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.

In Mali, this mandate is implemented in a complex transition and crisis context marked by persistent insecurity, population displacement, humanitarian needs, climate vulnerability, socio-economic fragility, and deeply rooted gender inequalities affecting women's and girls' rights, participation, protection, economic empowerment and the exploitation of their potential.

The Mali Country Office supports national efforts to advance gender equality and women's empowerment in alignment with national priorities, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the SDGs, CEDAW, the WPS agenda, and relevant regional and international commitments.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of Regional Director, the Head of Office is responsible for leading the Mali Country Office on an interim basis, primarily accountable and reporting to the UN Women West and Central Africa Regional Director, who retains overall accountability for the Country Office during this period. The Head of Office represents UN Women in the UN Country Team (UNCT) and engages with the Resident Coordinator (RC) / Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) system as delegated by the Regional Director, ensuring continuity of UN Women's contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and relevant peacebuilding, stabilization, humanitarian and resilience priorities. 

III. Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Lead the development of the new Country Strategic Note (SN 2027-2031)

  • Lead, on behalf of UN Women, the participatory drafting of the Mali Country Strategic Note 2027-2031, in close consultation with government counterparts, civil society, donors, UN system partners and the Regional Director;
  • Ensure the SN reflects national priorities, the SDGs, the Common Country Analysis and the UNSDCF, and meets UN Women's quality and results-based, rights-based programming standards;
  • Coordinate internal review, validation and clearance processes with the Regional Office and manage the timeline to ensure submission ahead of the corporate deadline;
  • Provide regular updates to the Regional Director on progress, risks and decisions required to keep the SN drafting process on track.

2. Lead the Mali Country Office and ensure continuity of operations

  • Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to the Country Office team, ensuring continuity of programme delivery, operations and duty of care during the interim period;
  • Lead the finalization and implementation of the annual work plan and budget, in coordination with the Regional Office in line with the country's transition, development, humanitarian and peacebuilding priorities;
  • Monitor programmatic, operational, financial and safeguarding risks; escalate significant or high-risk matters to the Regional Director in a timely manner;
  • Ensure compliance with UN Women's internal control framework and policies on fraud prevention, anti-corruption and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA);
  • Follow up on outstanding audit recommendations and corrective action plans, keeping the Regional Director informed of progress.

3. Manage and develop the Country Office team

  • Provide managerial direction, guidance and leadership to the Country Office team (a team of up to 26, comprising staff and affiliated personnel);
  • Manage the performance of personnel under their supervision; provide ongoing performance and career development feedback and ensure timely completion of performance assessments;
  • Ensure personnel are familiar with and adhere to UN Women's regulations, rules, policies and procedures in the Policy, Procedures and Guidance Framework (PPG), including standards of conduct on preventing and addressing misconduct, fraud, SEA, harassment, discrimination and abuse of authority, and protection from retaliation;
  • Promote teamwork, harmonization and collaboration; foster a respectful, inclusive, safe and healthy work environment, with attention to staff wellbeing during the transition period.

4. Support the Resident Coordinator system and represent UN Women in the UNCT, as delegated

  • Represent UN Women in the UN Country Team (UNCT) and relevant coordination mechanisms, as delegated by the Regional Director;
  • Engage in and help shapeUNCT programming, advocacy and joint planning processes to ensure gender equality and women's empowerment issues remain integrated into UN system work in Mali;
  • Represent UN Women in relevant UN system thematic and working groups, including the Gender Thematic Group.

5. Maintain strategic partnerships and ensure continuity of resource mobilization

  • Manage and sustain strategic relationships with government counterparts, donors and partners to ensure continuity of engagement during the transition;
  • Ensure donor reporting obligations are met on time and coordinate with the Regional Office on cost-sharing agreements requiring higher-level clearance;
  • Flag major partnership or resource mobilization opportunities and risks to the Regional Director for decision.

6. Oversee safety, security and well-being of personnel and assets

  • Ensure the Country Office's compliance with UN security policies, procedures and requirements;
  • Serve as a member of the Security Management Team (SMT), undertaking relevant security and crisis management training;
  • Ensure all personnel are aware of, and trained on, applicable safety and security procedures.

7. Perform other duties

Perform other duties within the functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office, as directed by the Regional Director.

IV. 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 people management skills in a multicultural environment
  • Results-oriented; ability to develop and deliver on operational plans and budgets
  • Ability to lead, coach and develop staff, including through a transition period
  • Sound judgment on risk and escalation in complex, ambiguous environments
  • Strong knowledge of the UN system and of gender equality and women's empowerment programming
  • Ability to advocate and engage with high-level decision makers, including government and UNCT counterparts
  • Excellent drafting and analytical skills, with demonstrated ability to lead consultative strategic planning processes such as a Country Strategic Note
  • Excellent diplomatic, written and verbal communication skills

V. Recruitment Qualifications

Education and Certification:

  • Master's degree or equivalent in development-related disciplines, economics, public policy or other social science fields is required;
  • A first-level university degree in combination with two 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®) is an added advantage.

Experience

  • At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience combining strategic and managerial leadership in development cooperation at the national and international level is required.
  • Experience in gender and women's issues programming at the international level, preferably within the UN system, is required.
  • Field-based experience working with multi-cultural teams, including leading and coaching staff, is required.
  • Experience leading or contributing to the development of a Strategic Note, UNSDCF, or comparable strategic planning document is required.

Languages

  • Fluency in French and English is required.
  • Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (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.


 

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