Background

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.

The Sahel region has been facing an unprecedented security crisis since 2012. Several countries are facing various economic, political and social challenges. This situation has led to problems of violent extremism and intercommunal conflict. Despite the many opportunities in the region, the population is facing problems of poverty and a severe humanitarian crisis. The main regional actors and the international community have been mobilized to contribute to responses for peace and development in the region.

This crisis context prevails in a region where women were already subject to several forms of violence and discrimination underpinned by a number of sociocultural beliefs and barriers that are deeply rooted in tradition. The high levels of gender inequality in Sahel countries can be found in several areas, including in particular: -gender-based violence and other harmful practices, low participation of women in political life, issues related to access to basic social services, economic inequalities. Women have organized themselves into associations and have a great potential to contribute significantly to the stabilization of the region as they are key actors for peace and development in the region. Unfortunately, they face several challenges related to the weak organizational, institutional and programmatic management capacities of organizations.

Considering these challenges, a three years  program entitled “Building the capacity of women's organizations and create a strong women's movement for peace in the sahel region” has been developed to  better organize women led organizations into strong networks and coalitions in order to influence peace processes at local, national and regional levels. In addition, the program is meant to strengthen their advocacy skills that will make it easy for them to carry out operational activities on the ground, especially in the border regions most affected by conflict, as they have great potential, and this will increase their credibility and impact for peace.

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Advisor, the Program coordinator will be responsible for ensuring quality implementation; monitoring and reporting on the whole program and implementing partners.   

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsabilities

1.  Provide substantive technical support to the implementation and management of the Programme,

  • Provide technical inputs to the development of the annual workplan and budget.
  • Support the implementation of programme activities supporting women-led organizations and movement building.
  • Support the coordination of the call/request for proposals, including the organization of technical review committees, and capacity assessment of implementing partners.
  • Review, coordinate and monitor the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports.

2.  Provide technical assistance and capacity development support to partners implementing the Programme,

  • Identify opportunities for capacity building of women-led organizations and facilitate technical/ programming support and trainings to them.
  • Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
  • Build and manage relationships with national partners and country offices to support implementation and expansion of the programme, respond to any potential problems;
  • Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.
  • Participate in donor meetings and public information events, as delegated.

3.  Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme

  • Manage the monitoring of programme implementation and finances using results-based management tools;
  • Monitor progress of implementation of activities and finances from Implementing partners.
  • Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
  • Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
  • Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports.

4.  Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts.

  • Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Women Peace and Security in the G5 Sahel;
  • Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
  • Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
  • Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on Women Peace and Security in the region.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

  • Timely and quality substantive technical inputs to Implementing partners.
  • Timely and quality substantive inputs to workplans and budgets.
  • Adherence to UN Women standards and rules.
  • Timely monitoring and tracking of programme results; and finances with Implementing partners.
  • Relationship with partners and stakeholders.
  • Timely organization of events.
  • Quality of knowledge and advocacy products.

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

  • Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Good knowledge of Results Based Management
  • Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions, and present findings and recommendations
  • Good analytical skills
  • Good knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights technical area
  • Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising

Required Skills and Experience

Required skills and Experience

Education

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, 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 five years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
  • At least five years of technical experience in gender issues, focus on women peace and security is preferred;
  • Experience coordinating and liaising with government and/or donors is an asset.
  • Experience in leading/managing interventions supporting women civil society organizations and networks is a strong asset.
  • Ability to administer and execute administrative processes.
  • Strong IT skills. Experience in the use of computer applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, ATLAS, etc.) is an asset
  • Experience working in the UN System is an asset;

Language:

  • Fluency in French and  English
  • Knowledge of any other UN official working language is an asset.

Selection of applicants

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a competency-based interview. UN Women may ask shortlisted applicants to share a sample of a report they have recently authored.

Ethical code of conduct

UN Women has developed a UN Women  Evaluation  Consultants  Agreement Form (UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN System) for evaluators that must be signed as part of the contracting process, which is based on the UNEG Ethical Guidelines and Pledge  of  Commitment  to  Ethical  Conduct  in  Evaluation. These documents will be annexed to the consultant’s contract.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. 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.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)