Programme Assistant (SB3) - Intergovernmental (IGP) and Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) Programme

Please Note: UN Women is soon undergoing a change in the Service Contract modality.  All Service Contracts will be converted to P-NPSA (Partner National Personnel Service Agreement) by August 2025. 

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

All human development and human rights issues involve gender dimensions. UN Women globally focuses on key priority areas that are fundamental to women’s equality, and that can unlock progress across the board. UN Women’s priority areas include increasing women’s leadership and participation in political spaces, ending violence against women, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, engaging in all aspects of women peace and security processes, making gender equality central to national planning and budgeting through Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and advancing gender in intergovernmental processes (IGP).

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is an essential element of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – the roadmap to a more equal, just, peaceful, and sustainable world.  UN Women India is going to implement a donor funded project titled: ‘Gender Equality Xcelerate: Transformative Pathways towards Gender Justice’ for women’s social, economic, and political equality and empowerment towards achievement of the 2030 agenda. 

The overarching objective of this project is to strengthen women’s leadership in economic, social, and political spheres. The project will be implemented in India over a period of four years (2024-2027) in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh. 

The following are the broad intended outcomes of the project:

• UN Women's institutional impact on advancing gender equality is accelerated through outcome-driven advocacy efforts.
• Government and non-government stakeholders prioritize, monitor, and evaluate GEWE investments at the grassroots level.
• Transforming norms, strengthening response mechanisms, and empowering stakeholders for a survivor-centric environment through effectively utilizing the Nirbhaya Funds.

UN Women through this programme will work with 5 states, namely, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. 

Within this context, UN Women seeks the services of Programme Assistant. Reporting to the Country Programme Manager- IGP & GRB, UN Women India, the Programme Assistant will be responsible for supporting the teams in implementing programme activities. 

Provide administrative and logistical support to the formulation and management of programmes:

• Provide administrative support and inputs in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements;
• Provide technical guidance to the country offices and executing agencies on routine delivery and reporting of programme supported activities and finances;
• Coordinate the collection of information for the audit of programmes/ projects and support implementation of audit recommendations; 
• Contribute to the development or update of standard operating procedures, guidelines, checklists, templates and business processes in programme and project management;
• Review programme data from programmes/ projects 
• Identify sources, and gather and compile data and information for documents, guidelines, speeches and position papers.

Provide administrative / financial management of the Programme Unit:

• Create projects in Quantum system, prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project;
• Monitor budget preparation and the finances of programmes/projects; prepare periodic reports; finalize FACE forms;
• Review financial reports; prepare non-PO vouchers for development projects;
• Maintain internal expenditures control system; post transactions in Quantum system;
• Create requisitions in Quantum system for development projects; register good receipts in Quantum system;
• Prepare and follow up of cost-recovery bills in Quantum system.

Provide  support to the Programme Unit:

• Oversee all logistical, administrative and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions;
• Oversee travel arrangements for the Programme Team, including travel requisitions and claims; 
• Prepare public information materials and briefing packets;
• Liaise with high level officials on administrative issues; 
• Prepare and assemble briefing materials and prepare power-point and other presentations; contribute inputs to the materials.

Provide support to Resource Mobilization:

• Prepare cost-sharing and other agreements; 
• Organize, compile and process information from donors and programme team as inputs to various databases and documents.

Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Support synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices related to programme management and finance;
• Coordinate the organization of training for the office staff and partners on programme and operations related issues.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

Will be added separately for each position

• Strong knowledge of programme management;   
• Ability to create, edit, synthesize and present information in clear and presentable formats; 
• Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions; 
• Ability to provide input to business process re-engineering, elaboration and implementation of new data management systems; 
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow;
• Excellent financial and budgeting skills;
• Excellent IT skills.

Education:

• Completion of secondary education required. 
• Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration is an asset.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in administration or programme management/support;
• Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages is required;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable;
• Experience in supporting a team is required.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Hindi is required
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.