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.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) was adopted in 2000 and calls for full and equal participation of women in the process of conflict prevention and building international peace and security. The adoption of the resolution is particularly significant since the last decades the nature of war has changed. Women and girls are involved in conflicts where in a country such as Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), history do state the need of a strong protection of women and girls in conflicts as well as in post conflict situations.

UN Women supports women’s full and equal representation and participation in all levels of peace processes and security efforts. UN Women’s work on women, peace, and security is guided by 10 UN Security Council resolutions and is bolstered by several related normative frameworks, which make up the broader women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda. UN Women is committed to ensuring equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of humanitarian action.

BiH’s progress in recent years respecting and promoting Gender Equality is highlighted in a series of international commitments and in national legal and policy frameworks. The main achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment reside in BiH’s institutional capacity development for the work on gender equality. The legal provisions guaranteeing women’s rights and gender equality are largely in place – the Gender Equality Law, the Gender Action Plan, the Election Law amendment instituting quotas, the Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325, and the ratification of the Istanbul Convention are normative achievements that influence the institutional practice in promoting gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since the adoption of UN Security Council resolution UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the governments in BiH and civil society organizations have been working to raise awareness about women’s role and participation in creation of lasting peace and bolstering social cohesion with strong dedication to implement the resolution and increase participation in the key policy, service delivery and community development processes. Since 2010, BiH institutions and civil society have worked to frame and implement the WPS Agenda in the country. Three Action Pans for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 have been implemented (2010 – 2013, 2014 – 2018 and 2018 – 2022), as the key tools to transform the normative provisions contained in the resolutions into practical action.

Women, Peace and Security Agenda is guided, but not limited to the institutional action plans and their implementation. It also encompasses a wide range of CSO initiatives aimed at addressing the human security concerns of women and girls, supporting peacebuilding and social cohesion. UN Women, together with IOM and UNFPA aim to contribute to advancing and accelerating WPS Agenda in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period 2023 – 2026.

Reporting to the Representative, the WPS Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under their portfolio, by providing substantive inputs to programme design, formulation, implementation and evaluation.  The WPS Programme Specialist guides and facilitates the delivery of UN Women programmes by monitoring results achieved during implementation and ensuring appropriate application of systems and procedures and develops enhancements if necessary.  The WPS Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations teams, relevant UN Women RO and HQ personnel, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation.     

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of Women, Peace and Security

  • Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
  • Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Women Peace and Security

2. Manage the implementation and management of the Women, Peace and Security 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.

3. Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

  • Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance.
  • Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
  • Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Women, Peace and Security 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.

4. 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.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of the [thematic area] 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.

6. 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.

7. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on [thematic area] to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

  •  Provide substantive technical support to the Representative and Programme Specialist on inter-agency coordination related activities by drafting background reports and briefs.
  • Working closely with the partner agencies to achieve synergies and coherence in the implementation of joint programmes and initiatives

8. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

  • Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to Women Peace and Security;
  • Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Women, Peace and Security 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, Peace and Security.

Competencies

Functional Competencies

  • Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Good knowledge of Results Based Management
  • Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
  • Good analytical skills
  • Good knowledge of gender equality, women peace and security, gender responsive governance, gender institutional mechanisms, women’s civil society organizations
  • Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to programme implementation, partnerships and fundraising

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 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;
  • Experience in the gender equality, women peace and security, gender responsive governance, gender institutional mechanisms, women’s civil society organizations is an asset;
  • 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 and BSC is required
  • Excellent writing and oral presentation skills

 

 

 

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.

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.

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.)