Accountability to Affected Population (AAP) in Emergencies Specialist

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is seeking dedicated and highly skilled Accountability to Affected People (AAP) Specialists to join our Humanitarian Surge Response Roster. Candidates accepted onto this roster will be eligible for rapid deployment to support UNFPA’s lifesaving humanitarian operations globally, including immediate high-priority needs in complex environments.

As an AAP Specialist on the Surge Roster, you will be at the forefront of ensuring that crisis-affected communities are at the center of humanitarian action. You will lead efforts to ensure that AAP approaches are integrated throughout UNFPA’s humanitarian operations and enable crisis affected communities to directly shape the assistance they receive.
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
We promote gender equality and empower women, girls, and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures. We work with partners in more than 150 countries to provide access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. Our goal is ending unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.

Key Responsibilities

When deployed, Surge AAP Specialists will be responsible for:

Strategic Leadership: Providing overall strategic direction for AAP within UNFPA’s response, in alignment with the UNFPA AAP Framework and Toolkit, as well as representing the agency in inter-agency AAP coordination forums. Where contextually appropriate, AAP Specialists deployed by UNFPA may be required to establish and/or lead the inter-agency AAP Working Group in collaboration with key partners such as UN OCHA. .
Technical Oversight: Ensure that Country Offices where the AAP Specialist is deployed are able to fulfill corporate obligations regarding AAP in both preparedness and response. This includes mapping, contributing to community awareness, and establishing and/or strengthening community feedback and complaints mechanisms (CFCMs), in close consultation and engagement with Implementing Partners. Where appropriate and possible, these CFCMs should be interoperable with inter-agency CFCMs. Develop or adapt existing UNFPA AAP tools to ensure each stage of the humanitarian programme cycle integrates global good practice. .
Monitoring & Quality Assurance: Continually assess CFCMs, in collaboration with Implementing Partners, to ensure they are accessible and appropriate for communities and adjust as necessary. to ensure they facilitate the analysis of trends in community feedback and propose recommendations to resolve issues and close the feedback loop. Where appropriate, provide analysis and recommendations to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and other partners regarding response-wide recommendations in line with community preferences. Identify, document and share context specific good practice on strengthening AAP approaches.
Capacity Building: Designing and delivering training for UNFPA staff and implementing partners on core AAP standards, with a focus on participatory approaches and tools. Where appropriate, support efforts to strengthen collective approaches to AAP within the response. .
Mainstreaming & Innovation: Mainstreaming AAP across UNFPA’s core humanitarian interventions, including Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) ,Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Youth programming. Coordinate closely with UNFPA PSEA focal point/coordinator, as well as with the PSEA Network and Co-Chairs where applicable.

Required Qualifications

Education: Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Social Work, Public Health, Development Studies, Community Engagement, Protection, International Relations, or a related field.
Experience: A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in AAP or related humanitarian programming, specifically within humanitarian contexts.
Skills & Competencies:
- Experience developing and implementing AAP approaches and/or strategies, including community engagement and managing CFCMs
- Experience facilitating participatory approaches.
- Understanding of data collection methods and ability to analyse data and convert into actionable recommendations.
- Experience of lead inter-agency work is highly desirable.
- High level of cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and the ability to cope with a stressful workload in fragile security environments.
- Proficiency in written and spoken English. Proficiency in another UN language is a strong advantage.

Working Conditions

Deployments are typically physical in-country international assignments lasting between 3 to 4 months. Deployees must be prepared to work in duty stations that may require specific security training (such as SSAFE) and may involve living within UN Compounds with established R&R cycles.

How You'll Be Assessed?

●        Resume & Application Review: Our vetting committee will examine your resume, application, and supporting paragraph to determine if your experience and skills align with UNFPA's surge needs.
●        Technical & Soft Skills Assessment: You may be asked to complete a technical assessment tailored to Supply chain area of expertise to evaluate your knowledge and problem-solving abilities. You may also have to answer questions relating to soft skills.
●        Video Interview: Candidate may be invited to a recorded video interview where you'll answer questions covering both technical and behavioral aspects relevant to humanitarian work.
●        Reference Checks: As a final step, we may request your professional references to gain further insights into your work ethic, performance under pressure, and suitability for surge deployments.

We look at the whole picture, considering your technical and soft skills, adaptability, commitment to UNFPA's mission, and potential to successfully contribute in crisis settings.

Selected candidates will be added to UNFPA’s Surge Response Roster and contacted for any opportunities that meet their profile