Area Coordinator/Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE), Herat, Afghanistan, P-4

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. UNFPA is committed to achieving gender balance and fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce.

The Position:

The Area Coordinator – Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) serves as UNFPA’s senior representative in the Western Region of Afghanistan, based in Herat, and provides overall leadership, coordination and oversight of UNFPA programme implementation and partnerships in the region. The position combines the functions of Area Coordinator and GBViE Specialist and is responsible for overseeing UNFPA Country Office priorities in reproductive health (RH), gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE) and youth programming at the sub-national level in both humanitarian and basic human needs.

In addition to area-level leadership, the incumbent provides the senior level of technical leadership and strategic guidance on Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) for the Country Office, ensuring that GBV prevention, risk mitigation and survivor-centered response interventions are designed and implemented in accordance with global standards and contribute to UNFPA’s strategic priorities.

Operating in a complex humanitarian and fragile context and shifting paradigm to basic human needs, the Area Coordinator promotes integrated and nexus-oriented programming across humanitarian, Basic Human Needs and early recovery interventions, ensuring continuity of life-saving services for women, girls and young people and strengthening sub-national coordination mechanisms.

The position reports directly to the Humanitarian Coordinator and provides supervision and technical oversight to programme staff in the Western Region.

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:

Under the supervision of the Humanitarian Coordinator, the Area Coordinator – Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) provides strategic leadership and oversight of UNFPA programme implementation, partnerships and representation in the Western Region of Afghanistan. The position combines area-level programme leadership with specialized technical leadership on Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) for the Country Office.

The incumbent ensures coordinated implementation of UNFPA interventions in reproductive health, GBV prevention and response, and adolescent and youth programming, while representing UNFPA in sub-national humanitarian and Basic Human Needs coordination mechanisms. The Area Coordinator also provides senior technical leadership and strategic guidance to strengthen GBV programming and integration across UNFPA interventions and humanitarian response frameworks.

You would be responsible for:

Area Leadership and Strategic Representation

• Serve as UNFPA’s representative in the Western Region, ensuring visibility and positioning of UNFPA mandate priorities.
• Provide overall leadership and management of UNFPA’s presence in the Western Region, ensuring effective coordination between programme and operational functions.
• Lead and oversee the implementation of UNFPA’s humanitarian, Basic Human Needs (BHN) and early recovery programme components , including maternal and reproductive health (MRH), Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE), and adolescent and youth programmes in the Western Region..
• Represent UNFPA in the regional humanitarian and Basic Human Needs (BHN) coordination platforms and relevant inter-agency fora.
• Conduct continuous environmental scanning and political, security and socio-economic analysis; regularly brief the Country Office management on contextual developments and their programmatic implications.
• Ensure UNFPA mandate priorities — particularly Maternal and Reproductive Health, menstrual hygiene in emergencies programme, GBV prevention, risk mitigation and response — are reflected and integrated in regional humanitarian and BHN planning processes (UNFSA, HNO, HRP, contingency planning, appeals).

GBViE Technical Leadership and Programme Oversight

• Provide senior leadership and technical oversight of GBV in Emergencies programming for the Western Region and leadership in strengthening GBV technical leadership across the Country Office.
• Promote integrated programming and nexus approaches linking GBV prevention and response with reproductive health, protection and youth programming across humanitarian and Basic Human Needs interventions.
• Ensure the synergies in programming planning, implementation in the Western regions and linkages to the overall Country Programme Document and the subsequent workplans. 
• Ensure survivor-centered case management, psychosocial support and referral pathways are functional and aligned with global standards (Minimum Standards, Essential Services Package, IASC Guidelines).
• Provide strategic guidance on multi-sectoral GBV prevention and response programming, ensuring integration with health, protection, WASH and other sectors.
• Oversee safe spaces, community-based protection mechanisms and dignity kit programming.
• Ensure quality assurance, monitoring, reporting and results-based management of GBViE interventions.
• Identify bottlenecks in GBV prevention and response and devise strategies to address them, strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus.

Area-Level Programme Coordination and Partnerships

• Strengthen sub-national coordination mechanisms relevant to UNFPA mandate, including GBV workstream and other humanitarian and Basic Human Needs (BHN) coordination platforms, ensuring effective inter-agency information sharing and harmonized response.
• Engage and maintain strategic partnerships with local authorities, civil society organizations (including women-led organizations), UN agencies, NGOs and donors.
• Through engagement with local authorities, promote localization and build capacity of regional implementing partners in GBViE standards, MiSP, and humanitarian principles.
• Advocate for GBV risk mitigation across sectors and ensure cross-sectoral integration of protection principles.
• Maintain close coordination with Country Office programme units, M&E and operations to ensure coherence between area-level implementation and national strategy.

Resource Mobilization and Strategic Positioning

• Contribute to proposal development, donor reporting and resource mobilization efforts for GBViE and area-based programming.
• Identify funding opportunities and support development of multi-year and flexible funding strategies to ensure sustainability of services.
• Provide evidence-based inputs for advocacy materials, briefing notes and external communications in coordination with the Country Office.

Office Management and Operational Oversight

• Oversee day-to-day management of UNFPA’s presence in the Western Region, ensuring effective programme delivery and operational compliance.
• Ensure sound IP management, workplan management, financial management, monitoring of expenditures and adherence to UNFPA policies and procedures in coordination with operations colleagues.
• Supervise regional programme staff and consultants; provide mentoring, performance management and capacity development support.
• Ensure safe and secure programme implementation in coordination with UNDSS and the Country Office.
• Establish appropriate monitoring and oversight systems to track programme implementation, partner performance and commodity distribution (including dignity kits and relevant supplies).

Knowledge Management and Capacity Development

• Strengthen technical capacity of staff and implementing partners on GBViE standards, protection principles and ethical data management.
• Document best practices and lessons learned from the regional response and contribute to national strategy discussions.
• Promote adherence to humanitarian principles, accountability to affected populations and safeguarding standards.

Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Humanitarian Coordinator, Representative, or designated authority.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Advanced university degree in gender studies, social work, public health, international development, humanitarian affairs, law or related field is required.

Knowledge and Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in gender-based violence programming, including in humanitarian settings is required.
• Demonstrated experience in leading area-based or field-level programme coordination in complex humanitarian or fragile settings, including representation in inter-agency coordination platforms is required.
• Proven experience in managing multidisciplinary teams and overseeing programme implementation, including financial and operational accountability is required.
• Demonstrated senior technical expertise in GBV in Emergencies programming and coordination is required.
• Proven experience with survivor-centered case management approaches is required.
• Experience working within humanitarian and development coordination structures is required.
• Strong understanding of protection principles, safeguarding and accountability to affected populations is required.
• Experience in fragile and conflict-affected contexts is highly desirable.
• Experience in Afghanistan or similar context is an asset.
• Experience within the UN system is an asset

Languages:

Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of other official UN languages is desirable.

Required Competencies: 

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system
• Embracing cultural diversity
• Embracing change

Core Competencies: 

• Achieving results
• Being accountable
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen
• Thinking analytically and strategically
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships
• Communicating for impact

Functional Competencies:

• Advocacy/advancing a policy-oriented agenda
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Delivering results based programmes
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for resource mobilization

Managerial Competencies:

• Providing strategic focus
• Engaging internal/external partners and stakeholders
• Leading, developing and empowering people/ creating a culture of performance
• Making decisions and exercising judgment

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus 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 [link removed] to learn more.

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.