UN Women: Programme Coordinator, Pacific Partnership - Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, Tarawa, Kiribati, NPSA-11, NPSA Regular Appointment

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.

The UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office is based in Suva, Fiji and works alongside over twenty other UN agencies in the region and in fourteen countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. 

 Under its Strategic Note 2018-2022, UN Women Fiji MCO focuses on delivering on four interlinked programme areas underpinned by support for intergovernmental and normative processes:  

• Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership 
• Women’s Economic Empowerment 
• Ending Violence against Women 
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction 

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls / EVAWG In the Pacific 

The Pacific has some of the world’s highest reported rates of violence against women, with studies showing that up to 68% of women are affected.  To respond to the rates of violence in the Pacific, UN Women has developed a comprehensive EVAW programme which takes a transformative approach to prevent violence against women and girls at multiple levels (regional, national and community), and to ensure survivors have access to quality response services. 

UN Women’s EVAW programme is implemented under the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (hereafter referred to as ‘Pacific Partnership’). The Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Pacific Partnership) Phase II (2024-2027) brings together governments, civil society organizations, communities, and other partners to promote gender equality, prevent violence against women and girls, and increase access to quality response services for survivors.  The Pacific Partnership is funded primarily by the Government of Australia, and the European Union, and coordinated by UN Women and the Pacific Community (SPC), in strategic partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

Phase II of the programme aims to build progress in transforming social norms at the community level achieved in Phase I (2018-2023) through innovative and strategic social influencers, including education, faith, and sports sectors, as well as lessons learned from the implementation of the Spotlight Initiatives in the Pacific. Based on lessons learned and emerging VAWG trends and gaps in policy and practice in the region, Phase II (2024-2027) will implement new cross-cutting strategic interventions that advance women’s economic and social empowerment and advance climate-centered efforts to prevent VAWG through data, advocacy, and partnerships.

The Government of Kiribati (GoK) has a strong policy and implementation framework for addressing VAWG in country. UN Women has had a longstanding ongoing engagement with Government of Kiribati to support initiatives to end VAWG under the GoK policy framework including: the National Approach to Eliminating Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Kiribati: Policy and National Action Plan 2011-2021 and the Government of Kiribati’s Shared Implementation Plan to Eliminate Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Kiribati (SHIP). UN Women has worked closely with the GoK on  key EVAW initiatives including the development of national service delivery protocols, support for SAFENET and to advance the prevention of violence against women and girls in Kiribati. UN Women also aligns programmatic work to the Te Rau N Te Mwenga (Family Peace Act) Implementation Plan which represents the Government’s key EVAWG activities across all sectors of government and society.

The Programme Coordinator, Pacific Partnership is expected to engage proactively with local, national and regional women leaders, partners, and UN Entities to ensure programmatic and technical excellence across the primary prevention through response continuum.  This position is expected play a lead role coordinating the delivery of Pacific Partnership Country Plan for Kiribati, along with supporting and/or coordinating additional EVAWG initiatives as they arise. This position has an important role to play in ensuring that activities captured under the Pacific Partnership are implemented in a timely manner and continue to enjoy full ownership and buy-in by all Government, UN and CSO partners. Key responsibilities including supporting planning and coordination; supporting implementation of activities; capacity building and monitoring and evaluation

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Technical Specialist EVAWG Programme at the UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office (MCO) in Suva, Fiji, the Programme Coordinator, Pacific Partnership, works in close collaboration with the UN Women Kiribati Team including EVAWG teams in the Fiji Multi Country Office, other UN Partner Agencies, external relevant partners within the Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs frontline service providers, the Kiribati Women and Children’s Crisis Centre, civil society, key stakeholders and organizations engaged in primary prevention in Kiribati to ensure successful implementation of the project.

Scope of Work:

Lead the planning, coordinating and implementing of programming the Pacific Partnership Programme:

• Lead and maintain working level coordination mechanisms, including at the government level and civil society partners for successful implementation of Pacific Partnership  activities across all Outcomes;
• Coordinate closely with the Pacific Community’s programme partners and ensure all stakeholders are aware of, and well-coordinated across, the various Pacific Partnership programme activities;
• Ensure clear, consistent and transparent communication among all partners and support establishment of participatory governance and decision-making practice; 
• Organize and lead partner meetings, in close collaboration with government and other partners;
• Facilitate and support UN-GoK agencies and partners in the preparation of work plans, budgets and results frameworks that align with Global EVAWG Guidelines and national EVAWG priorities;
• Consolidate the Pacific Partnership work plan and financial information and share with partners for revision and approval;
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure that Pacific Partnership Programming and other UN Women-EVAW -related activities are harmonized and coordinated with other in-country efforts;
• Provide secretariat services and follow up on the decisions taken; 
• Ensure that all partners work together to deliver and report on programmes in compliance with work plans, time frames and commitments;
• Facilitate the delivery of the programme outcomes by leading & promoting a coordinated approach to delivery, including generating and maintaining synergies between different outcomes; 
• Facilitate resolution of disputes among partners and troubleshoot obstacles to timely implementation; 
• Support the process of managing financial resources for achieving results in line with the outputs and activities outlined in the joint programme document;
• Manage delivery of results by using best practice and know-how and accordingly plan delivery of resources; 
• Lead by practice an enabling environment for high level performance of all partners in meeting the benchmarks established in the Pacific Partnership Programme;
• Support all partners' implementation of programme activities through a) direct assistance; b) technical/ operational advice facilitation of technical experts i.e. consultancies across primary prevention and response;
• Ensure that Pacific Partnership partners identify technical needs in order to implement programme activities and work with the EVAW Technical Specialist and other staff as relevant to design and deliver high quality learning and technical assistance across the primary prevention through response continuum.

Oversee the coordination and delivery of results-based monitoring and evaluation:

• Ensure implementation of a Pacific Partnership monitoring and evaluation plan with MYWSSA and other Programme Partners. This should include their roles and responsivities for the M&E of the program, including work plan and budget delivery
• Ensure transparency of the M&E process by disseminating information to partners and relevant stakeholders;
• Ensure together with the UN Women EVAW team in Fiji MCO that programmes comply with all donor requirements, and that support and advice from partners are fully utilized; 
• Ensure systems are in place Promote both downward and upward accountability.

Facilitation and dissemination and generation of knowledge on Pacific Partnership and impacts:

• Support the programme partners in identifying good practices and lessons learned and documenting this knowledge; 
• Lead the process of knowledge creation and dissemination related to national and international know-how in EVAW. Partner with practitioners and members of the UN global networks and leadership of the practice and sub-practice teams in the partner UN entities; 
• Lead and/or support analytical development work of the team and ensure high quality knowledge products; 
• Promote the substantive quality of all knowledge products, reports and services, and ensures effective integration and compatibility with other practice areas; 
• Contribute to the production of reports and publications, and serve as peer reviewer; 
• Forge links with other initiatives including joint programmes to identify good practices and share lessons.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

N/A.

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:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong budget and finance skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical skills
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in development related discipline/s including gender issues, public policy, social work or other related social science fields is highly required.
• A first-level University Degree (Bachelors’ Degree) in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years (Masters), or minimum of four (7) years (Bachelors Degree) of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in managing programme interventions with national partners, preferably related to thematic area.
• At least minimum of 5 years with direct experience working on gender equality and/or addressing violence against women through service delivery, primary prevention, advocacy, policy development, research or a combination of these.
• Strong knowledge of the issue of violence against women, women’s empowerment and gender.
• Excellent communication skills- including written and oral, interpersonal and liaison skills.
• Excellent training and facilitation skills.
• Resourceful ability to solve complex issues including problem solving skills.
• Organized, able to oversee a complex project.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team when the task requires.
• Familiarity with Pacific countries and cultures, especially Kiribati.
• Experience in working with the UN System is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in the local language (Kiribati) is an asset.

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.)

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process 
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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.