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. UN Women programming in Zimbabwe aims to create an enabling environment for gender equality and women’s empowerment by supporting the Government of Zimbabwe to fulfil its obligations in the national Constitution and global gender equality frameworks, and by building the capacity of women to claim their rights.

Reporting to the Deputy Country Representative, the Programme Specialist Governance and Women Political Participation exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under their portfolio.  The Programme Specialist supports the effective management of the UN Women work in the areas of Women’s Political Participation and Decision Making, Gender and Elections, Women and security sector participation, capacity support for Chapter 12 Commissions and civil society, alignment of laws to the Constitution, strengthening accountability in the  implementation of gender equality provisions in the Constitution and inter-governmental processes at regional, sub-regional and international levels. The Programme Specialist supports the delivery of UN Women results by ensuring appropriate application of systems and procedures and by analyzing and documenting results achieved during implementation. 

The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women regional and HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme strategies around Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security Programme

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security.

Manage the implementation of the Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security programme

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

Provide strategic guidance, technical assistance, and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Governance, Women’s Political Participation, Peace and Security programme; respond to any gaps that may be identified;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners;
• Provide support in preparation and adoption of Action Plans for the implementation of Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security.

Ensure timely and quality project monitoring and reporting

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results-based management tools and financial reporting 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.

Manage the people and financial resources of the Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists; Mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security programme to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

• Provide technical support to the Representative and Deputy 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.
• 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 advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Governance, Women’s Leadership and Political Participation, Peace, and Security as necessary;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategic planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on Governance, Women’s leadership, and Political Participation, peace, and security;

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 and understanding of gender equality concepts and strategies for Women’s Leadership and Political participation, peace, and Security;
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising and to develop resource mobilization strategies accordingly 

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in political sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field with good knowledge of gender and peace building 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 would be an added advantage

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 governance, peace, and women’s political participation;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN 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.
• Kindly 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 UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.