Chief, Population and Development Branch, Programme Division (PD), Nairobi, Kenya, D-1
- Short Posting Period (9d): 9 days between posting and deadline — shorter than the typical 2–4 week window for UN professional positions.
The Position
Reporting to the Director of the Programme Division, the Chief of the Population and Development Branch (PDB) serves as UNFPA’s global lead on population dynamics, demographic change, and population–development policy.
The Branch is responsible for advancing UNFPA’s mandate on rights-based population policies and programmes, and for positioning demographic change as a central driver of sustainable development, economic transformation, and societal resilience.
The Chief provides strategic vision, intellectual leadership, and managerial oversight for the Branch, ensuring delivery of the fourth outcome on ‘adapting to demographic change while upholding individual rights and choices’ in UNFPA’s new Strategic Plan for 2026-2029. This includes operationalizing UNFPA’s programme offer across the full policy cycle—evidence, policy influencing, programme implementation, communications, and capacity strengthening.
How you can make a difference
UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact and sustained results and ensure effective external relations, communications, and partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose
The Chief is responsible for shaping and driving UNFPA’s global population and development agenda, ensuring that rights-based demographic change is effectively integrated into strategies, policies, programmes and investments at global, regional, and country levels. This includes:
Providing authoritative leadership on demographic change and megatrends
Translating population dynamics into policy, planning and programmatic action
Leading evidence generation and thought leadership on population and development
Positioning UNFPA as a trusted global voice on demographic change and rights-based population policies
Mobilizing strategic partnerships and financial resources to scale impact
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Direction and Technical Leadership
2. Evidence Generation, Knowledge, and Foresight
3. Programme Integration and Linkages
4. Narrative Shift, Policy Influence, and Advocacy
5. Capacity Strengthening and Institutional Development
6. Strategic Partnerships and Coordination
7. Resource Mobilization and Strategic Financing
8. Leadership and Management
9. Other Duties
Perform additional tasks as required by the Division Director or Senior Management.
Qualifications and Experience
Education
Advanced university degree in demography, population studies, economics, public health, sociology, international development, or related field. PhD is an advantage.
Professional Experience
Languages
Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.
Required Competencies
Values
Core Competencies
Managerial Competencies
Functional Competencies
Compensation and Benefits
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary, health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
UNFPA Work Environment
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more: https://www.unfpa.org/diversity-equity-inclusion [link removed]
Disclaimer
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
