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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security.

The UN Women Afghanistan Country Office Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU) thereby supports the effective management of the UN Women programme portfolio in Afghanistan, including programme planning and development, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, and programme coordination based on agreed annual work plans and partner and donor agreements, and compliance with UN Women programme policies, guidance and procedures.

Under the direct supervision of the PMSU Manager and the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Representative, the Monitoring and Reporting Specialist will provide support to the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office colleagues in in incorporating monitoring and reporting into programme formulation as well tracking against Strategic Plan targets and the reporting of results to internal and external audiences.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Provide technical guidance to the UN Women Afghanistan in incorporating monitoring and reporting into programme formulation.
  • Provide quality assurance of program documents and design through review of results frameworks, and project monitoring, and evaluation plans;
  • Ensure use of relevant evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are incorporated into programme formulation;
  • Ensure incorporation of sufficient funds for monitoring, evaluation and reporting at Country level as needed into project design;
  • Serve as UN Women’s Monitoring and Evaluation Focal Point for the One UN Framework for Afghanistan, including representing UN Women in the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group, providing advice on One UN Framework indicators, and consolidating UN Women’s reports for the One UN Programme, as required;

        2. Oversee reporting of results to internal and external audiences

  • Support the design of and maintain an information system for the tracking of donor financial and narrative reporting requirements;
  • Coordinate the timely preparation and finalization of high quality internal and external narrative and financial reports and ensure; timely submission of all the reports in line with UN Women corporate reporting guidance and procedures;
  • Review progress reports submitted by partners and provide feedback to improve quality and timeliness of reporting;
  • Ensure use of relevant evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are incorporated into programme reporting;
  • Analyze programme/project reports and synthesize the country office’s quarterly, six monthly and annual report;

       3. Supporting monitoring of results against strategic outcomes

  • Manage the development of monitoring indicators, monitoring calendars, and field monitoring plans and quality assurance processes;
  • Ensure data collection and analysis from field visits are coordinated and standardized across programmes;
  • Provide strategic guidance to partners in developing Performance Monitoring Frameworks (PMFs) and Baseline Surveys;
  • Guide and coordinate the review of the UN Women planning frameworks, including the provision of technical advice for the revision of deliverables and delivery planning;
  • Compile data sources, employing collection and/or meta-analysis of monitoring data from national data sources;
  • Develop monitoring and review guidelines, formats, and tools;
  • Coordinate annual work plan monitoring, reviews and reporting;

      4. Coordinate corporate planning processes

  • Coordinate the development of UN Women workplans and strategic planning documents (Strategic Note);
  • Draw, document, disseminate and apply good practices and lessons learnt in new and revised planning;
  • Ensure linkage of Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and corresponding Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) Plans with the UN Women Strategic Plan;

       5. Provide technical support to the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office in the implementation of the UN Women Evaluation Policy

  • Manage the implementation of UN Women’s evaluation plan at the country level;
  • Directly manage cross-thematic, portfolio evaluations, including their planning, design, and implementation;
  • Ensure communication between the Country Office and the Regional Office regarding evaluations;
  • In close collaboration with the Regional Evaluation Specialist, provide technical and guidance support to the Programme Teams in the planning, design and implementation of programme specific evaluations and reviews;
  • Guide the Country Office on the formulation of management responses to evaluation, and monitor the implementation thereof;
  • Conduct/organize joint team reviews of the projects and programmes on a periodic basis to assess the progress against the agreed results/objectives, efficiency, effectiveness and needs for adaptation;
  • Represent the country offices in monitoring and evaluation working groups in the context of joint programmes and joint United Nations planning frameworks;

       6. Contribute to knowledge building and capacity building

  • Identify and document good practices, lessons and knowledge, as identified through programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation activities;
  • Advise the country programme on efficient and effective ways to share learning with partners and staff in the country and with others in the region;
  • Identify scale up/optimization opportunities in projects/ programmes and share them with staff and the Head of the Office to inform adaptation of ongoing programmes, development of new component in the projects and/or inform new programmes/activities;
  • Together with the communications team, identify and document human interest stories that reflect the intended or unintended changes and/or UN Women’s impact;
  • Manage capacity building opportunities of staff and partners in the region/country in the areas of Results Based Management (RBM), Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E);
  • Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of M&E among all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities;

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Timely and quality technical support to the country programme strategic planning and consolidation of plans.
  • Quality and timely monitoring systems for tracking results against strategic outcomes and as per approved plans developed and implemented.
  • Timely synthesis and submission of internal, donor and One UN quality and accurate reports.
  • Timely and quality technical support to partners monitoring frameworks, work plans and reports.
  • Programme Progress Review and Evaluations Support.
  • Quality knowledge management tools.

 

 

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

  • Strong knowledge of programme formulation and implementation and Results Based Management
  • Strong knowledge of monitoring and evaluation, evaluation design, data collection and analysis, and reporting
  • Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports
  • Strong analytical and report writing skills
  • Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certificate:

  • Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Political or Social Science, Economics, International Development Studies, Gender/Women's Studies, 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.

Experiance:

  • A minimum of 5 years’ experience in monitoring, reporting and results-based management for development and/or humanitarian programmes;
  • Demonstrated knowledge of bilateral and multilateral donors reporting requirements;
  • Experience of supporting capacity development for staff and of partner organizations in the areas of planning, M&E and reporting;
  • Experience of working in teams and coordinating with project/programme personnel located in distant offices;
  • Demonstrated experience in capturing learning and documenting knowledge;
  • Experience in monitoring and reporting on gender equality and women’s empowerment programmes is an asset;
  • Experience in the United Nations systems in an asset;

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in written and spoken English is a requirement
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset

Application:

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.)