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.

UN Women Iraq Yemen cluster Office (IYCO) is a cluster covering both countries, Iraq and Yemen. Main office is based in Baghdad with field presences in Sanaa, Erbil, Aden, and Amman. IYCO programming focuses on four main strategic goals including women political participation, humanitarian action, economic empowerment and Women, Peace and Security (WPS). IYCO aims to strengthen the UN response in addressing priorities for gender equality and women empowerment by developing and implementing innovative approaches and providing support to governments and civil society organizations.

In Iraq, the humanitarian crisis continues unabated as widespread violence and massive waves of displacement have put millions of people in need of assistance. Despite the government’s and international community’s efforts to consolidate support for an end to the crisis and reach vulnerable populations with assistance, the humanitarian needs are staggering. This situation has impacted women in Iraq disproportionally and has led to denying them access to fundamental rights. Of the thousands displaced in recent months, women and girls have been hit hardest, particularly those who have recently become female-headed households and the hundreds who have been victims of SGBV, including abduction, rape and torture in the hands of the Islamic State. Displaced women and girls have little access to basic subsistence resources in addition to desperately needed protection services, psychosocial support, and sources of income.

Women play multiple roles in driving security and peace, and conversely in driving violence – and are affected in a range of ways by the crises they find. The ‘Women, Peace and Security agenda,’ founded by UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) in 2000 and followed by seven additional resolutions for ensuring that the needs and priorities of women and girls impacted by conflict are addressed, and that peace is brokered in an inclusive and sustainable manner.

Under the supervision of the Country Representative and in close coordination with the Operations Manager and the Head of Programme, the Programme Management Specialist is responsible for managing the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes for the cluster office, including providing technical support to the implementation of the cluster office programme, managing the monitoring and reporting for the cluster office, overseeing and guiding people and budget management for the programme team, building partnerships and providing support in developing resource mobilization strategies, and managing knowledge building efforts.

      1. Manage the programmatic development for the Cluster Office based on the Strategic Note.

• Provide overall programme advisory support to the Office Management.
• Guide the development of the CO programme and provide technical support to the design and formulation of programme/ project initiatives.
• Review and provide feedback to project/ programme strategies and documents, workplans, case studies and related knowledge products and publications, as needed.
• Provide technical advice on the development of systems, processes, and mechanisms to support programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting.
• Review and evaluate proposals and oversee the preparation of donor proposals and reports.
• Draft policy documents, briefs, and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions.

      2. Provide technical support to the implementation of the Cluster Office programme.

• Review programme annual work plans to assure compliance with UN Women programme goals and results-based indicators.
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans.
• Draft reports on activities, outputs, and outcomes; and compile information in preparations of cluster office donor and UN Women reports.
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans.
• Manage programme quality control and identification of potential challenges.
• Align programme activities with operations team in close liaison with Operations Managers.
• Build and manage relationships with national partners, as necessary.

      3. Manage the monitoring and reporting for the Cluster Office.

• Recommend and establish programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results.
• Manage the monitoring of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators.
• Coordinate the process of gathering information and preparing progress reports on programme implementation; prepare technical reports.
• Prepare programme team for audits and monitor implementation of audit recommendations.
• Provide training on results-based management to office staff, as necessary.

     4. Oversee and guide people and budget management for the programme team.

• Lead a team, perform staff performance reviews, ensure capacity development of staff members by suggesting development opportunities.
• Monitor and analyze financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results.
• Ensure effective information flow, communication, and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations, and with other UN Women offices and units.

      5. Build partnerships and provide support in developing resource mobilization strategies.

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies.
• Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for resource mobilization and cost sharing.
• 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.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

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

Functional Competencies

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them.
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management.
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems.

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, System Sciences, Development, Public Administration, Gender or any other relevant 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 experience in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building.
• Experience in working in a gender related area is an asset.
• Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in programme development and programme writing.
• Experience in leading teams effectively is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

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.

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.

Very important note

In accordance with the UN Staff Regulation 4.5 (c) A fixed-term appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal or conversion, irrespective of the length of service. This fixed-term appointment is budgeted for a term of 1 year.