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 and monitoring of the UN Women programme portfolio in Afghanistan, including programme planning and development, monitoring of programme implementation based on agreed annual work plans and partner and donor agreements, compliance with UN Women programme policies, guidance and procedures, and sound substantive and financial reporting.

Under the direct supervision of the PMSU Manager and the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Representative, the Programme Management Specialist is responsible for managing technical support for the implementation and monitoring of, and reporting on, the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office programme. Working closely with the PSMU, and with the Programme and Operations teams, the Programme Management Specialist is providing technical support in the selection and management of UN Women partners, guiding budget management and delivery monitoring for the programme team, leading programme coordination across teams, and managing technical and capacity development support for the UN Women team. 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide technical support to the implementation of the Country Office programme

• Review programme annual work plans to ensure compliance with UN Women programme goals and results based indicators;
• Provide technical support to Programme Teams on the selection of programme partners throughout all stages of the process, in alignment with UN Women policies, procedures and guidelines;
• Provide technical support to Programme Teams for the management of partner agreements, and act as focal point for the UN Women Partner Agreement Management System.

        2. Oversee and guide budget management for the programme team

• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices, donor agreements, and work plans;
• Monitor and analyze the financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Recommend and establish results-based budget deliver monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations.

      3. Manage programme coordination for the programme team

• Manage inter-unit coordination of cross-thematic projects, including as regards reporting, delivery monitoring, and substantive coordination of programme approaches;
• Recommend and establish coordination tools for managing cross-thematic programmes and measuring and assessing progress/results.

      4. Manage technical assistance and capacity development for UN Women Programme Teams and programme partners

• Identify capacity building needs of UN Women programme and operations teams on UN Women policies, guidance, and procedures, and lead the coordination of corresponding technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives;
• Manage the onboarding programme of new UN Women staff as regards their induction to UN Women programme, guidance, and policy, and UN Women system and procedures;
• Manage the implementation of cross-cutting technical advice and guidance to UN Women programme partners, and develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives, to support programme partners in the implementation of programmes in alignment with UN Women policies and procedures.

      5. Support partnerships building and provide support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Support the development and implementation of partnerships strategies;
• Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for resource mobilization and cost sharing;
• Support the management of the Donor Agreement Management System;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

      6. Manage knowledge building efforts ·

• Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination.

Key Performance Indicators: 

• Programme team workplans and budgets are implemented in line with Strategic Note and Country Office work plans;
• Programme team adhere to UN Women’s Rules, Regulations, policies and procedures, using a results based management approach;
• Regular monitoring of programmes, issues/deviations are raised in a timely manner;
• Timely and quality reporting and regular dissemination and sharing of information, including best practices/lessons learned;
• Established relations with partners and stakeholders and regular communication with other agencies and partners.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to administer and execute administrative and procurement processes and transactions;  
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;  
• Strong knowledge of administrative rules and regulations;  
• Strong IT and web based management skills;  
• Ability to extract and interpret data;  
• Ability to priorities work and to multi-task.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender 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 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, and budget management;
• Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in programme development and programme writing;
• Experience in guiding capacity development initiatives is an asset;
• Experience in working in a gender related area is an asset;
• Experience in the UN system is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Flurency in either Dari or Pashto is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language 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 Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters  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.)