Programme Specialist

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.

Under the overall guidance and direction of the supervisor, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under his/her portfolio.  She/he works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio.      

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provision of top-quality advisory and programme development services

• Thorough analysis and research of the political, social, and economic situation in the country related to the thematic/sectorial areas assigned and preparation of substantive inputs to the UN Women country office programme planning in those areas.
• Constant monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely readjustment of programme interventions.
• Identification of areas for support and interventions within the thematic/sectoral areas assigned.
• Design and formulation of programme initiatives within the area of responsibility, translating UN Women’s priorities into local interventions.
• Provision of programme advisory support to the Office Management within the thematic area/portfolio assigned.

2. Management of the CO Programme and supervision of the programme team

• Under the guidance and oversight of the supervisor, exercise overall responsibility for planning, implementation, management, and coordination aspects of the programmes/projects under his/her responsibility.
• Ensure effective application of RBM tools and monitoring achievement of results.
• Manage the portfolio of on-going programmes/projects through technical monitoring and administrative and financial supervision ensuring the proper application of a monitoring system to track progress on program results and indicators.
• Lead programmes/projects appraisal and evaluation according to results-based management requirements.
• Coordinate and supervise the activities of programme staff, projects staff, experts and consultants working as part of the technical assistance team.
• Responsible for the timely preparation and quality control of all substantive technical reports, briefs and required documents.
• Ensure timely production and submission of all partial and/or progress reports by all members of the project team, contractors, and project partners.
• Conduct field visits to supervise, coordinate and monitor field level activities of portfolio.

3. Inter-Agency coordination support

• Provide substantive support to the Representative on inter-agency coordination related activities.
• Take part in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/ United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF)) processes and similar exercises related to the RC system ensuring that gender concerns are clearly reflected and mainstreamed in process.
• Prepare substantive inputs to CCA/ UNSDCF and other documents thoroughly analyzing and researching the political, social, and economic situation in the region.
• Prepare analytical and regular progress reports on UN Womens’ program experiences in support of UN women inter-agency coordination role.

4. Strategic partnerships building and resource mobilization support

• Implement the Office partnerships and resources mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes within the areas assigned.
• Create and coordinate partnerships with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society etc.
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities.
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost-sharing.
• Follow up on resource on mobilization activities for fund raising for new projects in coordination with the UN Women Representative.

5. Advocacy support and facilitation of knowledge building and management

• Support the establishment of advocacy networks at national level and linkages to international networks related to the sectorial/thematic areas assigned.
• Proactively and substantively support and implement relevant, high-impact advocacy activities and campaigns with key partners.
• Identify and synthesis best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to programme country policy goals in the sectorial/thematic areas assigned.
• Proactively contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice

Competencies

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 initiative

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

• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects.
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management, and reporting
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage contributions and investments, manage transactions, conduct financial analysis, reporting and cost-recovery
• Ability to implement new systems and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice.
• Lead teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills.
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies
• Focuses on impact and result for the partners and responds positively to feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• 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 would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organizations and national governments, preferably in the field of gender and human rights of women;
• Experience working in the UN System and the Americas and Caribbean region is an asset;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Other requirements:

For this positon, only candidates who are nationals of Ecuador (by birth or legal) will be considered.

HOW TO APPLY:

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, hence, combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Only short-listed qualified candidates will be contacted.

If you are experiencing difficulties with online job applications, please contact jobs.help@undp.org.

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.

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.)