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UNFPA-SRH Coordinator-P3-El Obeid, Sudan
El Obeid, North KordofanPosition Title: SRH Coordinator
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3
Location: El Obeid, Kordofan (to be relocated to Kosti, White Nile, while continuing to cover the Kordofan, if situation in Kordofan doesn’t allow access)
Duration: 6 months
Language: Fluency in English required, Arabic is an asset
Mission Specific Considerations
Remote-Based Deployments (if remote-based please only fill in this table)
Physical deployments (only fill out if you anticipate surge to physically deploy)
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request (Please provide a short paragraph outlining the prevailing humanitarian situation and context and why this justifies the role.)
On April 15th, 2023, military conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict started in Khartoum State and quickly spread to other states As of the date of this note, the conflict is still ongoing. This conflict has left 33.7 million people in need of assistance, over 9 million internally displaced and over 4 million fleeing to other countries, making it the world's largest displacement crisis. Among those displaced are 2.7 million women of reproductive age, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing critical care.
As of January 2026, more than 3 million people returned to their areas of origin, including approximately 2 million individuals who were internally displaced and 523,845 who returned from outside Sudan. These return movements present emerging priorities for the humanitarian community, requiring a strengthened focus on supporting returnees and facilitating access to essential services in affected areas, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and protection services for women and girls. Protection remains a major issue for women and girls across Sudan as systems and networks have collapsed. Services remain extremely limited and sexual violence is reportedly being used as a weapon of war, targeting women, men, boys and girls, in a number of states. Women continue to be impacted by a lack of access to health care, including emergency obstetric care, as over 80 percent of facilities in areas affected by conflict are non-functional. A lack of critical supplies, skilled health care providers, and access is exacerbating the situation. Risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and exploitation remain high, and malnutrition is increasing in parts of the country. Across Sudan, UNFPA continues to support 45 health facilities and 75 women and girls’ safe spaces, delivering life-saving protection and health services. From January to the end of September 2025, these services reached over 667,000 women and girls in need.
As of 27 January 2026, an estimated 9,105,467 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded across 11,405 locations in 185 localities, across all 18 states.[1]The number of IDPs decreased in 10 out of the 18 states compared to the previous month, and increased in Aj Jazirah, Central Darfur, Khartoum, North Kordofan, Red Sea, West Darfur, West Kordofan and White Nile.
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats: (i.e armed conflict, terrorism, crime, social unrest, hazard)
The Kordofan states and the critical hub of Kosti (White Nile State) remain a highly volatile strategic epicenter as the civil war enters its fourth year. The conflict landscape is defined by a fragmented, multi-front war involving the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) al-Hilu faction.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Coordination
Overseen Programme and Implementation in Darfur's areas
Rapid Assessments/field visits
Communication/ Reporting
Resource Mobilization/Humanitarian funding
Capacity Development
Any Other Duties
Qualifications and Skills Required:
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3
Location: El Obeid, Kordofan (to be relocated to Kosti, White Nile, while continuing to cover the Kordofan, if situation in Kordofan doesn’t allow access)
Duration: 6 months
Language: Fluency in English required, Arabic is an asset
Mission Specific Considerations
Remote-Based Deployments (if remote-based please only fill in this table)
| Considerations for remote-based deployments | |
| If the deployment is remote-based, is the country office set up to ensure ongoing communication / team integration and appropriate supervision with the deployee from afar? Please explain. | Not applicable. Deployment is on-site |
Physical deployments (only fill out if you anticipate surge to physically deploy)
| Pre-departure considerations for physical deployments | |
| Does this duty station require candidates to have undertaken SSAFE training? If so, can the office provide training upon arrival? | SSAFE training required. |
| Visa Are there any special/new, specific visa considerations that need to be considered? |
UNFPA will support the incumbent with any visa application requirements. UNLP holder receive fast-tracked visa and can convert their visa into one-year multi-entry residence permit |
| Equipment Is there any equipment that the Surge should become equipped with prior to travel, e.g. PPE such as masks, gloves, sanitizer, etc? |
UNFPA prefers the incumbent to bring their own laptop and phone. The CO will provide a SIM card and internet dongle if need be. |
| Is there any other paperwork that the local government authorities require upon entry/re-entry into the country? | No |
|
On mission considerations (for physical deployments):
|
|
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Accommodation
What type of accommodation is available for Surge deployees? |
UNFPA will arrange accommodation in El Obeid, Kordofan (El Obeid, North Kordofan). A UNDSS-approved guesthouse list is available to allow him/her to choose in Port Sudan. |
|
R&R
Is the duty station on an R&R cycle and if so how often? |
Yes Every 4 weeks for Kosti |
| Medical Treatment Are there any government restrictions or limitations that would adversely impact in-country medical treatment plans or medical evacuation? |
No |
| Office arrangement for telecommuting If the Surge needs to telecommute within the country, can the country office demonstrate that the deployee is realistically able to work in terms of remote connectivity, equipment, etc.? |
Surge staff are expected to work from UNFPA office premises when in Sudan. Phone and internet communications are regularly disrupted for a few hours. |
| Equipment If the Surge is required to physically deploy, can the country office provide necessary equipment, e.g. masks, gloves, sanitizer? |
UNFPA prefers the incumbent to bring their own laptop and phone. The CO will provide a SIM card and internet dongle if need be |
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request (Please provide a short paragraph outlining the prevailing humanitarian situation and context and why this justifies the role.)
On April 15th, 2023, military conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict started in Khartoum State and quickly spread to other states As of the date of this note, the conflict is still ongoing. This conflict has left 33.7 million people in need of assistance, over 9 million internally displaced and over 4 million fleeing to other countries, making it the world's largest displacement crisis. Among those displaced are 2.7 million women of reproductive age, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing critical care.
As of January 2026, more than 3 million people returned to their areas of origin, including approximately 2 million individuals who were internally displaced and 523,845 who returned from outside Sudan. These return movements present emerging priorities for the humanitarian community, requiring a strengthened focus on supporting returnees and facilitating access to essential services in affected areas, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and protection services for women and girls. Protection remains a major issue for women and girls across Sudan as systems and networks have collapsed. Services remain extremely limited and sexual violence is reportedly being used as a weapon of war, targeting women, men, boys and girls, in a number of states. Women continue to be impacted by a lack of access to health care, including emergency obstetric care, as over 80 percent of facilities in areas affected by conflict are non-functional. A lack of critical supplies, skilled health care providers, and access is exacerbating the situation. Risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and exploitation remain high, and malnutrition is increasing in parts of the country. Across Sudan, UNFPA continues to support 45 health facilities and 75 women and girls’ safe spaces, delivering life-saving protection and health services. From January to the end of September 2025, these services reached over 667,000 women and girls in need.
As of 27 January 2026, an estimated 9,105,467 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded across 11,405 locations in 185 localities, across all 18 states.[1]The number of IDPs decreased in 10 out of the 18 states compared to the previous month, and increased in Aj Jazirah, Central Darfur, Khartoum, North Kordofan, Red Sea, West Darfur, West Kordofan and White Nile.
Security Situation Summary in country and main threats: (i.e armed conflict, terrorism, crime, social unrest, hazard)
The Kordofan states and the critical hub of Kosti (White Nile State) remain a highly volatile strategic epicenter as the civil war enters its fourth year. The conflict landscape is defined by a fragmented, multi-front war involving the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) al-Hilu faction.
- North Kordofan (El Obeid): While the SAF managed to officially break the prolonged ground siege of El Obeid in early 2025, the RSF launched a renewed Kordofan offensive in mid-March 2026. The RSF has heavily escalated its drone campaign against the city. Recent strikes have targeted El Obeid’s main power substation—plunging the city into blackouts—as well as military installations and civilian hospitals, severely damaging surgical and inpatient wards.
- South Kordofan: Warfare has intensified significantly. The RSF and SPLM-N al-Hilu forces have engaged in multi-pronged assaults on key towns. By capturing areas like El Kuweik in March 2026, armed factions have severed the main road between Delling and Kadugli, effectively reimposing suffocating sieges on both cities and cutting off SAF garrisons.
- White Nile (Kosti): Kosti remains under SAF control and serves as a vital strategic and logistical anchor. However, its stability is heavily strained as it absorbs massive waves of displaced populations fleeing the deteriorating conditions in the Kordofans and Khartoum.
For UN and international humanitarian personnel operating in the Kordofans and White Nile, the risk environment remains high. The severe escalation of drone warfare in 2026—particularly in urban centers like El Obeid and Kost—poses a persistent, deadly threat. Drones have repeatedly struck civilian infrastructure, markets, and hospitals without warning. Ground attacks represent a severe and immediate threat across the Kordofan region. The RSF—often operating in complex tactical alliances with SPLM-N (al-Hilu) factions—has systematically surrounded and assaulted multiple critical areas, most notably El Obeid, Kadugli, and Dilling. While the SAF briefly managed to break the prolonged sieges of Dilling and Kadugli in early 2026, the RSF launched a massive, renewed Kordofan offensive in mid-March 2026. Fierce ground battles, such as the recent clashes around El Kuweik, have repeatedly severed key supply roads, effectively reimposing suffocating siege conditions, isolating SAF garrisons, and trapping civilians.
Role Description: Under the overall supervision of the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Kordofans and the technical supervision of the SRH Team Lead, the incumbent will assist the Sudan Country Office in the planning, coordination and implementation of humanitarian interventions, including rapid assessments, programme development and implementation. The incumbent will provide direct support to White Nile and Kordofan states affected by protracted crises due to armed conflict in the continuing acute response phase and, in consultation with the Humanitarian Coordinator and the and SRH Team Lead, will closely work with national authorities, humanitarian agencies, civil society and local counterparts to provide humanitarian assistance to the crisis affected communities in a manner consistent with the methodology outlined in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Cluster system and Humanitarian Programme Cycle https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/programme-cycleMAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Coordination
- Host and facilitate regular SRH TWG meetings at national and relevant sub-national/regional and local levels with all key stakeholders, including MOH, local and international NGOs, including development organizations working on SRH, relevant UN agencies, civil society groups, intersectoral group representatives (protection, GBV, HIV), and community members to facilitate implementation of the minimum initial service package (MISP).
- Strengthen collaboration among government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, and donors involved in SRH programming.
- Collaborate within the health, GBV, and HIV cluster/ sectors/ actors and actively participate in health and other inter-sectoral coordination meetings, providing information and raising strategic and technical issues and concerns
- Ensure alignment of SRH interventions with national policies, strategies, and guidelines.
- Report to the national SRH TWG and the health cluster.
- Maintain updated mapping of SRH partners, services, and geographic coverage (4Ws: Who, What, Where, When).
- Compile and analyse SRH data to inform planning and decision-making.
- Prepare regular updates, situation reports, and briefing notes.
- Attend area-based coordination meetings in Darfur states (as access allows), to understand the context, security limitations, population movement, and reach and capacities of national and international agencies and UN organizations to collaborate in an interagency response to the the humanitarian emergency
- Ensure inclusion of UNFPA mandate through participation in existing coordination mechanisms, and/or, if appropriate, assist in the establishment of working groups to address SRH and / or GBV issues.
- Liaise with other sectors/clusters (such as health, protection, WASH, camp management, education, logistics, early recovery) to ensure inclusion of UNFPA’s mandate
Overseen Programme and Implementation in Darfur's areas
- Monitor implementation and progress of SRH programming, oversight of quality and supply needs, ensuring that SRH TWG partners are following minimum standards and humanitarian principles.
Rapid Assessments/field visits
- Participate in interagency missions and needs assessments and ensure inclusion of SRH in surveys of the crisis-affected population
- Undertake missions and assessments as appropriate to identify challenges, gaps and opportunities to better strategize strategic approaches for the implementation of SRH and adolescent programming.
Communication/ Reporting
- Assist the communications team in preparing advocacy material, situation updates, best practices / achievements and stories for relevant stakeholders and partners, including donors.
- Assist in providing regular updates to OCHA and/or cluster / working group leads on UNFPA’s humanitarian interventions to be included in situation reports (i.e.: OCHA SitRep).
- Oversee and support the implementing partners to collect quality data and to timely report the SRH working group and to the Health Cluster
- Prepare partners in the joint submission of any advocacy materials in support of the SRH response in Darfur.
Resource Mobilization/Humanitarian funding
- Support the development proposals and request of funding guided by real needs on the ground.
- Advocate for the inclusion of lifesaving SRH in the emergency response and ensure UNFPA is well positioned in resource mobilization efforts, including humanitarian funding mechanisms such as HRP/Flash Appeal/ CERF.
- As necessary, support and participate in donor meetings, briefings, or monitoring missions.
Capacity Development
- Identify areas of potential growth of the working group partners in the areas related to SRH.
- Support the development of technical notes, guidances and protocol with supporting the dissemination plan.
Any Other Duties
- Perform any other duties as required by the Representative, Deputy Representative, or SRH Team Lead.
Qualifications and Skills Required:
- Advanced technical degree preferably in medicine (MD, nursing, midwifery), public health, social sciences, humanitarian response, international relations or related field.
- At least seven years of experience in coordination, and / or developing and implementing humanitarian interventions in crisis settings.
- Knowledge of the humanitarian architecture and systems, and roles/responsibilities of humanitarian actors.
- Strong analytical, coordination and organizational skills.
- Fluency in oral and written English; working knowledge of Arabic is a plus.
[1] https://dtm.iom.int/reports/dtm-sudan-displacement-and-return-overview-2
CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.