The Government of Uganda has adopted a series of legal and policy frameworks necessary to meet international, regional and national commitments towards gender equality and women’s empowerment through the adoption of national action plans, sectoral plans and legislations. Implementation of those commitments requires a concerted effort by the government, United Nations, development partners and civil society. Within this context, there is a concern that efforts to reform aid mechanisms, and build national capacity for development effectiveness are not ensuring adequate financing for gender equality. By committing to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and ratifying the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and other international instruments that outline obligations towards equitable development and security for all, Government of Uganda and the international community assume the responsibility for implementation of those commitments including through securing the resources required to finance actions that aim at achieving the full realization of women’s rights.

In response to demand for increased accountability for implementation of gender equality commitments in economic policies and financing decisions related to aid and domestic resources, and guided by its mandate to support Government and partners to mainstream gender in development planning and budgeting and further informed by achievements and lessons learnt from its on-going work on Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB), UN Women Uganda is implementing a programme aimed at increasing the volume and effective use of the development assistance funds for Uganda to support national commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment. The programme aims to ensure that national and international commitments on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) are mainstreamed into European Development Fund (EDF) funding for Uganda.   It further seeks to strengthen capacity of Government of Uganda, and civil society partners to programme for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) National Indicative Programme (NIP) for Uganda. Through a range of carefully selected activities, the programme will contribute towards enhancing capacity of key actors to plan, implement, monitor and document programmes that enhance the protection and promotion of women’s human rights in general and more specifically in three selected sectors (Transport Infrastructure, Food Security and Agriculture and Good Governance) under the 11th EDF NIP for Uganda. This programme builds on the Political Declaration of the 59th UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015, the Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and the European Commission and is in line with the EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality in Development, which aims to support the integration of gender equality in the aid effectiveness agenda and strengthen coherence of supported technical assistance with gender equality and women’s human rights. It also builds on lessons learned of UN Women Global programme on “Increasing Accountability in Financing for Gender Equality”. It is in this context that UN Women Uganda Office seeks to hire a Programme Manager to undertake specific duties detailed below.

Summary of key functions:

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the Programme Manager will be in charge of the programme, ensuring timely planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting, in line with donor agreement. The Programme Manager will also be responsible for ensuring quality and timely delivery of technical assistance to key stakeholders, mainly government ministries, departments and agencies as well as to the development partner. S/he will oversee development of knowledge products, including high quality technical policy papers on priority sectors, to inform planning and budgeting.  S/he will be responsible for partnership coordination of all stakeholders under this initiative.

Key Responsibilities:

• Analytical, technical and operational support and advice.
• Overall programme management, implementation and operational oversight.
• Strategic and technical guidance and support to government, CSOs and to the donor.
• Knowledge building and communication.
• Policy advocacy and partnership building.

Analytical, technical and operational support and advice:

• Supports and leads the comprehensive review of the 11th EDF using gender analytical tools for the three priority sectors.
• Oversees the development/adaptation of analytical tools for mainstreaming gender equality and women’s rights in the 11th EDF NIP for Uganda.
• Provides strategic guidance, substantive/technical leadership and support to the key government and development partners in implementing and delivery results agreed upon.
• Manages the programme budget and ensure its proper utilization in line with donor agreements.
• Reviews the work of thematic specialist consultants for technical competence/ soundness before submission to Government and development partners.
• Provides analytical information to assist in development and design of continued programme on GRPB and gender and aid effectiveness.
• Contributes to the body of knowledge on gender and aid effectiveness in the context of funding for gender equality under the three priority sectors.

 Overall programme management, implementation and operational oversight

• Ensures compliance with UN Women programme and finance standards, rules and procedures by programme team and partners.
• Monitors delivery of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators to ensure progress, timely support and proactive oversight.
• Works with relevant UN Women CO sections to identify, document and disseminate good practices and methodologies for replication and up scaling.
• Regularly updates senior management on programme status to inform programme delivery and performance.
• Tracks budget performance and monitoring in close collaboration with the Finance Officer and Deputy Representative.
• Ensures compliance with UN Women’s programme goals and results-based indicators through monitoring missions, consultations with counterparts and providing relevant and timely feedback to senior management, with close collaboration of the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.
• Supervises work of technical consultants and ensure timely delivery of products.

   Strategic and technical guidance and support to government, CSOs and donor partners:

• Oversees a rapid capacity assessment of the NAO, key line ministries and other relevant stakeholders with regard to Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE), in support of the 11th EDF implementation.
• Coordinates the development of a capacity development plan and sector specific guides for relevant partners.
• Oversees the development and implementation of  sector specific gender training for the NAO, line ministries (MoFPED, MAAIF, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, JLOS), and relevant stakeholders.
• Identify relevant and appropriate tools for adaptability, such as gender scorecards and gender markers, to pilot performance indicators and establish a baseline for planning and financing for gender equality of the 11th EDF.
• Supports/guides the design and development of thematic sector papers and seeks technical advice from Thematic Advisors in the Regional Office and in Headquarters.
• Provides substantive technical input on gender and aid effectiveness and FfGE initiatives including the Strategic Note, Work Plan, Quarterly and Annual Reports, etc.
• Works with UN Women Communication team to develop a communications strategy for the programme and ensure regular and relevant information is shared with the donor. Ensure that the program receives good visibility both in local media and regional and global websites.       

     Knowledge building and communication: 

• Ensures that good practices and lessons emerging from the programme are documented and shared with all relevant partners.
• Ensures adequate knowledge sharing through the UN Women website in close collaboration with the Communication team.
• Represents the Country Office in external donor programme/policy development meetings/forums including task forces/working groups, and any others as relevant.
• Provides technical support to the National Authorizing Office at the MoFPED (NAO) and relevant stakeholders in the design of a gender responsive M&E framework (indicators, targets, results, and monitoring frameworks) for the 11th EDF.
• Provides technical assistance to upcoming identification missions, seminars and meetings when needed to propose a clear set of gender equality and women’s empowerment related interventions.

      Policy advocacy and partnership building:

• Identifies opportunities and strives to deepen the partnership between the UN Women, the Government of Uganda, and the European Union, as well as women’s organizations and other relevant stakeholders.
• Undertakes advocacy work and develops supportive networks including establishment a Feminist Economists’ Forum to provide high quality technical advice and inputs to various thematic and sector papers.
• Monitors/maintains overview of work on aid effectiveness in Uganda and FfGE in particular, in respect to UN Women’s Strategic Plan, Flagship Programme Initiatives and disseminates analysis and findings within UN Women, the donor and with key stakeholders in government and civil society.
• Seeks advice of UN Women GRPB policy team in HQ and in the Regional Office, as necessary.

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

• Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

• Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in teams:

• Build and promote effective teams. Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. 

Communication and Information Sharing:

• Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

Technical/Functional:

• Substantive knowledge and understanding of gender and development as well as more broadly, economic governance and financing for development, with an emphasis on the provision of coordinated support and management of strategic programmes to advance gender equality and women’s rights.
• Demonstrated analytical work on gender and economic development.
• Substantive knowledge and experience in management of rights based programmes.
• Ability to carry out gender and economic research and analysis, to contribute to the formulation of policies, programme interventions, procedures, guidelines and tools.

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Possesses in-depth practical knowledge of gender responsive planning and budgeting and in women's economic security and rights
• Strong skills on gender and economics in research, analysis and writing policy and programme documents.
• Promotes knowledge management in UN Women and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UN Women.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting.
• Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Ability to deal with multiple constituencies and represent UN Women to major donors and different government agencies.

Management and Leadership:

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
• Ability to lead effectively, strong facilitation skills as well as conflict resolution skills.
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.
• Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills.

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Gender Studies and Economics, Development Planning and related fields.

Experience:

• A minimum 5 years of relevant programme experience in gender responsive planning and budgeting in Africa, preferably with a focus on programme management, monitoring and evaluation and programme development.
• A proven track record in managing and monitoring results-based and rights-based programming is required, including in-depth knowledge of results-based management approaches.
• At least 2-3 years of experience in financing for gender equality, aid management and related fields.
• Proven experience in providing formal expertise on gender mainstreaming and equality to applied sector operations, plans, policies and business processes to governments and donors.
• Proven experience in conducting gender analysis and developing gender tools for financial tracking and sectoral policy reviews.
• Knowledge of EC financial and operational rules and regulations, including familiarity with EDF and NIP support mechanisms, is an advantage.
• Proven advocacy, analytical and excellent writing skills.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge in another UN official language is an asset.

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.