Organization Mission

The UNFPA country office in Djibouti works in partnership with governments, other institutions and civil society to fulfil its mandate. Two frameworks guide our mission: the Programme of Action adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The three priority areas of our mandate are sexual and reproductive health, human rights and gender equality, and population and development issues.

UNFPA provides the country with technical and financial support for the collection, analysis and dissemination of population data, in order to provide detailed information for planning and monitoring progress, thereby enabling effective and efficient decision-making.

Context

In Djibouti, UNFPA works closely with the Government, civil society organizations, United Nations entities,
development partners, communities and other stakeholders to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, the empowerment of women and young people, and the production and use of population data forsustainable development.

The UNFPA Djibouti Country Office is entering an important phase of programme acceleration and strategic
repositioning. The Office seeks to strengthen the visibility, coherence and sustainability of its interventions while
expanding its partnership and funding base.Current and emerging programme priorities include:

strengthening maternal and newborn health, including midwifery education, deployment and
professionalization;
reinforcing Maternal Death Surveillance and Response mechanisms;
improving access to integrated sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services;
supporting the validation and operationalization of national gender-based violence standard operating
procedures;
expanding and strengthening multisectoral One-Stop Centres for survivors of gender-based violence;
accelerating efforts to end female genital mutilation and other harmful practices;
advancing adolescent and youth participation, leadership and access to information and services;

supporting the realization of the demographic dividend;
promoting gender-responsive budgeting and increased domestic financing for gender equality and sexual and
reproductive health;
strengthening population, health and gender data systems;
supporting the progressive digitalization of civil registration and vital statistics;
strengthening the digital monitoring of the National Gender Policy;
improving the use of evidence, innovation and digital solutions for programme management and policy
dialogue; and
enhancing the preparedness and responsiveness of programmes in humanitarian and climate-related contexts.

The assignment will help position these priorities as integrated investment opportunities that advance the ICPD
agenda and contribute particularly to Sustainable Development Goals 3, 5, 10, 16 and 17, while strengthening
national ownership and the sustainability of results. To translate these priorities into high-impact, visible and adequately financed programmes, the Country Office requires dedicated capacity to identify strategic partnerships, develop compelling funding propositions, engage emerging partners, strengthen donor relations and systematically communicate programme results. The International UN Volunteer Specialist- Resource Mobilization, Strategic Partnerships and Communications will support this ambition by connecting programme priorities, evidence, strategic partnerships and communications into a coherent country office positioning and resource mobilization approach.

Key Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Office, the Specialist will support the UNFPA Djibouti Country
Office in strengthening its resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, external positioning and programme
communications. The assignment will help the Country Office move from opportunity-based engagement towards a more structured, proactive and evidence-driven approach to resource mobilization and partnerships. The Specialist will contribute to:
1. diversifying the Country Office’s funding and partnership base;
2. translating programme priorities and evidence into attractive and credible investment opportunities, investment
cases and policy products;
3. strengthening engagement with traditional and non-traditional partners;
4. improving the visibility of UNFPA’s results and comparative advantage;
5. building a stronger connection between programme delivery, evidence, communications and resource
mobilization; and
6. establishing practical systems, tools and pipelines that can be sustained by the Country Office.

The Specialist is expected to combine exceptional writing and analytical abilities with creativity, political
sensitivity, relationship-building skills and a demonstrated capacity to independently deliver high-quality strategic
outputs within short timelines. The role requires a mature, agile and solutions-oriented professional who can
rapidly understand UNFPA’s mandate, advise senior management, engage credibly with partners and convert
programme priorities into concrete partnership, financing and visibility opportunities.
Expected outpouts
Under the direct supervision of the Head of Office, the Specialist will support the UNFPA Djibouti Country
Office in strengthening its resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, external positioning and programme
communications. The assignment will help the Country Office move from opportunity-based engagement towards a more structured, proactive and evidence-driven approach to resource mobilization and partnerships. The Specialist will contribute to:
1. diversifying the Country Office’s funding and partnership base;
2. translating programme priorities and evidence into attractive and credible investment opportunities, investment
cases and policy products;
3. strengthening engagement with traditional and non-traditional partners;
4. improving the visibility of UNFPA’s results and comparative advantage;
5. building a stronger connection between programme delivery, evidence, communications and resource
mobilization; and
6. establishing practical systems, tools and pipelines that can be sustained by the Country Office.

The Specialist is expected to combine exceptional writing and analytical abilities with creativity, political
sensitivity, relationship-building skills and a demonstrated capacity to independently deliver high-quality strategic
outputs within short timelines. The role requires a mature, agile and solutions-oriented professional who can
rapidly understand UNFPA’s mandate, advise senior management, engage credibly with partners and convert
programme priorities into concrete partnership, financing and visibility opportunities.

Required Skills and Experience

· At least five years of progressively responsible experience in resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, donor relations, programme development, external relations, communications or a closely related field is required.

· Demonstrated experience in developing high-quality investment cases, policy briefs, policy notes, concept notes, funding proposals, donor briefs, partnership documents or strategic communications products.

· A proven record of exceptional performance, sound judgement and consistent delivery of high-quality strategic outputs under demanding timelines is required.

· Experience working in international development, humanitarian action or the social sector.

· Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical and programme information into clear and persuasive narratives.

· Experience conducting donor research, partnership mapping or funding opportunity analysis.

· Experience supporting senior management in external relations, partner engagement or high-level meetings.

· Experience in strategic communications, results storytelling, digital communications or advocacy.

· Demonstrated success in independently developing competitive funding proposals, investment cases or strategic partnership initiatives that secured partner interest, funding or institutional commitment.

· Substantive experience working with a United Nations entity, international organization or major development partner would be a strong asset.

· Previous experience with UNFPA, particularly in resource mobilization, partnerships, programme development or strategic communications, would be a distinct advantage.

· Experience in sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, youth, population and development, data systems or humanitarian programming would be desirable.

· Experience working in the Arab States region, Africa or a comparable development context would be an asset.

· Experience engaging non-traditional partners, including development banks, private sector entities or foundations, would be an advantage.

· Excellent bilingual drafting capacity in French and English is a core requirement for the assignment.

Core Competencies

 Accountability
 Adaptability and flexibility
 Creativity
 Judgement and decision-making
 Planning and organising
 Professionalism
 Self-management

Living Conditions

Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa, at the crossroads of East Africa and the Middle East. Djibouti City is the capital and the main administrative, economic and port hub. 

Climate: hot arid desert climate. Temperatures are high throughout the year, often between 30 and 45 degrees Celsius, in particular from May to September. The cooler season runs from November to February. Rainfall is scarce and irregular. 

Population and society: the population is about 1.1 million. The vast majority is Muslim. French and Arabic are the official languages; Somali and Afar are widely spoken. 

Safety: Djibouti is generally stable and relatively safe. Petty crime can occur in urban areas. Security guidelines are issued and updated by UNDSS, and UN Volunteers are fully included in the UN security framework. 

Operating environment: Djibouti is classified as a hardship duty station. The country is exposed to recurrent drought, climate shocks and population movements, and hosts refugees and migrants from neighbouring countries. The assignment offers an enriching professional environment and requires cultural awareness, flexibility, and the willingness to live and work in demanding conditions. 

Currency: the Djiboutian Franc (DJF), with a fixed exchange rate of about 177 DJF to 1 USD. Banking and communications infrastructure are available in Djibouti City. 

Candidates are encouraged to review the full benefits and allowances for the duty station using the UVP calculator, and to consult the Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers. 

You may check the full benefits and allowances applicable to the duty station using the UVP calculator https://app.unv.org/calculator. Please see the Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers for more information and details.