 March 2024.

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further consideration. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.