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.

In Kenya, the UN Women Country Programme contributes to the development objectives of Kenya’s blueprint, the Vision 2030, the SDGs particularly SG 5 and is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022-2025) as well as UN Women Global Strategic Plan. In its new Strategic Note, the Kenya Country Programme aims to achieve the following results: (i) increased women’s leadership and participation in governance; (ii) strengthened women’s economic empowerment; (iii) increased protection of women against gender-based violence & access to justice for women; and (iv) strengthened women’s leadership in peace building and humanitarian response.

Under Women Economic Empowerment (WEE), KCO works towards enhancing the productivity of women in the agricultural value-chain and increasing access to markets and procurement opportunities. It recognizes that agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy. In addition to the agriculture and privates sector, our WEE work continue to support the development of national care policy and increase in its awareness, financing and implementation.

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Representative, the Programme Specialist and Team Lead, Women’s Economic Empowerment is responsible for the formulation, management and implementation of programmes under his/her portfolio. She/he provides technical expertise on gender equality and women’s empowerment with a holistic approach, to address opportunities and challenges in women’s Economic Empowerment in Kenya; aimed at achieving a substantial increase in women’s access to and control over economic assets, decision-making, land, labor, livelihoods and other means of production and social protection, especially for the most vulnerable and at the risk of being left behind in the development process.

The Programme Specialist analyses, social and economic trends, provides policy advisory services to partners in government, UN, development partners, CSOs (particularly the Women’s Movement in Kenya) and academia; s/he works closely with UN Women thematic advisors at regional office and at headquarters, ensuring successful implementation of the UN Women Kenya Strategic Plan, under his/her portfolio. The Programme Specialist provides regular analysis of policies and practices to senior management and compiles lessons learned for formulation of strategic interventions, including support on resource mobilization. 

The Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under this portfolio. The WEE Specialist will also be responsible for supporting capacity building of national actors, establish and strengthen partnerships, and develop relevant systems to advance Women’s Economic Empowerment among women facing multiple forms of discrimination. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, UN System Agencies, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under this portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme strategies in the area of women’s economic empowerment.

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives that integrates WEE;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to women’s economic empowerment.

Manage the implementation and management of the women’s economic empowerment programme

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

Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance.
• Develop and implement technical tools, and WEE related initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the women’s economic empowerment 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.

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.

Lead and manage people and financial resources of the women’s economic empowerment programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Play the role of WEE Team Lead and supervise Programme Analysts, Technical Specialists and other WEE Team members; 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.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on women’s economic empowerment to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country.

• Provide technical support to the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative 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 projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the women’s economic empowerment;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to women’s economic empowerment 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’s economic empowerment.  

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

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 programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of Women Economic Empowerment 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 project/programme management certification would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 8 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 Economic Empowerment;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Knowledge of Kenya and the Great Lakes region is an asset;
• Experience in leading a team is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Swahili is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;
• Knowledge of any Kenyan local language is an asset. 

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment
• Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed 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.