UN WOMEN Jobs - 95054- Programme Specialist, Gender & Community Security

Programme Specialist, Gender & Community Security (Re-advertised)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Maiduguri, Borno state, NIGERIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

13-Nov-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year

Languages Required :

English

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, 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. In the humanitarian context of North-East Nigeria, UN Women's mandate is to ensure that women's self-reliance, livelihoods and protection are considered in humanitarian action and crisis response, including early recovery processes. In 2018, UN Women Nigeria established a presence in the North East through an operational field office in Maiduguri, Borno State. In addition to targeted programming, the field office is engaged in coordination and technical support across the sectoral responses; capacity building for humanitarian workers; and undertaking various assessments and related initiatives to allow for evidence-based, gender-responsive response to the evolving crisis in the North East.

Increased displacement of populations, disruption to economic activities, and increased protection concerns-in particular sexual and gender-based violence as a result of the conflict in the North East and attendant security responses are disproportionally affecting women and girls. Despite several ongoing measures by security sector institutions and partners amidst increasing commitment to gender responsive operations and security institutions, gaps and challenges remain. Consultations with various security actors highlight continued needs with regards to tailored training and operational guidelines for the nature of contexts and operations being undertaken. UN Women has in its previous and current programming undertaken baseline studies in various states of the North East, Middle Belt, and at a federal level which have assessed the representation of women within the various security services, knowledge of gender and related issues amongst security personnel, and community-security relations. These studies indicate that more needs to be done with regards to addressing issues of women’s representation across the security services; strengthening knowledge and capacity with regards to gender responsive security; and developing mechanisms and guidelines to support security personnel in-mission. In particular, the situation in the North East provides an opportunity to test and support efforts to make operations more gender responsive. The lack of deployment of women in operations in the North East, a long-standing operation which is currently shifting to a focus on major population hubs, coupled with anecdotal evidence of not only high levels of sexual and gender based violence, but also sexual exploitation and abuse from security personnel, indicate a need to strengthen community engagement and dialogue as well as preventative measures for security personnel currently deployed or deploying in these contexts.

In response to this UN Women Nigeria, as part of its gender and security sector portfolio, is implementing specific interventions on women’s meaningful and equitable participation in civil-military engagement to ensure their voices are heard and security concerns addressed, that they are proportionately represented in decision-making fora and that their concerns and needs are adequately addressed, in particular to enhance their access to resources and safety as the crisis transitions to recovery and development. With a view to ensure that affected women and women's organizations meaningfully engage and collaborate with security sector institutions and personnel in community security, UN Women will recruit a Programme Specialist. Reporting to UN Women Deputy Country Representative, and with day to day management by the North East Head of Office, the technical support of the Policy Specialist (Gender and Security Sector), the Program Specialist is responsible for the leadership, substantive coordination and overall management of the field level implementation of the project for results, working together with the program and operations units of UN Women Country Office in Nigeria, and in partnership with other humanitarian agencies and national partners, especially those present in Borno and Yobe States.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Oversee the implementation and management of gender and community security project

Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage implementation of planned activities
Manage the technical implementation of the project; ensure synergies with other UN Women projects in the North East, and the wider Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPSHA) programme
Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports, as relevant
Organize project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed

2. Lead on technical assistance and capacity development to project partners

Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance; develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the gender and community security project
Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners

3. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the project

Manage the monitoring of project implementation and finances using results-based management tools
Oversee field missions and produce reports on monitoring missions
Write quarterly reports and donor reports
Contribute to donor and UN Women reports

4. Build partnerships and contribute to inter-agency coordination to achieve coherence and synergy with other partners

Foster a working partnership with the relevant security institutions and government counterparts to facilitate implementation of the project
Contribute to inter-agency coordination activities by attending relevant 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
Build and maintain close liaison with relevant donors and other actors with similar or complementary initiatives

5. Support advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations
Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to gender and community security 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 gender and community security

Competencies

Key Performance Indicators

Timely and quality programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programmes
Strong relations with partners and stakeholders
Quality reports and timely submission
Regular communication with other agencies and partners
Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives

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

Familiarity with reporting and RBM, ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
Expertise in gender
Knowledge of community security approaches
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
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian/stabilization projects
Substantial technical expertise of mainstreaming a gender perspective in humanitarian/stabilization programmes; experience with community security projects desirable
Familiarity with engaging with security actors in humanitarian contexts
Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset
Experience working in the UN System is an asset

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required
Knowledge of Hausa is an asset