Programme Specialist (NOC) - Turkish Nationals Only

Organizational Context

UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of 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 Türkiye, in line with its global Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and Country Strategic Note (2022-2025), and the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Türkiye (UNSDCF) (2021-2025), UN Women works towards the overarching goal of “Women and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Türkiye.” UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction. UN Women contributes to three UNSDCF outcomes: 1) Women and girls have improved and equal access to resources, opportunities, and rights, and enjoy a life without violence and discrimination; 2) By 2025, Persons under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection are supported towards self-reliance. 3) By 2025, governance systems are more transparent, accountable, inclusive and rights-based with the participation of civil society, and quality of judicial services is improved

Towards these goals, UN Women implements programmes and projects that aim to advance gender equality, improve women’s access to opportunities, rights and services in political, social and economic life and combat gender stereotypes, discrimination and violence, as required by international and national legal and policy commitments. UN Women collaborates with numerous partners – central and local level government authorities, civil society organizations, including women’s organizations and platforms, academia, private sector companies, other UN agencies. It commits itself to the Leaving No One Behind principle, by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women face in accessing their rights and to promote them as agents of change.

Globally and in Türkiye, UN Women engages with and supports civil society organizations (CSOs), in particular women’s organizations, as key advocacy and knowledge partners, as well as implementing partners in operational activities in advancing women’s economic, political and social rights. UN Women’s work with civil society encompasses facilitating and expanding spaces for CSOs to come together for coordinated actions and to engage in dialogue with duty-bearers and decision-makers at local, national, regional and international levels, and in the context of inter-governmental processes. UN Women is focused on convening multi-stakeholder partnerships and engaging a wide variety of stakeholders, including men and boys and young people, to bring forth transformative change towards gender equality, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.  

Under this framework, UN Women implements a three-year project ‘Strengthening civil society capacities and multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance women’s rights and gender equality in Türkiye” until April 2024, funded by the European Union. The Project aims to reduce gender inequalities by enhancing the ability of civil society organizations to be agents of transformative change towards gender equality and women’s rights.

Under this project UN Women works with civil society actors as knowledge partners, implementing partners, and advocates for normative advancements and accountability, and supports civil society through convening and networking, knowledge exchange, capacity development, funding, including through its small grants mechanisms.  The intervention address the challenges faced by CSOs and the women’s movements, especially in the context and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.   It seeks to foster strategic and innovative partnerships between organizations and individuals working to advance women’s empowerment with a wide range of stakeholders, including men and boys advocates, youth groups, academia, disability rights activists, climate justice activists and other key constituencies, as well as across generations and sectors.

Reporting to the Deputy Country Director, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility of the implementation of the project and its programmatic and financial delivery, including by developing and overseeing the implementation of annual plans, managing the project team, ensuring the production of quality progress and final reports, and managing risks and initiating corrective action where necessary. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the Türkiye Office programme and operations team, UN Women Regional Office and HQ staff as needed, the donor and all relevant national partners towards ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio.

Functions

1.Manage the implementation of the ‘Strengthening civil society capacities and multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance women’s rights and gender equality in Türkiye” project`

• Finalize the annual workplans and budgets and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Manage the submission of implementing partners’ and grantees’ financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.
• Manage programme quality control and identification of potential challenges
• Align programme activities with operations team in close liaison with the Operations Manager
• Closely coordinate with the European Delegation (EU DEL) for the implementation of the programme activities, including communication and visibility initiatives, the selection of implementing partners, and ensuring synergies with EU portfolio in the country, as well as communication flow for the smooth running of the programme

2. Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance.
• Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the project and UN Women’s work with civil society; respond to any potential problems;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.
• Oversee the preparation of call for proposals, selection and contracting of the implementing partners.

3. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the project

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results based management tools;
• Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
• Oversee the reporting of the implementing partners and the grantees.
• Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports.
• Prepare programme team for audits and monitor implementation of audit recommendations;
• Provide technical advice on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting
• Provide quality assurance support to the reports of the implementing partners

4. Manage the people and financial resources of the project

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Lead the project team including the consultants, perform staff performance reviews, ensure capacity development of staff members by suggesting development opportunities;
• Monitor and analyze financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations, and with other UN Women offices and units.
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

5. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Contribute to the development and implementation of partnerships development and resource mobilization strategies of UN Women Türkiye Office
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.
• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives as requested by the UN Women Türkiye Management

6.Contribute to inter-agency coordination on civil society and multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners  in the country

• Provide technical support to the UN Women Türkiye Office on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and CSOs  to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

7. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the project
• Provide inputs to global/ country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to strengthening civil society capacities and multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance women’s rights and gender equality in Türkiye as necessary;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on programmatic areas covered under the project.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
• Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programmes
• Relations with partners and stakeholders
• Quality reports and timely submission
• Regular communication with other agencies and partners
• Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives

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

Functional Competencies

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of gender equality and the civil society landscape in Türkiye
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field 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®) would be an asset 

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation donor reporting and capacity building, ;
• At least three years of working experience in the field of gender equality is a strong asset.
• At least two years of experience in leading teams effectively is a strong asset
• Experience in working with CSOs is an asset.
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Turkish is required