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.

More than ten years after the passage of UN Security Council resolution 1325, there is widespread concern that progress made at the normative and policy levels has not been translated into significant improvements in the lives of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict countries. Both the United Nations and the European Union have committed to closing this implementation gap. To address this, UN Women and UNICEF with funding support from the European Union, will partner in a joint programme that pilots a model for EU/UN collaboration on Women, Peace and Security matters in three states of Northern Nigeria.

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Programme Manager, the Gender Technical Adviser provides programme support to the effective management of the programme aimed at promoting women’s engagement in Northern Nigeria at state level by contributing in the programme design, formulation, implementation and evaluation. S/he supports the delivery of UN Women programmes by analyzing results achieved during implementation and supporting appropriate application of systems and procedures. 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

Functions / Key Results

Summary of key functions:

• Proactively provide substantive advice on the Project aimed at promoting women’s engagement in peace and security in Northern Nigeria;
• Provide targeted technical and operational guidance, on program design and program implementation at state level;
• Support timely analysis on state portfolio implementation in highlighting critical development trends and their possible impact on programming;
• Active engagement in following up on partnerships in the state on behalf of the Country Office;
• Donor Reporting.
  

Proactively provide substantive advice on the Project aimed at promoting women’s engagement in peace and security in Northern Nigeria

• Provide the Programme Manager with advice on programming direction and options at state level based on a broad and deep knowledge of global, regional and national social Women, Peace and Security trends, priorities, challenges and emerging issues;
• Review program proposals/recommendations from CSOs and other partners in the State as required;
• Provide proactive impactful substantive and operational support during all stages of the UN Women strategic planning, formulation and implementation processes related to the state;
• Lead and/or participate in UN Women strategic program/policy discussion to provide advice and substantive input on issues relevant to the programme at state level;
• Contribute significantly to the Project’s strategic discussion in establishing work plans and priorities. Develop individual work plan, ensuring harmonization and linkages of priorities and approaches with the overall programme work plan.

Provide targeted technical and operational guidance, on program design and program implementation at state level

• Lead the provision of technical support at state level during the formulation, approval and implementation of the project on promoting women’s engagement in peace and security in Northern Nigeria to ensure the formulation of relevant, high quality, results-based and rights-based activities;
• Develop and maintain an up to date overview of the state’s program status, and of program management issues, and under the general guidance and/or request of the Deputy Programme Manager ensure timely intervention and action, when and where necessary;
• Undertake travel on significant trouble shooting missions as required providing technical advice, support and collaboration on programming and related issues of significant importance within the State;
• Contribute to and promote the design and implementation of capacity building training activities with local partners to enhance skills and knowledge in the area of women’s engagement in Peace and Security.

Support timely analysis on state portfolio implementation in highlighting critical development trends and their possible impact on programming

• As per corporate annual requirements, guide the reporting and review of the programme at state level to assess impact and alignment with development goals and results-based performance indicators;
• Advise Deputy Programme Manager on lessons learned and best practices at State level. Based on lessons learned within the State and corporately, help guide programme improvements and future strategic development planning;
• Review and evaluate proposals for programs and operations for implementation within the state;
• Facilitate the flow of information from the field to ensure corporate direction and policy responds to the needs and opportunities in the State.

Active engagement in following up on partnerships in the state on behalf of the Country Office

• In liaison with local partners, develop, build, and nurture strategic partnerships with Government, NGOs, academia, media and private sector to advocate and to promote women’s engagement in peace and security and stimulate action to advance women’s human rights;
• Oversee and ensure the collecting and sharing of lessons learned at state level;
• Establish and continually enhance sustainable partnerships with UN system agencies on the field in order to collaborate on joint projects and on interagency efforts to promote/advocate on gender equality and women’s empowerment and to maximize results and achievements;
• Represent UN Women as delegated/appropriate in development fora and to engage partners and other allies to encourage greater commitment and collaboration in advancing WPS issues;
• Provide useful advice on the design of materials for advocacy and policy dialogue to maximize impact and outreach;
• Liaise and facilitate the flow of information with/to the Country Office on corporate partnerships so that corporate partnership strategies respond appropriately to the field’s demands and needs.

Donor Reporting

• Work closely with partners to ensure timely submission of progress and final reports to donor;
• Contribute to the design of a systematic monitoring & evaluation framework that will enable the Programme track Implementing partners’ progress and performance as well as report on the outcomes of its grant-making activities;
• Produce and provide qualitative and quantitative evidence to demonstrate impact to UN WOMEN’s various stakeholders and to stimulate learning about effective strategies for advancing women’s participation in Peace and Security in Northern Nigeria;
• Ensure close collaboration with UN WOMEN Administrative and Finance staff to ensure efficient financial management and efficient transfers and tracking of funds for grants and contractors.

Impact of Results

• The key results of this post directly impact on the ability of UN Women to effectively lead, manage, monitor and oversee UN Women’s programs and related operations in the Region. This impact should lead to enhancing the visibility and image of UN Women as an effective leader on gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment within the Region.

Competencies

Core Values / 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 safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in 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

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for 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:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.
  

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

• Development/programming skills particularly those that are pertinent to Women’s engagement in peace and security;
• Ability to support formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
• Knowledge of Results Based Management principles and approaches;
• Ability to maintain networks and partnerships with local partners, UN agencies and other international partners to promote partnership and build alliances to advance organizational interests and competencies;
• Demonstrated good oral and written communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Law, Gender and human rights related disciplines, Social Sciences or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience at local or national or level with development projects preferably including some experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects. Knowledge of gender and human rights issues desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Hausa is required.
  

Application Information:

• 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 may not be considered for further assessment.

Qualified women candidates are highly encouraged to apply. The selected candidate will be posted in one of the five states in Adamawa, Benue, Gombe, Kaduna, Plateau or as decided by UN Women Nigeria Office.