UN Women: Planning and Coordination Specialist, Europe and Central Asia Regional Office

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality are translated into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts while building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality translate into action. UN Women supports improved UN coordination and accountability mechanisms, and up-scaling of the quality of support provided to Member States in addressing national gender equality priorities. UN Women’s coordination work is supported at the regional level by Regional Offices – working with the Regional UN Development Group (RUNDG) and the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM). At the country level UN Women supports and works within UN Country Teams (UNCTs).

UN Women has also placed emphasis on improving its planning and Results-Based Management (RBM) as an organization. UN Women Regional Office will support and provide guidance and support to UN Women Country Offices (COs) and Programme Presence Offices (PPs) in planning and RBM.

The Planning and Coordination Specialist reports to the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director of UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECA RO). The Planning and Coordination Specialist will lead the work of ECA RO in the areas the UN System Coordination, Strategic Planning and Results-Based Management (RBM) and to provide guidance, technical support and quality assurance to Country Offices (COs) and Programme Presence Offices (PPs) in these areas, as specified in the Strategic Note and Annual Work Plan (AWP) of ECA RO. 

In carrying out the functions, she/he will work closely with the relevant units in UN Women headquarters, such as Programme and Coordination Divisions, as well as COs and PPs in the ECA region. The Planning and Coordination Specialist supports the Regional Director of ECA RO to:

• Manage and implement activities to enhance system wide coherence on gender equality and the empowerment of women;
• Support UN Women COs and PPs on the ground in their coordination roles with the UNCTs in the identification of technical expertise, the implementation of corporate-level accountability tools.

Provide guidance and technical support to UN Women COs and PPs to ensure high quality planning documents at regional and country levels, ensuring the alignment with the UN Women Global Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and the corporate standard of RBM.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide guidance and technical support to the UN Country Teams (UNCTs) and Results Groups in the ECA region for the development and implementation of UNDAFs through the ECA Peer Support Group (PSG) mechanism:

• Review and provide comments on draft Roadmaps, Common Country Assessment (CCA) and UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) from roll-out countries based on the UNDAF guidance and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of Delivering as One (DaO) from UN Development Group (UNDG);
• Provide additional support to UNDAF roll-out countries for workshops related to UNDAF and Strategic Prioritization Retreat (SPR);
• Provide additional support to UNCTs upon request in relation to formulation of Steering Committee and Results Groups, joint work plans and M&E of UNDAF and the implementation of SOP;
• Coordinate with PSG co-chairs (UNFPA and UNAIDS) and participate in PSG meetings (virtual and/or in-person);
• Contribute to the overall work of PSG as a member from UN Women, including providing inputs into PSG documents and the ECA PSG page in the inter-agency Yammer.

Provide guidance and technical support to the UN Women COs and PPs and Gender Theme Groups (GTGs) to better integrate gender in UNCT work and accountability mechanism:

• Provide guidance and support to UN Women COs and PPs to ensure the integration of gender in UNDAFs, Joint Work Plans and other UNDAF-related documents;
• Upon request from COs and PPs, provide guidance and support to them for integration on gender in UNCT annual reports, annual work plans and the preparation and review processes of the Assessments and Competencies (ARC) of RCs and UNCTs;
• Upon request from COs and PPs or the chair of GTG, provide and guidance and support for conducting gender scorecard exercises, based on the guidance document from the UN Development Group (UNDG) and monitor the status of each country.

Provide technical and coordination support to the Regional Director of ECA RO in participating in meetings of the Regional UN System under the framework of Regional UN Development Group (RUNDG) and the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) and in contributing to inter-agency SDGs-related initiatives at the regional level:

• Prepare briefing notes, talking points and/or presentations for the Regional Director as required in relation to the work and meetings of the Regional UNDG system with RUNDG and RCM;
• In collaboration with the co-chair of Issue-Based Coalition on Gender Equality (IBC-Gender), prepare joint presentations and/or summary documents to report to the Regional Directors on key gender issues, challenges, lessons and achievements from the region;
• Support Regional Director of ECA RO in implementing the follow-up actions and decisions made by RUNDG and RCM;
• Coordinate with the Regional UNDG Secretariat and RCM Secretariat, as required;
• Engage in and contribute to inter-agency initiatives at the regional level and country support on SDGs and Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support (MAPS) missions with UN agencies, PSG and Issue-Based Coalitions (IBCs).

Co-Chair the ECA Regional Issue-Based Coalition on Gender Equality (IBC-Gender), and coordinate with the UN Coordination Section in UN Women HQ and Gender Task Force of UNDG:

• Organize and co-chair quarterly meetings of IBC-Gender;
• Play the secretariat role of IBC-Gender together with the co-chair of IBC-Gender, including: 1) communicating and coordinating with members of IBC-Gender; 2) preparing/finalizing meeting minutes; and 3) updating the member list, joint work plans and event calendar; and 4) managing the inter-agency Yammer on ECA Regional Gender Coordination;
• Together with co-chair of IBC-Gender, monitor the implementation of the 2018 joint work plan of IBC-Gender and follow up with and support lead agencies of specific activities if there are issues;
• Based on the 2018 joint work plan of IBC-Gender, with the member agencies, jointly implement the activities that UN Women (co)leads and supports. This includes, but not limited to: 1) documentations and knowledge sharing on gender, SDGs and MAPS missions with GTG/RGGs across 18 countries in the region, by managing the Inter-Agency Yammer on gender, by sharing new/updated guidance documents from UNDG; 2) providing technical country support to UNCTs and GTG/RGGs in the areas of gender and SDGs, MAPS missions and gender scorecard; 3) contributing to the joint advocacy-related activities with key regional partners;
• Prepare a report on the implementation of 2018 work plan of IBC-Gender at the end of 2018 in collaboration with the members of IBC-Gender and submit to RUNDG secretariat;
• Prepare and finalize 2019 joint work plan of IBC-Gender with the members of IBC-Gender;
• Coordinate with the Programme and Policy Teams in ECA RO to ensure that UN Women’s work is well informed among the members of IBC-Gender and report back to ECA RO on work of IBC-Gender;
• Coordinate and communicate with the Regional UNDG Secretariat to keep them informed on the work of IBC-Gender and to submit key public documents that can be uploaded into the ECA page of the UNDG external website;
• Coordinate and work with other Issue-Based Coalitions and PSG to ensure integration of gender quality and women’s empowerment in key joint activities on SDGs and MAPS missions;
• Coordinate and communicate with the UN Coordination Section in UN Women HQ and the Gender Task Force of UNDG in order to: 1) raise issues and questions from the fields; 2) ensure that country and regional perspectives are reflected in the upcoming/ongoing HQ/UNDG-led initiatives and guidance documents; and 3) contribute to UN Women Community of Practice on Coordination.

Provide guidance, technical support and quality assurance to UN Women COs and PPs in the areas of strategic planning, RBM and UN Women Result Management System (RMS):

• Provide guidance and technical support to COs and PPs to ensure the effective use of RMS for the planning processes, and coordinate with PPGU and ICT in HQ as required;
• Conduct RBM training for new project/programme staff of COs and/or PPs, as required and relevant;
• Provide guidance and technical support to Turkey PP and Macedonia PP to ensure the quality and timely submission/finalization of new Strategic Note as per the UN Women corporate requirements and RBM standard;
• Lead and manage the review process in ECA RO for the draft Strategic Note submitted by Turkey PP and Macedonia PP to ensure the quality as per the UN Women corporate standard and requirements. Consolidate comments from ECA RO and share with the PPs. Participate in the HQ PRG meeting for these SNs;
• Provide guidance and technical support to Kazakhstan and Georgia COs for the preparation of Mid-Term Review (MTR) of their current Strategic Note, including face-to-face meeting and final report, ensuring the quality as per the corporate requirements;
• Provide guidance and technical support to all COs and PPs to ensure the quality and timely submission/finalization of 2019 AWPs as per the UN Women corporate requirements and RBM standard;
• Lead and manage the review process in ECA RO for the draft 2018 AWPs submitted by COs and PPs to ensure the quality as per the UN Women corporate standard and requirements. Consolidate comments from ECA RO and share with COs and PPs;
• On behalf of Regional Director of ECA RO, act as Regional Validator in RMS to approve Strategic Notes and AWPs at the regional level in the system for submission to HQ for their final approval;
• Provide RBM-related technical comments at the Regional PAC meetings to ensure that quality of project documents meet the UN Women corporate requirements and RBM standard, especially in the results framework, theory of change, and M&E section.

Lead and coordinate the strategic planning processes at the regional level and coordinate with the Planning and Programme Guidance Unit (PPGU) in UN Women HQ:

• Coordinate with HQ, as required, for work related to the UN Women Global Strategic Plan 2018-2021, including providing additional inputs, attending virtual meetings and coordinating with COs and PPs in the ECA region;
• Lead and manage the overall processes and coordinate with EC RO to develop a new Strategic Note of ECA RO 2019-2021 with Kosovo, Serbia and Tajikistan PPs in collaboration with the relevant colleagues/offices and PPGU in HQ, ensuring the timely submission and quality as per the UN Women corporate standard and requirements;
• Lead the overall processes and coordinate with ECA RO staff to develop 2019 AWP of ECA RO, ensuring the timely submission and quality as per the UN Women corporate standard and requirements;
• Organize the ECA Regional Peer Support Group (RPRG) meeting with HQ, ECA RO, COs and PPs to jointly review draft 2019 AWPs in the ECA region;
• Upon request, provide RBM-related guidance and technical support to the Programme and Policy Teams in ECA RO at the drafting stage of concept notes and/or proposals to ensure the quality of results framework, theory of change and M&E section;
• Coordinate and collaborate with PPGU in UN Women HQ in order to: 1) raise issues and questions from the fields; 2) ensure that country and regional perspectives are reflected in the upcoming/ongoing HQ-led initiatives and guidance documents; and 3) contribute to testing and roll-out of new modules/functions of RMS and other RBM-related initiatives.

 Supervise RBM and UN Coordination Interns:

• Supervise RBM and UN Coordination interns;
• Lead and manage the selection of new interns.

Key Performance Indicators:

The post has an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of the coordination and planning work of UN Women ECA RO, which, in turn, impact on the overall effectiveness of the UN Women ECA RO in the region. 

• Quality and timeliness of UNDAF-related support provided to UNCTs via PSG mechanism;
• Quality and timeliness of UN coordination-related support and guidance provided to UN Women COs, PPs and GTGs;
• Quality and timeliness of inputs and contribution provided to the Regional UN System with RUNDG and RCM for SDGs-related initiatives and others;
• Effective and timely implementation and monitoring of the 2018 joint work plan of IBC-Gender;
• Quality and timely submission of new Strategic Notes of PPs and ECA RO;
• Quality and timely submission of 2019 AWPs of COs, PPs and ECA RO.  

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

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 Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf.

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent knowledge of gender equity and women’s empowerment issues;
• Excellent knowledge of UN system and understanding of inter-agency coordination processes;
• Excellent knowledge of results based programme planning and management;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Ability to promote and monitor inclusion of gender-specific objectives, indicators, targets and activities in the UN agencies programmes;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in development-related disciplines, Social Sciences, Political Science, Development Studies, Public Administration, Gender, or other related field.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible development experience that combines strategic and managerial leadership in development cooperation, international relations, public administration or other related field, some of which should be in the area of gender equality and women’s rights at the country, regional and/or international level;
• At least 4 years of specific experiences in the areas of planning, including managing and coordinating the development of strategy, multi-year planning documents, work plans, and/or programme documents at the country, regional and/or international levels;
• At least 3 years of specific experiences in providing guidance and technical support for development of Theory of Changes, results framework, logical framework and indicators for programmes/projects to ensure the minimum standard of Results-Based Management (RBM);
• At least 2 years of specific experiences in conducting RBM training, as a trainer, to staff and/or external partners to support results-based planning, monitoring and reporting;
• At least 3 years of specific experiences in inter-agency coordination work specifically related to UNDAFs, CCAs, Results Groups and/or SoP for Delivering as One, at the country, regional and/or international level;
• At least 2 years of specific experience in inter-agency coordination work specifically related to joint programmes, Gender Theme Groups, UNCT, gender scorecard, and/or other inter-agency mechanisms or processes at the country, regional and/or international level. 

Languages:

• Fluency in English (oral and written) is mandatory;
• Knowledge of Russian would be an asset. 

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from?http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment?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.

Note:

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.