Menstrual Hygiene Country Markets Specialist

Job categories Health, Project Management, Programme Management

Vacancy code VA/2024/B5007/29036

Level ICS-10

Department/office GPO, GVA, Geneva

Duty station Nairobi, Kenya

Contract type International ICA

Contract level IICA-2

Duration Open ended - subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

Application period 04-Oct-2024 to 25-Oct-2024

Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.

Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.

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Background Information - Job-specific

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a project of UNOPS.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Background Information – The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF)

Operational since July 2021, SHF is a new and innovative UN Fund dedicated to achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls, and those in vulnerable situations.

The SHF mission is to catalyze vital investment into global sanitation and hygiene services to contribute to the world’s commitment that everyone will have access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene with the specific needs of women and girls, including menstrual health and hygiene (MHH), accounted for. Our presence is critical because global progress on achieving safe sanitation and hygiene is lagging due to insufficient finance and there is an urgent need to create more opportunities for further public and private investment into the sector.

The SHF is utilizing innovative financial approaches to catalyze national sanitation economies. By doing this the SHF supports countries to increase the number of individuals with inclusive and sustainable access to improved sanitation, hygiene and Menstrual Health Hygiene(MHH), by, a) Increasing the volume of investments in the sanitation economy and b) Realizing the full value of national sanitation economies; delivering inclusive and sustainable goods, services and jobs. For more information on our organization and our work on MHH see the SHF website and SHFs MHH initiative: Capital M.

Role of the Menstrual Hygiene Country Markets Specialist

Reporting to the Menstrual Hygiene Markets Specialist, and coordinating with the Country Fund Portfolio Manager and wider SHF technical team, this role will support the coordination, oversight and advancement of SHFs MH Markets work in the priority countries. These include but are not limited to Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and, potentially, India.This will also require collaboration with external stakeholders, partners and third-party service providers.

This role will add technical MH Market expertise in the SHF countries of operation and strengthen the delivery of activities and programs. It will enhance the capacity to engage with government partners and other stakeholders from a technical perspective, increase the MH Market understanding for the individual countries and help identify opportunities to expand SHFs work and partnerships.

Specifically, this role will support in the timely and successful delivery of several SHF MH Market programs and activities, including but not limited to:

SHF’s “MHH Markets support program for SMEs”;
The roll-out of the MH Market Maturity Framework;
The provision of technical assistance to national governments;
The development and adoption of ISO menstrual product standards in LMICs.
Identification and information gathering for new opportunities, partnerships and MH Market players.
Representation of SHF at conferences, events and public meetings as well as support with advocacy efforts.

In addition this role will support the achievement of the broader organizational goals including but not limited to partnerships, resource mobilization, communications, operations and events.

The role will require official travel, which will take up about 15% of the assignment.

Functional Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Development Developing the capacity of SMEs to provide...

1. Enterprise Development

Developing the capacity of SMEs to provide quality affordable menstrual products to Base of the Pyramid (BoP) consumers is a crucial objective of SHF. This role will support the MH Markets Specialist in the oversight and delivery of the grant objectives, including but not limited to:

The IP selection process;
Technical review of the proposed program design;
Applicant selection process;
Program execution;
Applicant proposal review and sub-grant award;
Program review and modifications;

2. MH Market Data

Market data, research and information based decision making on MH markets is an integral part of SHFs approach. This role will support in activities related to the roll out of the MH Market Maturity framework including but not limited to:

Country selection & prioritization;
Support third party service providers in the methodology development for data collection;
Identification, selection and oversight of third party service providers or experts;
Capturing lessons learned and areas for improvement in the data collection, application and use of the framework;
Development and launch of a public data platform where the MH market assessments are made available;
Dissemination of the MH market maturity to technical-, government-, strategic- and other partners.

3.Technical Assistance to Government

Integral to SHFs work is the support to national governments, providing insights, advice and technical expertise on the status of the national menstrual health market. As part of the SHF Team’s efforts to deliver TA to governments, this role will support in a range of activities, including but not limited to :

Scoping of potential priority countries or markets;
Analysis of country markets, identification of technical priorities, opportunities or actions for government intervention and support the development of terms of reference for collaboration with governments.
Contribution to and review of technical documents and deliverables.
Relationship management with government stakeholders from a technical perspective.
Execution of agreed deliverables with the government counterparts.
Oversee the working relationship with third party service providers or retainers working on specific deliverables.

4. Standards

As part of SHFs efforts to address barriers to market development, SHF is supporting the development and adoption of ISO menstrual product quality standards.This role will contribute to the standards development and adoption by LMICs by supporting activities including but not limited to:

The identification and engagement of relevant national government focal points and NSBs in selected countries.
Technical contribution to documents and other outputs;
The roll out and oversight of the country-focused programs;
Identification of areas for expansion or strengthening of the program components.

5. Market insights and opportunities

This role is at the center of SHFs priority countries and offers a unique opportunity to engage with partners, stakeholders and market actors. This role will contribute to:

Expanding insights and understanding of MH market trends;
Follow the entry, establishment or development of market actors and their needs;
Engage MH market stakeholders and, identify and develop new partnership opportunities;
Leverage market data, trends and stakeholder actions to identify opportunities for SHF.
Support SHF's work on structured market scoping and mapping of pipeline opportunities from an MH perspective.

6. Supporting organizational priorities.

This role will contribute to achieving broader organizational priorities and ways of working, including but not limited to:

Support the Technical Team and Country Fund Portfolio team in the development and execution of the SHF MH Market Strategy.
The identification, monitoring and management of risks in relation to all aspects of SHF work.
The monitoring, evaluation and learning of all of SHFs work in accordance with SHFs approach.
Represent SHF at relevant events, conferences and other public engagements.
Support in communication activities for SHF and its MH market initiative: Capital M.
Support resource mobilization and partnerships activities.
Provide technical expertise and support for missions from SHF Senior Leadership and Donors.

Impact of Results

The role will contribute directly to developing the menstrual health market across the target countries, driving the development of local enterprises and markets, increasing sustainable access to quality menstrual products that women and girls living at the Base of the Pyramid can afford, and ultimately removing an important barrier to their contribution to and participation in societies.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and ex...

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education A Master's degree in finance, marketing, business administration,...

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) Contract level: ICS-10 / I-...

Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. Applic...

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.
Nairobi, Kenya is a UN family duty station.

Terms and Conditions

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

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TOGETHER, WE BUILD THE FUTURE

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.

Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

We are proud of our people. The UNOPS family brings together approximately 160 nationalities, represented by over 5,000 UNOPS personnel as well as some 7,800 personnel recruited on behalf on our partners. Spread across 80 countries, our workforce is rich in diversity and culture – with inclusion at its core.

We understand the importance of balancing professional and personal demands and offer several flexible working options.

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