UNIFEM Jobs

• Corporate policy and strategy development
• Support to Sub-Regional Offices
• Programme guidance, management and oversight
• Advocacy and support to the UN development system
• Office capacity and performance

• Provide leadership in the  development, implementation and evaluation of the regional strategic plan based on UNIFEM's Strategic Plan (SP) in support of gender equality and women's empowerment and rights, in line with regional and national priorities and in consultation with  government, civil society and UN partners and stakeholders;
• Ensure regular assessments of the regional and sub-regional strategic plans and implementation plans and identify lessons learned and areas of emphasis to underpin consistently improved programming and future Strategic Plan development;
• Advise UNIFEM Executive Director on regional policy matters. Participate in corporate initiatives, including the Management Team and provide input to other process such as reports to the UNIFEM Consultative Committee (CC), presentations to the Executive Board and General Assembly, as required, to present UNIFEM positions on specific policy and programme issues.

• Support, monitor and assure quality control in the formulation of high quality, result-based, rights-based and relevant country programmes and projects and oversee the appraisal and approval of UNIFEM programmes in line with corporate guidelines and consistency with corporate policies and strategies;
• Ensure that the Geographic Section has the human resources and systems necessary to   respond to SROs effectively and efficiently for requests for assistance, especially in areas relating to programme and project design and management and human resources;
• Ensure that SROs and the Country Programme offices that they manage have the human and financial resources and capacities needed to enable them to deliver on their commitments to support countries to advance gender equality and to participate effectively as member of the UN Country Team.

• Provide strategic guidance, substantive /technical leadership and support to the Directors of UNIFEM Africa's four sub regional offices (SRO), in implementing and managing to enable them to deliver results agreed;
• Monitor mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators to measure SRO capacity and performance to ensure progress, timely support and proactive oversight;
• Use corporate monitoring and oversight tools such as the Balanced Score Card, Atlas snapshot and dashboard, Global Staff Surveys, audits, evaluation and other corporate reports to identify areas needing improvement;
• Work with relevant UNIFEM units to identify and disseminate best programme and management practices;
• Manage the allocation of funds to sub-regions and countries, and assure the proper utilization of resources approved and allocated to regional programmes and projects managed by the Geographic Section;
• Oversee the development and implementation of strategic evaluation plans, ensure that Management Responses to all evaluations are completed and followed up, and  monitor that learning from evaluations are fed back into UNIFEM initiatives and operations.

• Advocate on behalf of UNIFEM and its mandate to help raise awareness and stimulate action to advance women's human rights and form strategic partnerships with government/UN missions, NGOs, academia, media and the private sector. In association with OBDT liaise with donor agencies to mobilize resources at the HQ level for the Africa region. Provide and coordinate support to SROs for their fundraising efforts;
• Forge strategic partnerships with other UN system agencies at HQ to promote gender equality and women's advancement through joint projects and interagency efforts. Participate in and follow up on Regional Director Team (RDT) initiatives to support joint offices, providing technical support and guidance to SROs on joint programming and joint office management Represent UNIFEM at interagency, intergovernmental, international, regional and national for a, conferences and meetings and advocate UNIFEM's policy and initiatives in advancing gender empowerment;
• Manage the process of collecting and disseminating lessons learned on gender equality and women's empowerment strategies and approaches for partners, including the UN system, and contribute to UNIFEM's knowledge management efforts.

• Establish mutually agreed results framework and performance indicators and targets to effectively measure SRO capacity, in line with UNIFEM's accountability frameworks;
• Lead efforts to increase staff capacity in the region in Results Based Management and Results Based Budgeting including systems and quality assurance in implementing results based, rights based programming and budgets;
• Ensure that the Geographic Section has access to the resources it requires to undertake its responsibilities, and accounts for their use in line with UNIFEM's rules and regulations;
• Assist in the timely hiring and review of all staff for the Section and for those staff in the region that report to the Chief;
• Identify and support capacity-building/learning opportunities at HQ and in SROs/CPOs.

• the quality of development results and management efficiency of the SROs in Africa;
• UNIFEM's standing as a partner for UN, government, inter-governmental and NGO partners;
• the effectiveness of UNIFEM as a knowledge-based organization;
• the image and added-value of the Organization in the eyes of the SROs in her/his portfolio.

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNIFEM;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional:

• Has substantive and demonstrated professional experience and record of accomplishment in the area of gender equality and women's human rights; Is familiar with women's rights organizations and networks in Africa and globally;
• Has knowledge of UNIFEM and the UN system;
• Has proven ability to advocate and provide policy advice ;
• Has a successful track record in developing strong partnerships with donors and mobilizing significant resources for development assistance programmes;
• Has ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting ;
• Has ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes;
• Has a deep knowledge of the Africa Region (political, economic, social and cultural).

Behavioral

• Leadership and Management Skills: Has strong management skills with a proven record of building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment, including the ability to effectively lead, develop, mentor, coach and evaluate staff;
• Knowledge Management : Demonstrates ability to use knowledge management strategies to promote effective decision-making, and a coherent approach to policy making, and intra/inter-organizational collaboration, applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNIFEM;
• Managing Relationships: Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback; Displays a high level of respect, diplomacy and tact when dealing with government officials, donors and other stakeholders; Excellent interpersonal skills, able to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment;
• Managing Complexity: Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities; Outstanding coordination skills, with ability to manage multiple activities concurrently, works under pressure, and to tight deadlines;
• Communication Skills: Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills, including ability to convey complex concepts to different stakeholders in a clear and concise style. 

• Advanced university degree in a development-related area.

• At least 10 years of active participation and leadership in a position with gender-related development programmes, including 5 years of working internationally on women's human rights in Africa.
• Experience with managing, supporting and overseeing development policy-making, programme and operations management, resource mobilization and partnership creation.

• Fluency in written and spoken English; knowledge of French is an asset.