Background

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and was established to coordinate and accelerate the attainment of the rights of women globally.   UN Women stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life and supports the formulation and implementation of policies, global standards and norms at both regional and national levels that seek to enhance gender equality and inclusive governance.

The Constitution of Kenya envisions a governance system founded on the values of human rights, rule of law, social justice, and public participation. Its foundational ideology of entrenching and promoting democratic values similarly underlines Kenya’s democratic policy framework contained in Kenya vision 2030 and subnational development policies.  The political pillar of Kenya’s vision 2030 particularly seeks the establishment of a democratic governance system that is issue-based, people-centred, results-oriented, and accountable to the public. This policy objective together with the constitutional value foundation has provided ground for the significant progress in the consolidation of democratic gains in terms of human rights, rule of law, and participation of the people in governance either directly or through democratic institutions at the national and county level. However, more remains to be done to achieve transformations in democracy, especially to ensure that the governance process addresses do not engender tensions and conflicts.

In response and in the context of UN Delivering as One (DaO) that UN Women in collaboration with UNDP and OHCHR is implementing a project aimed at deepening gains to transform democratic governance in Kenya.  The overall objective of this project is to support state action and citizen engagement towards realizing improved democratic governance, accountability, respect for the rule of law, access to justice, human rights and gender equality. Project interventions will contribute to the realization of  Sustainable  Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender Equality; SDG Goal 10 on Reducing inequality and SDG 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and in line with strategies identified in the Common Charter, government development priorities outlined in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2018-20222, which envisages that, BY 2022, people in Kenya enjoy improved governance, access to justice, respect for the rule of law, human rights and gender quality.

Deepening democracy is one of the foundational principles under the Constitution of Kenya (2010). It is a strategic objective under the political pillar of Kenya Vision 2030, aimed at creating a cohesive, equitable and just society based on democratic principles and issue-based politics. It is against this background that the Democratic Governance (DG) Unit, under the supervision of the Team Leader, is seeking to recruit a National Consultancy to support the implementation of the programme in ensuring sustainable engagement on key issues related to democratic governance across electoral cycles and contribute to the realization of Outcome 1.1 of the UNDAF which states: By 2022, people in Kenya enjoy improved governance, access to justice, respect for the rule of law human rights and gender equality.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment:

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Democratic Governance Team Leader, the consultant will exercise overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under the Deepening Democracy portfolio. She/he works in close collaboration with the UN Women programme and operations team, Government institutions, and civil society to ensure successful programme implementation.

Scope of Work:

• Effective and efficient implementation of the democratic governance activities under the Deepening Democracy project by supporting overall project management, including monitoring and reporting;
• Establish and maintain strategic communication and partnerships for successful project implementation;
• Monitor implementation of the Deepening Democracy workplan vis a vis implementing partner workplans as per the set milestones;
• Act as the liaison between UN Women and other actors implementing the Deepening Democracy programme;
• Submission of quality progress narrative and financial reports, donor reports as well as other relevant reports;
• Develop background documents, briefs, and presentations related to the thematic areas under her/his responsibilities
• Coordinate advocacy campaigns, events, training, workshops, and knowledge products
• Work with UN Women’s Communication staff to ensure results, success stories, and best practices from the Programme are captured and widely shared.
• End of Consultancy report highlighting achievements, results and documenting lessons.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Team Leader-Democratic Governance, the consultant will be responsible for the following functions:

Manage the implementation of the democratic governance activities under the deepening Democracy project:

• Manage the technical implementation of the project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Oversee and review the budget and proposed activities as needed ensuring consistency with the objectives of the programme and in compliance with agreed timelines;
• Review, coordinate and monitor the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Liaise with program associates to develop procurement plans and oversee procurement processes in accordance with corporate rules and regulations;
• Liaise with monitoring and evaluation team in providing guidance to partners on Results-Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Support the coordination and organization of technical review committees, capacity assessment of partners, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed;
• Facilitate/participate/represent the Democratic Governance Team Leader in the different strategic meetings and provide briefs.

Support to manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Provide technical and policy support to country office in developing and strengthening projects/ programmes on gender and governance.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of technical tools, and initiatives that contribute to the realization of the project Work Plans;
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support the implementation of the programme;
• Provide strategic direction and technical advice on any potential emerging needs;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training, and capacity development initiatives to partners.

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project.

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results-based management tools, working closely with M&E colleagues;
• Conduct field missions, spot checks and review reports on monitoring missions to ensure recommendations and feedback are fully implemented;
• Substantively contribute to the drafting of internal and external reports that are results-based and of high quality;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to the programme. 

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on governance to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in Kenya. 

• Provide technical support to the Programme Team Leader on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, and 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.
• Advocate for the engagement and participation of women’s organizations and civil society networks in gender and governance coordination mechanisms.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts.

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the programme;
• In the absence of the DG Programme Team Leader, represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to the programme as necessary;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide Programme improvement and strategic planning;
• Contribute to developing knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on gender and governance.

Deliverables

Competencies

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Strong knowledge of Results-Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in social science, human rights, gender/women's studies, project management, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
•  A project/Programme management certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, results-based reporting, and evaluation of development projects.
• Technical experience on governance and women political leadership
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of democratic governance, human rights, and project management.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset.
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset.
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English required. 
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.