UN WOMEN Jobs - 63985- Programme Specialist

Programme Specialist

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Erbil, IRAQ

Type of Contract :

FTA Local

Starting Date :

01-Apr-2016

Application Deadline :

02-Mar-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

NO-C

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year

Languages Required :

Arabic English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

One year

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.

UN Women has had a sub-office based in Erbil, Iraqi-Kurdistan since September 2012. This office runs separate programmes specific to the Kurdistan region of Iraq and is also responsible for carrying out aspects of national programming developed in Baghdad.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Country Representative, the Programme Specialist is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions implemented by the UN women Erbil office. Specifically, the Programme Specialist will be responsible for developing and implementing specific programmes pertinent to Iraqi Kurdistan, overseeing ongoing programmes implemented by UN women in close coordination with the technical specialists in the Country office, maintaining relations with key government and non-government partners and developing a role for UN Women in humanitarian response in coordination with other UN Agencies on the ground. 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

Provision of top quality advisory and programme development services:

Develop, management and implement programmes in Iraqi Kurdistan in line with the Strategic note and office annual work plan;
Coordinate closely with Programme Specialist and Analysts in Iraq Country Office to ensure programme initiatives in the area of Women Peace and Security (WPS), Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) are implemented as agreed and in line with work plans and budget. Provide management support and seek guidance and advice on the implementation of activities related in these areas from the CO;
Develop work plans and budgets as necessary and monitor the implementation of activities of the WPS, WEE and GRB as requested;
Provide inputs to reports on WPS, WEE and GRB and write reports on the programmes in the Iraqi Kurdistan programmes;
Analyse, study, and research the political, social and economic situation in the country related to Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan and prepare substantive inputs to the UN Women sub-office programme planning in those areas;
Monitor and analyse the programme environment, timely readjustment of programme interventions;
Identify areas for support and interventions within the Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan area and provide proposals for action to the Deputy Country Representative;
Design and formulate programme initiatives within the Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan sub-office, translating UN Women’s priorities into local interventions;
Provide programme advisory support to the Iraq CO within the Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan programme.

Management of the Erbil sub-office programme and supervision of the programme team using enhanced Results Based Management practices:

Exercise overall responsibility for the planning, implementation, management, and coordination aspects of the programmes/projects in the Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan sub-office while seeking the technical advice in Women’s Peace and Security and Economic Empowerment from colleagues in Baghdad when needed;
Ensure effective application of Results Based Management tools and monitoring achievement of results;
Manage the portfolio of on-going programmes/projects in the sub-office 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;
Assess overall programme results and identify 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;
Support the development of staff and partner capacities on results-based management;
Coordinate and supervise the activities of programme staff, projects staff, experts and consultants working as part of the technical assistance team;
Prepare and control the quality 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.

UN system partnership and alliance building support:

Provide substantive support to the Representative on inter-agency coordination related activities and other promotional events to engage bilateral and multilateral institutions, private sector, and civil society;
Take part in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/UNDAF processes and similar exercises related to the RC system ensuring that gender concerns are clearly reflected and mainstreamed in process related to the region as required;
Represent UN Women in meetings and exercises, as delegated;
Prepare substantive inputs to CCA/ UNDAF and other documents thoroughly analyzing and researching the political, social and economic situation in the region as required;
Prepare analytical and regular progress reports on UN Womens’ program experiences in support of UN women inter-agency coordination role in the region.

Strategic partnership building and resource mobilization support:

Implement the Office partnerships and resource mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes within the Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan programme in line with the Strategic Note;
Create, maintain and coordinate partnerships with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, and civil society, as assigned;
Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities;
Analyze, research and study 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 fundraising for new projects in coordination with the UN Women Representative.

Advocacy support and facilitation of knowledge building and management:

Support the establishment of advocacy networks at the sub-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 Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan programme;
Proactively contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

?Impact of Results:

The post has an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of UN Women interventions and activities in the Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan programme, which impact in turn on the overall effectiveness of the UN Women programme in the country. By helping ensure effective design, planning, implementation, and M&E of assigned sectorial/thematic areas, and building networks and helping mobilize resources for this area, the incumbent enhances the organization’s capacity and credibility in implementation of highly effective programmes with strong impact.

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:

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;
Ability to build strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Good conflict resolution skills and leadership skills;
Strong oral and written communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in, International Development, Gender, Human Rights, Applied Anthropology, or in other related Social Sciences.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years relevant experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments, preferably in the field of gender and human rights of women;
Prior experience in the UN System and the Region will be an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English, Kurdish and Arabic is required.