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 direct supervision of the Project Manager, Political Empowerment and Leadership, the Programme Officer Political Participation exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under his/her portfolio. She/he works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women RO staff, government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under his/her portfolio. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide advisory and programme development services to the Political Participation Portfolio

• Provide support to the drafting of country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Political Participation in Somalia;
• Draft the design and formulation of programme/ project proposals and initiatives, in particular Letter of Agreements;
• In consultation with the project manager, translate the priorities of the Strategic Note in Political Participation and Leadership into programme interventions;
• Participate in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Political Participation on behalf of UN Women, as necessary;
• Identify areas for support and interventions within the Political Participation Portfolio;
• Provide programme advisory support to the Office Management, as necessary.

Oversee the implementation and management of the Political Participation Portfolio

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and oversee implementation;
• Finalize reports on activities, outputs and outcomes; as well as donor and UN Women reports;
• Ensure adherence to standard UN Women procedures in planning and implementation of programmes/ project;
• Ensure synergies within and with other programme/ project teams;
• Oversee the technical implementation and  conceptualization of the programme/project;
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on RBM tools and performance indicators.

Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Political Participation Portfolio;
• Respond to any  potential problems;
• Identify capacity building needs of stakeholders;
• Provide partners with technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives.

Oversee monitoring and reporting of the Political Participation Portfolio

• Oversee the monitoring of implementation of activities and finances using the results based management tools;
• Oversee field missions and write reports on monitoring missions;
• Draft  quarterly reports and donor reports, and collate input from other UN AFPs and UNSOM as relevant.

Manage people and financial resources of the programme

• Responsible for overall programme budget;
• Draft financial reports;
• Supervise team;
• Write terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination

• Provide technical support on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;

• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts;
• Participate in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/UNDAF processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;
• Draft input to CCA/ UNDAF and other documents;
• Draft analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s programme experiences in support of UN Women inter-agency coordination role.

Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop advocacy strategies in coordination with the UN Mission and oversee their implementation;
• Develop and expand knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on Political Participation and Leadership;
• Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination.

The post has an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of UN Women interventions and activities in the Political Participation portfolio, which in turn impacts the overall effectiveness of the UN Women programme in Somalia.   By helping ensure effective design, planning, implementation, and M&E of assigned sectorial/thematic areas, and building networks and helping mobilize resources for these areas, 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.

Respect for 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 the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects
• Ability to establish and maintain broad strategic networks and partnerships
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong leadership skills
• Strong IT skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong conflict resolution and negotiation skills
• Very strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong knowledge of RBM
• Knowledge of Political Participation an Leadership

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Law, Political Science, Development Studies or closely related fields;

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in programmes to advance women’s political participation, leadership and decision making, with responsibility for the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects;
• Experience working in the field of gender and human rights an advantage;
• Experience working on participation and inclusion an advantage;
• Prior experience in the UN System and the Region will be an asset.  

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Somali is required;
• Working knowledge in any of the official UN languages is an asset.