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 UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office is based in Suva, Fiji and works alongside over 20 other UN agencies in the region and in 14 countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Under its Strategic Note 2018-2022, UN Women Fiji MCO focuses on delivering on four interlinked programme areas underpinned by support for intergovernmental and normative processes:

  • Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership
  • Women’s Economic Empowerment
  •  Ending Violence against Women
  • Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction

Building on the 2018-2022 SN, the MCO has developed, and is implementing a new Strategic note 2023 – 2027.  In addition to the 2018-2022 focus areas, the MCO will introduce a focus on women in the climate change discourse including in Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD). The SN is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Frameworks (UNSDCF) of the region under the 3 separate RCO offices across the Pacific region.  In addition, starting in 2023, the MCO will provide specific intervention attention to each Island State through Country Implementation Programmes (CIP) that have been developed closely with the individual Island States providing a platform for UN commitment and integration of the UNSDCFs and the CIPs of 14 countries.  In addition, the MCO collaborates with the Pacific Island State Forum and regional NGOs to implement regional development plans. 

Reporting to the MCO Representative, the Deputy Representative is responsible for the day-to-day management of Programmes across all countries under the Multi Country Office (MCO) . The incumbent is responsible for substantially contributing to the design, implementation, management and oversight of the country programme and to the operations supporting its implementation to ensure effective and efficient delivery of results as planned in UN Women’s Strategic Plan and the CO plans.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.  Manage the programme (primarily) and providing support to management of the operations team

  • Manage the day-to-day work of the programme teams across all countries, including finalizing the team’s annual workplan;
  • Ensuring integration of programme management and operational management in conceptualization, planning, implementing and monitoring; and the management of material and financial resources;
  • Lead the process of preparing programme implementation progress reports and identifying areas for MCO Representative’s action and/or decision;
  • Technically support the development of the Office security strategy and plan, as required.

2.  Provide advisory and specialized technical support on the strategic direction of the office

  • Advise and guide the MCO Representative on strategic areas;
  • Support the MCO Representative in the management and continued integration of the Country Programme Coordinators ensuring continued attention to all countries under the MCO
  • Provide specialized technical and strategic support in managing all aspects of the programme design and related activities and for ensuring compliance and accountability in programme monitoring, reporting and evaluation;
  • Develop policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/materials for use in the development and presentation of innovative and coherent policy and programmatic positions;
  • Serve as a senior member of the management team.

3.  Represent UN Women in UN system coordination, with a focus on programming

  • As delegated by the MCO  Representative, represent UN Women in the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and/or the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) to collaborate with the Resident Coordinator and UN system on interagency coherence, collaboration, cooperation, resource mobilization, advocacy, common services, and operations;
  • Ensure UN Women’s participation in UN system thematic and other working groups to advance UN Women’s mandate.

4.  Provide technical support in creation of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization strategies

  • Provide substantive research and inputs in the formulation and implementation of the country resource mobilization strategy;
  • Establish and maintain relations with government, partners, stakeholders and donors to achieve active collaboration, cooperation and alliances on programme development and implementation and resource mobilization.

5.  Represent UN Women and support advocacy strategies

  • Represent and advocate for UN Women in organizational, regional, global, public information/ relations events and key meetings, as delegated;
  • Develop and implement advocacy and public communication strategies.

6.  Facilitate knowledge management, innovation and capacity building

  • Manage the process of collecting and sharing lessons learned on gender equality and women’s empowerment to build knowledge and capacity of partners and stakeholders;
  • Oversee the design and implementation of capacity building training activities to enhance skills and knowledge.

7.  Manage personnel under supervision

  • Manage the performance of personnel under supervision; provide managerial direction, guidance and leadership to staff and provide performance feedback and coaching to personnel supervision, ensure performance assessment are implemented on time and ensure personnel are fully aware of UN Women workplace relations policies;
  • Create an enabling work environment;
  • Identify learning and development opportunities

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Timely and quality provision of strategic support and advise to the MCO Representative
  • Timely and quality delivery of the programme teams
  • Regular interaction and establishment of joint activities and programmes with other agencies and partners
  • Quality of inputs provided in formulation and implementation of the country resource mobilization strategy
  • Quality and number of knowledge management and advocacy initiatives undertaken
  • Quality mentoring, training, coaching which affects performance of personnel, inclusive workplace environment
  • UN Women is seen as a reliable and trustworthy partner, providing substantial inputs to progress UN women’s mandate

Competencies

Core values

  • Integrity
  • Professionalism
  • Respect for Diversity

Core Competencies

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

Functional Competencies

  • Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
  • Ability to provide policy advice and support to partners
  • Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
  • Strong leadership skills, ability to create and enabling work environment
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management
  • Strong knowledge of the UN system
  • Strong knowledge of local country context
  • Strong negotiation skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

  • Master’s degree in international development, public administration, public policy or other relevant social science fields 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

  • At least 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience that combines strategic and managerial leadership in development programmes with a strong focus in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment at the international level, preferably in developing countries within the UN system, Agencies, Funds or Programmes;
  • Field based experience working with multi-cultural teams;
  • Experience in leading a team.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of another UN working language will be an asset.

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process 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.  Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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.)