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 ECO Strategic Notes (SN) and Annual Work Plan 2017 (AWP) focuses on supporting the development objectives of the Ethiopia Growth and Transformation Plan (2010/11-2014/15) in relation to Pillar 8 on equity and empowerment as well as being aligned with United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2016 – 2020). The strategic approach and attendant workplan includes UN Women ECO's core principles in leading and promoting coherence within UN system work and supporting regional initiatives given the presence of UN ECA and African Union in Ethiopia. The Country Programme Division under the leadership of the Deputy Country Representative manages the Programme support to Ethiopia including the Joint Programme on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women working with the government of Ethiopia in 9 Regions and the 2 City Administration, partnerships with donors and UN agencies through the Donor Group on Gender Equality and different UN Theme Groups to enhance gender equality and empowerment of women in Ethiopia. In its work for 2017-2020, UN Women ECO is focusing on four main development result areas (DRF) namely: 1) Women supported to lead and participate in decision-making at all levels; 2) Women, especially the poorest and most excluded, are economically empowered and benefit from development; 3) Women and girls live a life free from violence; and 4) Governance and national planning fully reflect accountability for gender equality commitments and priorities. To enhance operational efficiency and organisational effectiveness (OEEF) the SN provides guidance and priorities for its coordination mandate both at regional and country-level by prioritising the following Clusters of the corporate OEEF: 1) To drive more effective and efficient United Nations system coordination and strategic partnerships on gender equality and women’s empowerment; 2) To institutionalize a strong culture of results-based management, reporting, knowledge management and evaluation; 3) To enhance organizational effectiveness, with focus on a robust capacity and efficiency at country and regional levels; and 4) To leverage and manage resources.

One of the programme priorities of UN Women for Ethiopia is Ending Violence against Women and Girls. In this area, UN Women works with key partners from government, civil society and UN organizations in development and humanitarian settings to address legal gaps and strengthen policy frameworks with regards to protecting women survivors of violence and their rights; to expand the provision of legal and protection services to women; and to provide awareness raising initiatives on legal instruments and mechanisms and sexual and gender based violence.

In this context, UN Women Ethiopia is seeking to hire a Programme Specialist - EVAWG. While the position is based in the UN Women Ethiopia office in Addis Ababa, the role encompasses travel requirements within the different regions of Ethiopia. Reporting to Deputy Representative, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under his/her portfolio.  She/he works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio. 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of EVAWG

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

 2. Manage the implementation and management of the EVAWG 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 staff 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

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the EVAWG 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 EVAWG programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;

• Supervise Programme Officer and a Programme Assistant; Mentor and coach staff 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 EVAWG to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in Ethiopia

• 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.

8. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

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

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

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 of EVAWG and Human Rights
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

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

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, with specific emphasis on women’s rights, gender justice, EVAWG;
• Strong technical experience in EVAWG;
• 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;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages and in handling of web based management systems.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Amharic is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.