Women Peace and Security Consultant-SSA International

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.

UN Women in Afghanistan has been providing support to partners in Afghanistan to increase the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and sustainable peacebuilding processes. Under the current country Strategic Note (2018-2022) and in line with UN Partnership for Sustainable Development (2016-2020) and Afghanistan’s National Peace and Development Framework (2017 – 2021), UN Women supports the government to implement its National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325) and to achieve targets of SDG 5 and 16.

Within this framework, UN Women supports the security sector actors, including the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, and Afghan National Police to mainstream gender into the Security Sector Reform process and its outcomes. UN Women also continued to support capacity development of women peacebuilders and creates spaces for women peace activists’ effective engagement in all efforts to resolve conflict and build peace, including through the High Peace Council, Provincial Peace Councils and other mechanisms. UN Women also supports the development of capacities for women’s organizations to build platforms and advocacy for peace through the Afghan Women’s Network and beyond. In partnership with UNAMA, and other UN agencies; UN Women will continue to support women’s engagement in the peace and stability processes and, in partnership with UNDP, UN Women will continue to engage on women’s access to justice and security sector reform.

Reporting to Deputy Country Representative, Programme Specialist (based in the UN Women Country Office in Kabul, Afghanistan) will be responsible for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions in the above-mentioned areas of work and the full scope of the women, peace and security portfolio in country. They work in close collaboration with the programme and operations team in Afghanistan, and relevant UN Women staff in the Regional Office (Bangkok) and HQ (New York), Government officials, civil society and development partners to ensure successful implementation and achievement of planned results.    

Duties and Responsibilities

Contribute to programme development on women, peace and security agenda (WPS):•    Provide programme advisory support to the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan within the WPS portfolio;•    Provide policy advice and substantive inputs to the design, formulation and finalization of country programme/ project proposals and initiatives related to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS In cooperation and coordination with Deputy Representative and other programme staff develop project proposals, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to WPS;•    Facilitate periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design, as necessary.

Support the implementation of the WPS programme portfolio:•    Finalize the annual workplan and budget for WPS programme outcomes and manage their implementation in line with Results Based Management Tools;•    Review the submission of implementing partners’ mandatory reports as required;•    Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators.

Provide technical assistance and capacity development to partners working in area of WPS:•    Build, manage, and expand relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the WPS programme;•    Serve as an expert resource to partners on WPS;•    Implement and oversee capacity development opportunities and initiatives;•    Provide partners with advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives.

Contribute to monitoring and reporting of the WPS programme portfolio:•    Manage the process of monitoring the programme/ project implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;•    Finalize quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;•    Prepare high quality donor reports and contribute to UN Women reporting (quarterly, annual, etc.)

Support the monitoring of financial resources of the WPS programme portfolio:•    Manage the project budget and finalize financial reports;•    Manage Programme mentor and coach staff supervised and conduct performance assessments as relevant;•    Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Contribute to strengthening partnerships and resource mobilization:•    In close coordination with Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies for WPS;•    Proactively identify potential donors/ partners and explore opportunities for resource mobilization;•    Undertake analysis and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

Support the inter-agency coordination to achieve a coherent and aligned implementation of WPS activities:•    Provide substantive technical support to the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees;•    Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with the partners’ efforts;•    Contribute to country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/ United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;•    Prepare substantive inputs to CCA/ UNDAF and other documents, as necessary.

Support the advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:•    Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to WPS as requested by the Country Representative;•    Manage advocacy strategies and their implementation;•    Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;•    Lead the development of knowledge management strategies and methodologies and products on WPS.

Deliverables:•    Finalize the WPS component of the Strategic Note;•    Develop a detailed implementation plan for the for the first 6 months of 2019 (including the finalization of SMART individual detailed plans for the WPS team) and support its implementation;•    Conduct and finalize partnership mapping for WPS in line with current peace and security priorities at national and subnational level – exploring areas for potential partnerships;•    Provide high quality report for donors/country office for Q1, and Q2; and ensuring the timely submission;•    Draft tailored advocacy materials for WPS as part of the communication and knowledge management;•    Draft and finalize the one quality Proposal on Women Peace and Security.

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 programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;•    Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them;•    Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management'•    Strong writing skills and ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making'•    Strong organization skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;•    Strong policy analysis experience and knowledge of WPS;•    Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation;•    Strong networking skills;•    Ability to negotiate and interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:•    Master’s degree or equivalent in security studies, social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.Experience:•    Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;•    Strong technical experience in the area of Women, Peace and Security;•    Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;•    Experience in leading/managing a team;•    Experience working in the UN System is an asset.Language Requirements:•    Fluency in English is required;•    Knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto language is 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.