Jobs - 22769- Portfolio Manager (Economic Security and Rights)

Portfolio Manager (Economic Security and Rights)

Location :

Dushanbe, TAJIKISTAN

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

18-May-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

one year (renewable)

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women operational from January 2011 was created to address challenges faced by the UN in its efforts to promote gender equality globally. Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, it will work for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, empowerment of women and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. The work of UN Women is oriented around four core principles:

to provide a demand-driven support to Member States and women’s organizations;
to advocate for the world’s women;
to serve as a a catalyst and leader within the UN system to ensure coherence in the UN’s response on gender equality and to ensure that all UN organizations, leaders and staff, gender experts and units, pursue their mandates in a manner which best contributes to achieving a gender equal world;
to be a global broker of knowledge, expertise and experience on what works and on how to align practice with normative guidance from UN inter-governmental bodies.

With the aim to support the national partners for upholding commitments to advance women’s rights and gender equality, UN Women Sub-regional office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (SRO) plans to contract a National Portfolio Manager, who will be responsible for providing support to, facilitating and managing the programme and operational tasks within assigned thematic areas of economic and social security and rights, national development planning and budgeting and labour migration.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Portfolio Manager willl work under the overall supervision of the UN Women Regional Programme Director and direct supervision and guidance of the Gender Advisor/Programme Specialist in Tajikistan. S/he will specifically support the implementation of the UN Women complex activities in the country within thematic areas of economic and social security and rights, national development planning and budgeting and labour migration, and will receive technical guidance from SRO, as well as regular information from the Europe and Central Asia Division and relevant thematic sections at UN Women Headquarters.

The Programme Coordinator will:

Manage a portfolio of on-going programme/projects/interventions within the thematic area assigned through technical monitoring and administrative and financial supervision.
Define possibilities for and ensure proper and effective synergies between ongoing and planned UN Women interventions in the country.
Develop, finalize and implement annual workplans and budget forecasts to ensure timely and effective implementation within the given timeframe.
Safeguard, monitor and facilitate quality assurance of services, events and products within the scope of programme/projects/activities implementation and track the progress.
Oversee, manage and provide guidance to consultants/NGOs (including implementing partners) contracted in support for implementation of programme/projects/activities.
Provide high-quality, results-oriented reporting on the programme/projects/activities implementation to SRO, and as requested to donors and partners.
Contribute to programme/projects appraisal, monitoring and evaluation according to results-based management requirements.
Contribute substantively to strategic planning of SRO.
Draft and finalize, with input from SRO, high quality project proposals in assigned thematic areas for UN Women’s intervention, setting models for achieving aspired results according to clear monitoring and evaluation systems. Prepare background analytical reports and abstracts on assigned thematic directions.
Ensure effective partnership, networking and coordination between other ongoing projects and activities relevant to assigned portfolio in the country for a more holistic and coherent approach to programme/projects/activities implementation.
Establish and maintain partnerships with governments, implementing partners, women’s and human rights organizations, UN Country Team and multi/bilateral donors.
Participate in and substantively contribute to existing country level UN- and donors-led thematic working groups, task forces and mechanisms (e.g. Theme Groups, UNDAF, etc.), ensuring that gender concerns are clearly reflected and mainstreamed in process (if assigned by direct supervisor).
Ensure timely and proper documentation of the programme/projects/activities implementation.
Develop and oversee wide strategic distribution of the findings and knowledge-related publications, inclusive of select case studies, good practices and lessons learned;
Document and analyze lessons learned that might be useful for the UN system at large and UN Women, in particular, for global institutional learning and/or upscaling/replication.
Develop and ensure the implementation of annual communications and advocacy plans and identify and seize strategic advocacy opportunities on an ongoing basis;
Ensure maintenance of a calendar of the most relevant regional/national fora related to country programme/projects/activities, facilitate access to that information by partners and relevant UN Women staff, and coordinate UN Women participation and involvement.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Technical/Functional:

Substantive knowledge and understanding specifically on gender equality issues as well as more broadly, human rights and development cooperation
Demonstrated ability to work with governmental bodies as well as civil society organizations on the advancement of women and equal rights issues.
Experience in writing project documents, fundraising proposals and project reports;
Experience in results-based and rights-based programme management, monitoring and evaluation
Excellent writing skills with demonstrated ability to carry out research, to contribute to the formulation of policies, procedures and guidelines
Proficient in IT skills
Familiarity with UN system

Behavioural:

Excellent interpersonal communication skills, initiative and dynamism
Ability to work in an international and multicultural environment
Maturity, ability to take decisions under pressure and ability to deal with matters that are politically or culturally sensitive
Ability to work as a member of a team
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced degree in development related field.

Experience:

At least 10 years of senior management and supervisory experience for programming geared to development issues, with particular experience in complex and multi-component programmes;
A proven track record in managing and monitoring results-based and rights-based national programmes/projects is required, including in-depth knowledge of and proficiency in results-based management approaches.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English, Russian; knowledge of Tajik is an advantage.

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.

All online applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/P_11_form_UNwomen.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.