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 invasion by the Russian Federation of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has resulted in loss of life, injuries, and mass displacement of the civilian population, both internally and to neighboring countries. The ongoing violence has also resulted in widespread destruction and damage to residential housing stock and civilian infrastructure, including health centers and schools, and the consequent disruption to essential lifesaving services across Ukraine. This escalation in fighting has exacerbated existing humanitarian crisis—already present for the past eight years in conflict-affected Oblasts in Eastern Ukraine—and amplifies pre-existing gender inequalities as well creating new ones.

According to OCHA figures nearly 18 million people – 40 per cent of the country’s population – need humanitarian assistance and the situation is expected to deteriorate further in the winter months and a new wave of displacement is expected, particularly from the east and heavily destroyed towns, where people have no access to gas or electricity, or are living in damaged houses. Since the 7 months of the war, one-third of Ukrainians have been displaced so far - making this one of the largest human displacements in the world today. According to UNHCR, 6. 8 refugees from Ukraine have been displaced across Europe and 6.6 million are IDPs. Most displaced persons are women and children. OHCHR is concerned about many human rights violations in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Women’s groups and women led civil society organizations (CSOs) have been quick to react to the immediate priorities of their communities but face many challenges as they attempt to provide support to large numbers of internally displaced people, host-communities and those directly affected by violence and insecurity. The HNO and the HRP 2023 is currently being launched.

Within this rapidly shifting dynamics, UN Women is reconfiguring it programming within humanitarian-peace -development nexus, with a particular focus on scaling up UN Women presence in Kyiv and establishing sub offices Dnipro and Lviv.

Reporting to Deputy Country Representative, and under the overall guidance of the Country Representative the Programme Specialist, based in Dnipro, is responsible for coordinating and leading UN Women stakeholder and partner engagement, programming, monitoring, reporting and operations at the sub national level, particularly contributing to UN Women CO engagement in the oblasts of Eastern Ukraine. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Design, manage and implement UN Women interventions in the oblasts of Eastern Ukraine

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives, in coordination with partners
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to the UN Women activities in the Eastern Ukraine
• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Ensure effective internal communication and coordination at Sub-Office level and effective and proactive communication between relevant Country Office units (both programme and operations) and the Sub-Office
• Provide guidance to personnel and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Provide inputs from programme activities and results to Country Office reporting.
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;

Represent UN Women at the sub-national level and develop and manage UN Women’s strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement

• Coordinate relationships with national partners, especially women civil society representatives  to support implementation and expansion of  UN Women Country Office programme/Portfolio
• Represent UN Women in relevant humanitarian coordination mechanisms, events, workshops and coordinate UN Women inputs to interagency initiatives at the sub-national level;
• Establish effective communication channels with and ensures that stakeholders (civil society, humanitarian and development partners, bilateral and multilateral donors, private sector, civil society, UN agencies, and other) have a consistent UN Women counterpart at the sub-national level
• Maintain collaboration and coordination with other UN and humanitarian-development partners to ensure programmatic integration

Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Review and coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Provide substantive technical support to partners in regard to programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion in the Eastern Ukraine; 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.
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results based management tools;
• 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.

Manage the people and financial resources related to UN Women activities in Dnipro sub-office

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the programme including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting; ensuring the integrity of financial systems and consistent application of the Internal Control Framework and/or rules and regulations
• Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners.
• In collaboration with the Security Specialist and the Operations Manager, ensure that the security needs of office and projects are met.
• Supervise staff; Mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments.
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Identify programming, advocacy and communications opportunities and entry points for UN Women and advise the UN Women Country Office on policies, programmes and strategies to adequately respond to localised challenges and needs regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Monitor the perception of UN Women at the sub-national level and suggest and ensure that UN Women programming objectives and local programming results are effectively communicated in collaboration with relevant units/teams;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on UN Women interventions in the Eastern Ukraine

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
• Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programmes
• Relations with partners and stakeholders
• Quality reports and timely submission
• Regular communication with other agencies and partners
• Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives

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
• Strong budget and finance skills
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification

• 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 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in in managing gender equality multi-component interventions with national partners  in complex emergencies;
• Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes and projects across the humanitarian -development nexus
• Experience in establishing relationships among and working with international organizations, civil society organizations and local stakeholders
• 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.
• Experience in country and/or region is an asset.

Language Requirements

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

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.)