UN WOMEN Jobs - 38615- Program Manager

Program Manager – Somalia (UN Women)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Nairobi (with frequent travel to Somalia), KENYA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

08-Jul-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Six Months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Six Months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The UN Women (UNW), 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, the UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnership with civil society and other relevant actors.

Recent political changes in the Federal Republic of Somalia have generated great optimism for the country’s future. A new President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud was elected in September, 2012 ending eight years of political transition. A new provisional Constitution was adopted in August 2012 and a new Parliament formed comprising of 275 members (38 female). Ten cabinet members (inclusive of 2 females) were appointed in November 2012. The next elections are scheduled for 2016. The new government has adopted a Six Pillar Framework for development and political stability; these pillars include Law and Good Governance; Economic Recovery; Peace Building for Social Reconciliation; Targeted Service Delivery; Coordinated International Relationships; and Unity and Integrity of Somalia. The Somalia government has committed to use the New Deal system of governance as the country tries to recover from its current fragile state that has been brought about by years of conflict. Through this system, the country will use Peacebuilding and Statebuilding goals to guide its progress towards achievement of MDG goals, will focus on new ways of engagement to support inclusive country-led and country-owned transition out of fragility and will commit to build mutual trust by providing aid and managing resources more effectively and aligning these resources for results. Based on the Secretary General’s recommendation for an integrated approach to the UN and in line with the requests from the government of Somalia, UN Women will relocate its operations to Somalia in 2014. UN Women will strategically position itself in Somalia to advocate for increased substantive involvement of women in decision making and leadership and to target policies to build women’s capacities to engage in political and leadership processes at all levels.

In order to reinforce its programme for Somalia, UN WOMEN seeks to recruit a Program Manager to guide the implementation of the UN Women Somalia programme activities. Within the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), under the supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, and in general consultation with the Programme/Policy Divisions in HQ, the incumbent is responsible for managing UN Women’s programme in Somalia. S/he will work closely with national counterparts to prepare strategies and work plans for the Somalia Programme. The Program Manager ensures proper project documentation and prepares regular Progress Reports for the Programme Board. Where needed, s/he would provide technical assistance and coordination support to the preparation by national partners of Annual Work Plans and assist the design of implementation strategies and budgets. The Program Manager will also work closely with the Development Partners that are providing support to the project and ensure information-sharing on essential progress issues.

The scope of work of the Program Manager requires experience and in-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues, as well as expertise on programme management, to translate UN Women’s strategic plans into results. It also requires developing mutually reinforcing partnerships with national entities, civil society, regional institutions and the international humanitarian system, including relevant UN entities and bilateral donors to enhance awareness and commitment as well as visibility and resources to advance gender equality and women empowerment. The Program Manager also works with the UN Country Team for Somalia, as required, to exchange information and support program delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the leadership of the Deputy Regional Director, in close consultation with the Gender Theme Group (GTG) and the Somalia UNCT, the consultant (cy) will undertake the following tasks:

Strategic follow up and active participation in the working group of the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding goals of the New Deal process in Somalia. Participate in and represent UN Women in various UN coordination mechanisms;
Support the implementation of UN Women Somalia programme document including preparation of new proposals for resource mobilization. Build strong partnerships with donor agencies and other development partners to ensure synergy of efforts in line with the Paris declaration principles;
Participate actively in UNCT technical meetings and provide leadership to Gender Theme Groups (GTG), both the UN GTG and the joint donor/UN GTG;
Support recruitment of and supervision of consultants;Support the establishment of UN Women programmes in Somalia, starting with Somaliland and then Mogadishu (subject to security approval);
Prepare monthly narrative and financial reports on programme implementation; monitor and evaluate ongoing programmes/projects for delivery and impact;Provide leadership and quality oversight of efforts to strengthen Government's institutions, especially the Ministry of Gender to effectively implement national development strategies.

Monitoring Progress and Payment Modality

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of Deputy Regional Director.

A work plan for the consultancy – including timeline and methodology – will be developed and agreed to no later than two days before the start of the assignment.

Consultant will be expected to provide monthly reports to be evaluated against the benchmark and the deliverables agreed upon by Supervisor.

Payments will be made on a monthly based upon receipt of satisfactory deliverables.

Deliverables/Outputs of the Assignment:

Active participation in UN Somalia’s New Deal’s working groups on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding goals
Plan developed for establishment of UN Women programme office in Hargeisa and Mogadishu.
Opportunities for resource mobilization for UN Women Somalia programme identified and acted upon
UN Women Somalia represented at coordination meetings such as the UNCT, GTG and other working groups.
Leadership provided to strengthen Government's institutions, especially the Ministry of Gender, to effectively implement national development strategies.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Displays strong cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to plan, prioritise and deliver tasks on time;
Ability to participate effectively in a team;
Ability to manage complex problems proactively and effectively, including responses to field based emergencies;
In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
Proven networking and communication skills;
IT competencies in Word, Excel, Power Point and the internet;
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;
Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
Demonstrates strong analytical and management skills;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Leads teams effectively and shows mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
Acceptance of additional responsibilities and capacity to work under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in Political Science, International Development Studies, Gender/Women's Studies, Economics or Sociology.

Experience:

At least 10 years of work experience in any of the following fields: women's rights and gender equality programming in developing countries with specialized experience in Gender and Development and Program Management;
International experience in managing an organization in the relevant field is an advantage;
Working experience with UN joint programming frameworks and result-based management systems is desirable.

Language:

Fluency in English, knowledge of Somali an asset.

Terms of Service

This is a non-staff contract under the Individual Contractor (IC) modality of hiring of the UNDP. Individuals engaged under an IC serve in their individual capacity and not as representative of a government institutions, corporate body or other authority external to UNDP. The incumbent shall not be considered as staff of UNDP, the UN common system or the government and are therefore not entitled to any diplomatic privileges or any other special status or conditions.