UN WOMEN Jobs - 43879- UN Women: Programme Specialist

UN Women: Programme Specialist

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Panama City, PANAMA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Mar-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English Spanish

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

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 centre of all its efforts, 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 partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In the Americas & Caribbean Region, UN Women has a Regional Office based in Panama City, 11 Country Offices throughout the region and programmatic presence in 5 countries. In addition, the Regional Office provides support to the governments, civil society and UN system in 4 countries with no UN Women presence.

The Programme Specialist, under the supervision of the Regional Director and/or Regional Thematic Advisors analyzes and stays abreast of trends related to UN Women focus areas, as well as others relevant to the organization’s programming and mission of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. In addition, he/she provides technical and substantive assistance to UN Women in the field for programme/project design and implementation.

The Programme Specialist is responsible for providing support to programmes, projects and other initiatives and activities assigned by the Regional Director and/or Regional Thematic Advisors, He/she will also collaborate with relevant UN Trust Funds and Thematic Clusters, such as EVAW, GRB, and global programmes.

For this post, the Programme Specialist is expected to support the regional portfolio on Ending Violence against Women, as well as intergovernmental relations and coordination in this area

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Technical support to programmatic work
Support and quality control of UN-Women and UN administrative and financial procedures
Liaison with UN Women presence in the field and partner institutions and UN Agencies
Internal and External Reporting

Description of Responsibilities:

Technical Support to Programmatic Work:

Provide support to UN Women in the field in the implementation of programmes, activities and initiatives related to the relevant focus area.
Support the Regional Director and the Regional Thematic Advisor in the development of new programmes and projects, their endorsement and their approval.
Monitor and support programme performance and impact ensuring compliance with UN-Women programme goals and results-based indicators through regular communications with staff and monitoring of projects reports, and providing relevant and timely feedback to the Regional Director.
Provide substantive input to portfolio and activities assigned by the Regional Director, as well as to other global initiatives, ensuring that the regional perspectives are reflected.
Support the Regional Director and Regional Thematic Advisors in their work, including substantive, technical, financial and administrative support to activities under the LAC Strategic Plan, SRSs, Framework and other facilities.

Support and Quality Control of UN-Women and UN Administrative and Financial Procedures:

Provide technical and administrative support for timely implementation and monitoring of regional and country-level programmes, including reviewing and monitoring of work plans to ensure timely implementation, overall management of regional programmes to ensure timely disbursements of funds, as well as adherence to policies and procedures.
Provide technical inputs and facilitate communication between the Regional Office and the field, ensuring the preparation of quality project documents and facilitating the approval process (PACs).

Liaison with UN Women Presence in the Field and Partner Institutions and UN Agencies

Under the supervision of the Regional Director and Regional Thematic Advisors, support UN Women’s programming in Ending Violence against Women in the region.
Responsible for coordinating, ensuring communication and providing technical support to the Secretary General's Campaign "UNITE To End Violence against Women" inter-agency group.
Develop working relations with various stakeholders and, at the request of the Regional Director and/or Regional Thematic Advisors, represent UN Women in workshops, seminars, technical discussions and other.
Develop working relationships with other stakeholders such as multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs, donors, foundations, governments and other relevant networks while undertaking advocacy work and developing supportive networks.
At the request of the Regional Director, organize, participate and/or represent the Regional Office in internal and external Committees, Task Forces, and other meetings.

Internal and External Reporting

Ensure timely reporting to donors and Headquarters on programme implementation while liaising with other UN Women departments (i.e. Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships, Management and Administration Bureau).
Coordinate gathering of information on UN Women activities in the region for documentation preparation, (Annual LAC Report, Programme Fact Sheets, Briefing Notes, lessons learned etc.

Impact of Results:

The technical support provided to the implementation of programmes and projects at the regional and country level enhances overall efficiency, timeliness and effectiveness. Coordination with multi stakeholders ensures stronger and smoother coordination with field offices. This enhances the impact of UN Women’s initiatives in its focus areas to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. For this post, it is expected that the Programme Specialist will contribute to the achievement of UN Women’s objectives in the focus area of Ending Violence against Women.

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural Sensitivity and Valuing Diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff.
Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in Teams:

Build and promote effective teams. Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communication and Information Sharing:

Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

Substantive knowledge and understanding specifically on gender equality issues as well as more broadly, human rights and development cooperation;
Substantive experience with development issues in the LAC region;
Experience in programme design, coordination and implementation;
Excellent writing skills with demonstrated ability to carry out research, to contribute to the formulation of policies, procedures and guidelines;
Proficient in IT skills;
Familiarity with results based management and rights-based programming;
Familiarity with UN and UN Women system.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master`s degree (or equivalent) in International Affairs, Law, Social Sciences, Economic and Political Development, and/or a closely related discipline;
Gender studies an asset .

Experience:

5 years of progressively responsible experience in international development work preferably focused on, or strongly involving gender equality at national, regional and international levels;
Experience in managing project/programme implementation. Knowledge/experience of the region is an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English and Spanish is required;
Working knowledge of at least one other LAC language (Portuguese, French) is an asset .

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.

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.