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 overall framework of UN Women’s support to Somalia is reflected in the 2017-2019 Strategic Note (SN) with the main objective of promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE).

UN Women through its engagement in Somalia, has prioritized to work in promoting women political participation, ensuring women peace and security and increasing women’s access to justice. UN Women’s existing country program for Somalia, the Strategic Note, was developed at the end of 2016 with a three-year time span from 2017 to the end of 2019 and was updated in mid-2017 to align with the emerging and national priorities. The Strategic Note, at the moment has been extended till December 2020. UN Women’s engagement in Somalia is based on the National Development Plan (2017-2019) and the new UN Strategic Framework (2017-2020) which outlined UN’s support to the implementation of the National Plan. A new National Development Plan Nine (2020-2024) has been finalized and will inform the UNCT in developing the United Nations Strategic Framework (UNSF) 2021 – 2024 that will lead to the development of a new SN.

Reporting to the Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa, the Country Programme Manager, Somalia is responsible for strategic positioning of UN Women as a leader in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Somalia. In addition, the Country Programme Manager is responsible for leading and managing the Country portfolio and for translating the UN Women's Strategic Plan (SP) in line with regional and national priorities, into development initiatives and results by developing, implementing and managing programs and; and developing effective partnerships with Government counterparts, UN system agencies and organizations, civil society organizations, and with bilateral and non-traditional donors in order to promote inter-agency partnerships, support for UN reform, and mobilization of visibility and resources to advance gender equality and women's empowerment

Duties and Responsibilities

Manage country programme in Somalia:

  • Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of the country programme annual workplan, including budget and results framework;
  • Lead the design, planning, formulation, preparation and development of the Country Strategic Note;
  • Manage delivery of the day-to-day programme activities to ensure prompt and adequate delivery of results;
  • Ensure effective use of resources and compliance with UN Women rules, policies, and procedures as well as donor/fund requirements;
  • Lead the preparation for programme audits and implementation of recommendations;
  • Provide substantive advice to the Regional Director and Senior Management on the regional strategy, direction and planning of programmes and projects;
  • Support the implementation of the UN Women Africa Strategy (2018 – 2021).

Manage technical support and capacity development to project/programme partners:

  • Lead relationship building with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the country programme; respond to any potential problems;
  • Lead capacity building opportunities and initiatives of key institutions and mechanisms;
  • Provide timely advice on programmatic areas;
  • Provide partners with advanced technical advice, training, and capacity development initiatives.

Lead the monitoring and reporting of the programme:

  • Lead the establishment of an effective monitoring system for the delivery of programme results;
  • Manage the preparation of quarterly and annual progress reports and donor reports and organize progress reviews, as necessary.

Lead the management of people and finances for the country programme:

  • Responsible for overall country programme budget and resources; and office operations;
  • Review financial reports to ensure they are in accordance with UN Women procedures and submit the reports to UN Women HQ and donors;
  • Supervise and coach country programme staff, and manage performance;
  • Finalize terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary;
  • Maintain and update CO security strategy, plan, and measures to ensure full compliance with UN security policies, procedures and requirements.

Lead inter-agency and country coordination:

  • Participate in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes and similar exercises related to the Resident Coordinator (RC) system; Participate in the local Security Management Team (SMT);
  • Partner with RC and UN system partners to strengthen UN system interagency coherence, collaboration, planning, cooperation, resource mobilization, advocacy, common services, and operations; Facilitate joint programming and promote UN competencies to advance gender equality and women’s human rights; report to the UN RC on these issues as required;
  • Lead the writing of analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s program experiences in support of UN Women’s inter-agency coordination role;
  • Collaborate with the MCO/Regional Office, provide strong coordination support to UN Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and national authorities;
  • Lead inter-agency initiatives in country to ensure programmatic integration, sharing of lessons and best practices, and economies of scales;
  • Ensure that UN Women is strategically placed with the UN planning processes, joint programmes and other inter-agency initiatives;
  • Provide leadership and guidance to the UN Country Team (UNCT) in supporting enhanced response to national partners in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment.

Lead partnership building and resource mobilization strategies:

  • Establish and maintain partnerships with other UN agencies, governments, donors, civil society organization and other stakeholders;
  • Develop network and build working relations with key partners;
  • Coordinate existing civil society platform and networks in coordinating joint efforts and provide space for dialogue on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
  • Conceptualize, design and implement resource mobilization strategies;
  • Plan and oversee the implementation of advocacy and awareness campaigns and fundraising events, as required.

Lead knowledge building and sharing and communications and advocacy strategy:

  • Lead the development and expansion of knowledge management strategies and methodologies for the country programme; lead the development and implementation of communications/advocacy initiatives;
  • 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;
  • Introduce innovation and best practices to enhance programme performance;
  • Promote learning and development by providing opportunities for training and capacity guiding to enhance the competencies/productivity of staff members.

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

  • Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
  • Excellent knowledge of RBM principles and approaches
  • Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
  • Excellent knowledge of gender equality and women's empowerment
  • Excellent knowledge of country and/or region
  • Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
  • Ability to envision and lead the strategic direction for UN Women in the country

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/ women’s studies, international development, or a related field is required
  • A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

  • At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
  • Experience in establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments;
  • Experience in leading a team;
  • Experience in the in the field of gender and human rights of women is an asset;
  • Experience in administrative systems and UN system norms is an asset;
  • Experience working in a conflict environment is an asset.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application Instructions:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment 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.

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.