Senior Coordinator to MoWA on Institutional Capacity Development

Background

Organizational Values and Principles:

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s human rights in Afghanistan. Staff and consultants of UN Women Afghanistan are expected to contribute to a professional working environment in which the strengthening of national capacities and human potential is prioritized.  Respect for diversity and human dignity is required, as is the active pursuit of a collaborative and inclusive approach to both internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues and partners.

Background:UN Women’s program in Afghanistan has the main objective to build Afghan women’s capacity and leadership to enable them to effectively participate in the social, economic and political processes in the country. As part of that programme, UN Women also engages in research, advocacy and policy development activities, in partnership with the MoWA and other national counterparts. This not only helps to inform and strengthen the programmes, but also contributes to mainstreaming gender into government strategies, policies and laws.

Since 2002, UN Women’s Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) has been supporting the development of institutional capacities on gender mainstreaming within the government, particularly through the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA). Through its ICD initiatives, UN Women has helped to strategically position gender in major policy frameworks of the country, including the Afghanistan Compact (AC), the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), the National Priority Programmes (NPPs) and the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF).  UN Women was also primarily the adviser of MOWA in the development of the gender strategy of ANDS and the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA), a ten-year action plan that serves as the main vehicle of government for implementing its commitments to the women of Afghanistan.

After the adoption of NAPWA on 19 May 2008 by the Cabinet, the launch of NAP 1325 in 2015 and WEE-NPP in March 2017 UN Women and MOWA embarked into a fresh vision of partnership to expand political support and leadership on gender at the highest level, establish gender technical support mechanisms for ministries and local governments, and promote donor coalition around the implementation of NAPWA, ANDS gender strategy NAP 1325 and WEE-NPP.  The new partnership ensured that professional technical support is made available to ministries/local governments and their partners through the setting up of technical resource bases on gender mainstreaming in selected locations.  Finally, the new partnership will enjoin donors and the international community to coalesce around sub-national implementation of the government’s gender equality commitments.     

This post reports directly to the Country Representative or Deputy country representative and intergovernmental processes unit head. the Senior Coordinator to MoWA on Institutional Capacity Development (ICD) serves and contributes oversight for all aspects of programming and operations within the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), including providing strategic direction, fiscal oversight, resource mobilization, and policy setting to UN Women.  The post serves as a key advisor to Senior Management on policy and programming pertaining to ICD as it relates to MoWA, working closely with all Pillar Managers on matters of organizational integrity with the aim of  (I) Oversee implementation of the UN Women and MOWA joint work plan, prepares report monthly on implementation , prepare monthly briefs for country representative meeting with Minister (ii)  compliance with UN Women policies and regulations; (iii)) effective systems to support program delivery and growth; (iv) accountability to organizational values and principles’ and ensuring an enabling workplace environment for UN Women is supported.   

Duties and Responsibilities

Areas of responsibility:

The Senior Coordinator is generally responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of UN Women’s program on Institutional Capacity Development for Gender Mainstreaming whose main thrust is to coordinate UN Women implementation of agreed outcomes in the joint work plan with MOWA (2017).  Her/his main responsibilities are: (a) in coordination with senior management and the Pillar Managers, provide strategic direction to the UN Women’s ICD activities and programming; (c) oversee and supervise the work of UN Women staff working within the Ministry (d) advise the Minister of Women’s Affairs and other senior officials/selected oversight agencies of government on potential and actual gender impacts of policies and programs; (f) as requested, represent UN Women in relevant events meetings and conferences; (g) facilitate partnership building around gender mainstreaming; and (h) contribute to ensuring the judicious use and management of UN Women resources by national institutions.    The details of these roles and responsibilities are elaborated as follows:

1.    Strategic Direction. The Senior Coordinator will contribute to the establishment of policy and practices to ensure the sound coordination and oversight of UNW supported staff within MoWA; to effectively meet programme obligations and client expectations; and to facilitate a workplace environment of mutual accountability, recognition, and respect. The Senior Coordinator will consult with the Country Representative and the Pillar Managers in setting priorities and determine the strategic direction of UN Women in terms of government partnerships, identifying opportunities for productive interventions for the ACO to meet its mandate.

2.    Management and Supervision. The Senior Coordinator will directly supervise ICD staff working with MoWA and support other UN Women sponsored staff/consultants in MoWA, including international consultants as may be necessary.   

3.    Gender Policy Development and Advice. The Senior Coordinator will serve as primary resource of UN Women when it comes to the promotion of gender mainstreaming across government, particularly on the implementation of NAPWA and ANDS gender strategy at the national and sub-national levels.  S/he will represent UN Women or assist the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative in relevant high level meetings that relates to key national policies and their implications to the work of the ACO.  S/he will also proactively provide advice to senior officials of MOWA and its partners to make sure that proper representation of gender concerns are done in major policy fora at the national, sub-national and international levels.

4.    Programme Design and Delivery. The Senior Coordinator provides strategic direction and substantive guidance to the staff on gender mainstreaming in national policies and programs, including public resource allocation. S/he leads in providing substantive technical inputs into programme development, through vision, conceptualization and design, and in coordination with the Country Representative, Deputy Country Representative, and Pillar Managers, oversees the annual planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting processes with MoWA.

5.    Strategic Leadership. The Senior Coordinator is responsible for providing leadership and direction to staff and consultants working with government structures. S/he creates an organizational culture of accountability, responsibility, capacity development and quality of services through leadership, encouraging a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation. S/he also ensures that there exists a clearly understood and implemented chain of authority and accountability.

6.    Capacity Building. The Senior Coordinator ensures that staff members under her direct supervision have at least the minimum capacity for the implementation of their respective responsibilities. In this connection, s/he will ensure that all such staff are provided coaching and mentoring support as needed.

7.    Financial Management. The Senior Coordinator provides financial guidance and advice to the MoWA regarding the proper use and accounting of UN Women funds provided to the ministry’s activities, to ensure awareness and compliance with UN Women’s financial and administrative policies and procedures. She closely supervises the ICD Administrative Assistant to ensure that all program funds are spent in accordance with donor agreements and financial reporting requirements.

8.    Partnership and Networking: The Senior Coordinator serves as UN Women’s key advocate in the field of gender mainstreaming within MoWA, particularly the implementation of NAPWA and ANDS gender strategy, articulating its messages through proactive public advocacy and practical policy solutions and linking government’s actions to women in communities.  S/he is responsible for supporting MoWA in developing strategic partnerships and strengthening linkages with NGOs, donors, UN agencies, government institutions, private sector, civil society and community grass roots organizations, for the implementation of the NAPWA and ANDS. S/he will strengthen the partnership between UN Women and UNDP, focusing on working with UNDP’s Gender Advisor in MoWA. She will ensure UN Women’s contribution to the UN’s strategic planning processes in relation to gender mainstreaming will foster the growth of knowledge networks in this field.

Competencies

•    Strong and proven integrity, time management; work prioritization skills, Ability to multi-task; work under pressure and handle numerous tasks simultaneously in timely manner.•    Understanding of UN Women procedures, rules and regulations an asset;•    Ability to work effectively as a team member.•    Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles and projects, implementing partners, and national and international personnel of varied nationalities and backgrounds.•    Excellent communication skills, written and oral•    Commitment to upholding the organizational values and principles of UN Women/ Afghanistan.•    Ability to travel inside and outside the country.

Required Skills and Experience

1.    Master’s degree with three years or bachelor’s degree with five years of progressive relevant professional work experience in program design and management in the areas gender equality and women’s empowerment2.    Technical experience on gender sensitive analysis, advocacy and budgeting within complex and rapidly evolving administrative settings.3.    Proficiency in forging and facilitating strategic coalitions on gender within and across a wide array of stakeholders, including government, civil society, international and grassroots organizations;  4.    Sound working knowledge of international standards on human rights, women’s rights and related instruments5.    A proven history of leadership, management and staff supervision through a style of mutual accountability and professional development;6.    Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact, and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles, implementing partners, and national and international personnel of varied nationalities and backgrounds;7.    Commitment to upholding the organizational values and principles of UN Women;8.    Excellent written and oral communication skills, in professional English and Dari/Pashtu; and9.    An understanding of the social, cultural, and political context of Afghanistan and its relation to gender.

Language Requirements:Fluency in written and spoken English, Dari and/or Pashto.