Background

Established in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A / 64/289, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), is implementing actions to the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; women's empowerment; and achieving equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. The mandate of UN Women is to lead and coordinate the United Nations system to ensure that gender equality commitments are translated into action around the world. It provides strong and consistent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts and builds effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women has a Program presence in Central African Republic (CAR) since July 2015 and is in the process of becoming a full country office in 2021, to support the Central African authorities in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment as well as providing a multisectoral response to the specific needs of women in times of crisis for the implementation of the recommendations made by women on the side lines of the Bangui Forum in May 2015. It focuses its interventions on achieving the following strategic objectives: women's economic empowerment; promoting leadership and women's participation in decision-making processes, strengthening women’s role for peace and security in CAR; the integration of the gender dimension in the humanitarian response; and the fight against violence against women.

UN Women works to support women’s engagement in peace and security to promote improved implementation, and monitoring and reporting of global commitments on women and peace and security, including as set out in Beijing Platform for Action and in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2122 (2013) and 2242 (2015), relevant Statements by the President of the Security Council, as well as related accountability frameworks established by the UN system. The UN Women works to strengthen the capacity of actors engaged in inclusive peacebuilding and national dialogue processes to enhance women’s participation and influence and to secure gender-equality outcomes. In this regard, UN Women supports inclusive engagement of women in all stages of negotiation, signature and implementation of the 2019 Peace Accord while pursuing advocacy for the effective participation of women in peacebuilding and community social cohesion mechanisms at national levels.

Cognisant of the difficult humanitarian situation of CAR (among the worst humanitarian crisis worldwide) and the over-representation of women among the most vulnerable, UN Women supports the humanitarian country team in providing inclusive assistance to those that need it while addressing the exacerbation of gender inequality and discrimination due to the conflict and humanitarian context, including through implementing a Peace-Humanitarian-Development Nexus programming and supporting Durable Solutions to displaced people including livelihood based solutions. This includes interventions to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in its multiple dimensions. As a new member of the Humanitarian Country Team, UN Women is expected to provide increased support through emergency interventions, as well as ensure the local implementation of its new Humanitarian Strategy 2022-2025.

Reporting to the Country Representative and working in close consultation with the Regional and HQ Peace, Security and Humanitarian Specialists, and fostering good relationships with Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under the WPSHA portfolio in CAR. The Programme Specialist will be managing WPS and HA teams for UN Women CAR, while engaging with other Portfolios and Departments as relevant.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of women, peace and security and humanitarian action

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to women, peace and security and humanitarian action.
• Strengthen the Office’s engagement in and contribution to peace-humanitarian-development programming and the implementation of durable solutions.

2. Manage the implementation and management of the women, peace and security and humanitarian action programme

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme and related projects; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Organize Projects Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.

3. Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the women, peace and security and humanitarian action 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.

4. 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.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of the women, peace and security and humanitarian action programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise staff; Mentor and coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

6. 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.

7. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on women, peace and security and humanitarian action to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners  in the country

• Provide technical support to the Head of Office on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

8. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to women, peace and security and humanitarian action;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to women, peace and security and humanitarian action as necessary;
• 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 and humanitarian action.

Competencies

https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

CORE VALUES / GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity 

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 skill
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Managemen
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of gender equality and the empowerment of women
• Strong knowledge of women, peace and security and/or gender in humanitarian action
• Strong knowledge of gender and livelihood programming
• 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.

EXPERIENCE

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects
• Technical experience in women, peace and security, gender in humanitarian action
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset
• Working experience in CAR is 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/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.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)