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 UN Women Programme Support Management Unit (PSMU) provides corporate advisory services and direct support for project and programme development and implementation including for the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID). The PSMU guides the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Divisions, Regions and countries in following best practice to ensure that all projects and programmes maintain a level of standardization, planning, share knowledge, and work collectively towards UN Women’s strategic goals. PSMU offers the Regional Offices and Country Offices a range of services, trainings and toolkits that increase their implementation capacity to deliver programmes on time, on scope and on budget. It also supports the implementation of global projects managed by HQs.
Within PSMU, the Head of PMO supports the Chief PSMU in leading the organization’s work on project and programme management capacities and strengthening, which includes:
- Capacity building and training for project and programme staff;
- Professionalization of project and programme management standards, practices and capacities;
- Knowledge Management – leading the Community of Practice and Center of Excellence for Project and Programme Management; and
- Targeted project and programme planning and initiation support.
Under the overall supervision of the Chief of PSMU, and under the direct supervision of the Head of PMO, the Programme Analyst is responsible for 1) providing coordination and analytical support to the PMO and unit, including providing timely analytical information, 2) providing data analytics, information and knowledge management support, 3) providing coordination and stakeholder support to internal and externa clients, 4) coordinating training schemes and managing relevant materials, 5) building partnerships and resource mobilization strategies for the PMO, and 6) performing other official duties and special assignments as requested.
Duties and Responsibilities
Provide coordination and analytical support to the Programme Management Office (PMO):
- Gather, compile and analyze information from UN Women offices globally in the area of project/programme management;
- Ensure that all information is provided and managed in a consistent and organized manner;
- Review data from tracking and monitoring issues, provide recommendations based on the data and make PMO colleagues aware of actions to be taken;
- Support the enhancement of UN Women’s Project and Programme Life Cycle (PPLC) processes through implementing recommendations from the existing gap analyses, evaluations, and audits, and through application of international best practices.
- Support the Global Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) Secretariat with the coordination of review submissions
- Coordinate, schedule and attend PPID/PSMU/PMO meetings, coordinate inputs, synthesize data and inputs, and prepare minutes, visuals, and other documentation, including summary reports and presentations of progress as required;
- Communicate and liaise regularly with Regional, Country and Programme Offices to ensure smooth implementation and timely support of project/programme management initiatives, capacity-building measures, and queries.
Provide data analytics, information and knowledge management support:
- Provide substantive inputs to the design and formulation of targeted project/programme proposals and initiatives, as well as annual workplans and budgets (including for the PMO);
- Create and maintain appropriate information and documentation and establish and manage a tracking and monitoring system for PMO interventions;
- Prepare and/or provide substantive inputs to corporate reports and provide data, analysis, and inputs as required;
- Review project documents and identify trends, lessons learned, best practices and challenges related to project/programme management;
- Draft status reports and other types of reports (missions, analysis, updates, inputs into UN Women reports and communiques, etc.)
- Review and check substantive materials for accuracy as requested by the Head of PMO;
- Ensure all information on project/programme management is easily available for all relevant offices, including through the development and roll-out of a centralized repository;
- Update information on the intranet on project/programme management and manage the Project and Programme Management Community of Practice.
- Building on the existing PM Community of Practice membership, develop and implement an integrated, online Center of Excellence for the Programme Management Office to serve as a “one stop shop” for project and programme staff.
- Provide coordination and stakeholder support to internal and external clients:
- Maintain relationships and liaise with offices, including Regional Offices, Country Offices and HQ staff on project/programme management issues and ensure a smooth exchange of information and data, implementation and work planning in support of optimized organizational delivery;
- Provide technical support to Country Offices on project/programme management and results based management;
- Respond to queries and request for information; compile and maintain data and documentation related to requests;
- Undertake or participate missions as required to support targeted projects and programmes through all stages of the PM cycle;
- Organize and coordinate regular meetings between PSMU and the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Director, keeping track of issues raised and ensuring action and follow-up when required.
Coordinate training schemes and managing relevant materials:
- Provide technical inputs and analysis for the development and refreshment of training materials on project/programme management;
- Liaise with key institutional and external parties, such as other UN agencies, the Project Management Institute (PMI), Axelos, and academia to obtain or maintain relevant certifications and recognizance of UN Women PM Training materials, and to stay abreast of key issues and developments;
- Coordinate the organization of trainings, meetings and events on project/programme management.
Build partnerships and resource mobilization strategies for the PMO:
- Provide substantive inputs to resource mobilization strategies for the PMO; analyze and maintain information and databases and apprise the Head of PMO as required;
- Prepare relevant documentation such as project proposals for PMO-led initiatives, summaries, conference papers, briefing notes, and speeches;
- Participate in donor meetings and public information events, as delegated.
Perform other official duties and special assignments as requested by the Head of PMO.
Key Performance Indicators:
- Timely and quality implementation of PMO activities against set workplans, timelines, and budgets, in line with the PSMU annual workplan;
- Timely and quality technical assistance both proactively and in response to direct queries;
- Quality and timely inputs to reporting, monitoring, and oversight as required;
- Strong relations with partners and stakeholders; and
- Enhanced adoption of best practices and lessons learned, documented and managed through the Project and Programme Management Community of Practice (COP).
Competencies
Core values:
- Integrity;
- Professionalism;
- Respect for Diversity.
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
- Accountability;
- Creative Problem Solving;
- Effective Communication;
- Inclusive Collaboration;
- Stakeholder Engagement;
- Leading by Example.
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637
Functional Competencies:
- Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
- Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations;
- Knowledge of results-based management and rights-based programming;
- Good planning, goal setting and prioritization;
- Strong communication skills, both written and oral;
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills;
- Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization;
- Ability to work in a highly pressured environment;
- Ability treat sensitivities matters with confidentiality and accountability;
- Knowledge and understanding of gender equality issues as well as more broadly, human rights and development cooperation;
- Proficient in IT skills;
- Familiarity with the UN and UN Women culture and systems is a distinct advantage.
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 first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- PRINCE2® Foundation and/or Managing Successful Programmes Foundation (MSP®) certification is desired.
- PRINCE2® Practitioner and/or Project Management Professional (PMP®) or Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner (MSP®) certification is strongly desired.
Experience:
- 2 years of progressively responsible experience in international/regional organizations and project/programme management;
- International development work preferably focused on, or strongly involving gender equality at national, regional and international levels;
- Prior experience in the UN System is an asset.
- Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset.
Languages:
- Fluency in English, both oral and written, is required;
- Proficiency in other UN languages is an advantage.
Application:
All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558. 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.