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 Women West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) in Dakar, Senegal, was established in 2013. The office, through its regional thematic advisers, works to provide strategic guidance and support for mandate implementation through UN Women country offices and programmes; analyzes regional trends and emerging issues related to the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality in West and Central Africa; facilitates UN regional-level coordination activities and partnership-building with regional organizations; and oversees knowledge production and knowledge management to inform policy direction. 

In line with the identification of peace and security as a regional priority theme for West and Central Africa,  and in view of UN Women’s expanding work in the Sahel, a Programme Manager will be recruited as part of the Governance, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action team in WCARO, to help oversee implementation of an evolving regional programme focused on ‘Reinforcing Women’s Leadership to enhance Peace and Security in the Sahel Region’, which will be implemented over a period of one year, commencing in April 2016.

Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor on Governance, Peace and Security, the Programme Specialist will provide quality oversight for the implementation of the regional programme, including overseeing regional policy interventions, contractual arrangements, technical monitoring and coordination of substantive and financial reporting requirements related to the project.

Provide advisory and programme development services to the Regional Programme:

• Draft briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to the programme;
• Draft the design and formulation of programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Translate the priorities of the Strategic Note into programme interventions;
• Participate in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to the programme on behalf of UN Women, as necessary;
• Identify areas for support and interventions within the programme;
• Provide programme advisory support to the Office Management, as necessary.

Oversee the implementation and management of the Regional Programme:

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and oversee implementation;
• Finalize reports on activities, outputs and outcomes; as well as donor and UN Women reports;
• Ensure adherence to standard UN Women procedures in planning and implementation of programmes/ project;
• Ensure synergies within and with other programme/ project teams;
• Oversee the technical implementation and  conceptualization of the programme/project;
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators.

Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners:

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Regional Programme; respond to any  potential problems
• Identify capacity building needs of stakeholders;
• Provide partners with technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives.

Oversee monitoring and reporting of the Regional Programme:

• Oversee the monitoring of implementation of activities and finances using the results based management tools;
• Oversee field missions and write reports on monitoring missions;
• Write quarterly reports and donor reports.

Manage people and financial resources of the programme:

• Responsible for overall programme budget;
• Draft financial reports;
• Supervise team;
• Write terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination:

• Provide technical support 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;
• Write analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s programme experiences in support of UN Women inter-agency coordination role.

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;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:

• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Develop and expand knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies;
• 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 any other job related duties assigned by supervisor and the Regional Director:

The post has an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of UN Women interventions and activities in the Regional Programme which in turn impacts the overall effectiveness of the UN Women programme in West and Central Africa.   By helping ensure effective design, planning, implementation, and M&E of assigned sectorial/thematic areas, and building networks and helping mobilize resources for these areas, the incumbent enhances the organization’s capacity and credibility in implementation of highly effective programmes with strong impact.

• Timely and quality programme design;
• Timely and quality Strategic Note draft;
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget, workplans and the Strategic Note;
• Strong and clear leadership/ supervision of team;
• Strong relations with partners and stakeholders;
• Quality solutions to partners’ issues;
• Timely and quality of reports;
• Increased awareness of UN Women’s work.

Core values:

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.

Respect for Diversity:

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

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in 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.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for 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:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to lead the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
• Ability to establish and maintain broad strategic networks and partnerships;
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets.;
• Strong leadership skills;
• Strong IT skills;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Strong conflict resolution and negotiation skills;
• Very strong oral and written communication skills;
• Strong knowledge of RBM;
• Good knowledge of gender related issues including in the area of women’s engagement in peace processes and the security sector.

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender issues, economics, political science, human rights, law or other social science fields, of direct relevance to rule of law, protection, security sector reform.

Experience:

• 5 of more years of relevant experience at the national or international level in gender and peacekeeping, policy research and gender analysis, with responsibility for the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects;
• Prior experience in the UN System and the Region will be an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English and French is required.
• Working knowledge in any of the official UN languages is an asset.