UN WOMEN Jobs - 56954- UN Women: Programme Specialist

UN Women: Programme Specialist

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Dhaka, BANGLADESH

Type of Contract :

TA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

07-Jun-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

7 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

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 supervision of the Country Representative, the Programme Specialist facilitates (a) the formulation of projects/programmes through a highly participatory process with BCO colleagues, key partners and stakeholders (including the UNCT), ROAP and HQ policy advisors, (b) day to day management of the CO programme providing guidance and monitoring to ensure effective and efficient delivery of results as planned in UN Women Strategic Note and Annual Work Plan, (c) contributes to the creation and dissemination of knowledge products through capturing of best practices in support of UN Women advocacy, and (d) supports the Country Representative in overall management of the CO.

The incumbent is expected to bring innovative thinking which fits and adapts to the changing environment to the strategic development of the programme portfolio, and to help raise resources to fund it. He/she also plays a key role in ensuring effective use and management of UN Women resources (material, financial and human) in compliance with UN women programming and operational policies and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Advisory and technical support;
Programme development, management, monitoring and oversight;
Advocacy and support to UN coordination, joint programming and reform;
Knowledge management and capacity building.

Advisory and technical support:

Serve as key advisor to the UN Women Representative and as a senior member of his/her management team in the CO strategic discussions and formulation of programs and management operations, including work planning;
Provide specialized technical and strategic support in managing all aspects of CO programme design and management of related activities and for ensuring accountability in programme monitoring, reporting and evaluation;
Support, guide and provide input to assure quality control in the formulation of relevant, high quality, results-based and rights-based country programmes and to ensure programme coherence, technical integrity, inter-unit programme cooperation and coordination;
Provide strategic and specialized technical advice to the UN Women Representative and put in place systems, processes and mechanisms to improve/enhance programme planning, implementation, monitoring and timely progress reporting;
Draft policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/materials for use in the development and presentation of innovative and coherent policy and programmatic positions in support of national development priorities and commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment, incorporating regional and global perspectives and contributing to regional and global strategies. Advise, support, guide and provide input to ensure the formulation of relevant, high quality, results-based and rights-based country programmes and projects;
Review and evaluate proposals and oversee the preparation of donor proposals and the quality of donor reports;
Regularly assess the country level annual work plans, monitor progress on the achievement of goals and targets, and present the UN Women Representative with recommendations to assist in development planning;
Oversee the development of a resource mobilization strategy. Assist with resource mobilization efforts, including follow-up with donor agencies. Broker support from governments, UN agencies and other bilateral and multilateral aid organizations, and establish linkages between their work and BCO priorities.

Programme development, management, monitoring and oversight:

Recommend and establish program monitoring standards, criteria and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
Monitor the progress on, mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators and timely take action/decision and/or provide timely support;
Advise programme and operational personnel on UN Women’s policies and management strategies and on relevant rules and regulations for achieving programme delivery and for increasing accountability;
Lead the process of gathering information and preparing reports on progress of program implementation, assessing results and identifying areas for senior management action and/or decision to ensure achievement of results as planned and in accordance with UN Women goals and objectives and accountability framework;
Ensure high-quality, results-oriented reporting, for internal and external audiences (e.g. UN, donors), including providing guidance to ongoing programmes and projects in the submission of timely, quality reports and contributions, where necessary. Under the delegated authority of the Regional Director develop, manage and oversee programme budgets, as needed, in consultation with UN Women MCO/CO and HQ, and in close collaboration with administrative and financial staff;
Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations, and with other UN Women offices and units.

Advocacy and support to UN coordination, joint programming and reform:

Undertakes advocacy work and develops supportive networks. Assists in resource mobilization efforts;
Upon the request of the Country Representative, represent UN Women in UNCT as appropriate/delegated to consult, collaborate and/or interact on common issues and activities and participate in the UNDAF process to ensure the active participation of UN Women in these processes to advance gender equity and women's human rights.

Knowledge management and capacity building:

Provide oversight and quality assurance to the mid-term review of the country strategic and implementation plans. Identify lessons learned and areas of emphasis to guide program improvements and future strategic development plan;
Identify areas that may require improvement and capture best practices/lessons learned, using corporate monitoring tools;
Manage the process of collecting and sharing lessons learned on gender equality and women's empowerment to build knowledge and capacity of partners and stakeholders;
Identify and implement capacity building training activities to enhance skills and knowledge in Results Based Management, Results based budgeting and systematic quality assurance;
Contribute to the development and maintenance of global and regional program knowledge networks and practices, and development of knowledge products.

Impact of Results

The effective support provided to the Country Representative in the management of programs and operations in the Country Office directly impact on the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of UN Women in Bangladesh. The post impacts on the development, implementation and results that in turn directly impact on the credibility and image of UN Women as an effective partner for development partners, government and civil society in Bangladesh and as a competent knowledge based organization on gender equity and women's human rights issues.

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 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:

In-depth knowledge of development issues;
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Ability in strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources;
Good knowledge of the Results Management Guide and Toolkit;
Strong IT skills;
Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/attitudinal change.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Social Sciences, Political Science, Gender and Development, Development Studies.

Experience:

7 years of experience in programme/ project management and design essential;
Significant progressively responsible experience in gender related programme management and gender mainstreaming required.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required;
Working knowledge of another UN official language and/or Bangla is an asset.

Application:

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, please 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.

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.