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 support of the organization’s objectives, the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) Directorate provides global support to UN Women offices at Headquarters and in all field locations to deliver results in support of UN Women's Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and internationally agreed goals on gender equality and women's empowerment, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Division provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and program advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management, and cutting-edge technical expertise to support UN Women programmes and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and women's empowerment.

 

As part of PPID, the Programme Support Management Unit (PSMU) in UN Women Headquarters works to strengthen corporate project management capacities and provide increased support to the field and headquarters in non-core programme and project implementation. Within PSMU, the Head of the Programme Management Office (PMO) leads the work on project and programme management capacities and strengthening, which includes:

 

  • Capacity building and training for programme staff;
  • Professionalization of project and programme management standards and capacities;
  • Knowledge Management - Community of Practice and Center of Excellence for Project and Programme Management; and
  • Targeted project planning and initiation support.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

The consultant will be responsible for supporting a variety of initiatives across the PSMU’s working areas.

The consultant, under the direct supervision Head of PMO and overall responsibility of the Chief, PSMU will be responsible for support to the PSMU’s efforts in enhancing programme and project management.

 

The consultant must have excellent communication and organizational skills to manage the substantive inputs and quality control of work related to the assignment and must be able to work with a broad range of stakeholders.

  • Advise the Head PMO on project and programme management capacities strengthening;
  • Support the Head of PMO in the work related to the policy and procedure revisions in relation to the Programme and Project Life cycle
  • Support the Head of PMO with any other duties, and project and programme management guidance, support and oversight, as required.  

Deliverables:

  • Support the Head of PMO and PSMU with the timely project management of corporate priorities including coordination, communications, note-taking, documentation and drafting for the following initiatives:

 

  • Support the work on the corporate Project and Programme Management Lifecycle Procedures and Guidance.
  • PMO Trainings, Community of Practice engagement, and backstopping for PMO activities on behalf of the Head of PMO.
  • Prepare through participatory processes and in consultation with relevant stakeholders, the required documentation for deliverables (i) items, and upon approval, begin implementation against approved action plans for roll out of procedures.
  • Coordinate, schedule and attend management meetings, coordinate inputs, and prepare minutes and other documentation, including summary reports and presentations of progress for the Head of PMO as required.
  • Contribute to the development of knowledge products and mechanisms to effectively position project management promulgated procedures to improve internal efficiency.
  • Conduct prospect research to identify donors and create a resource mobilization plan for an end-to-end project management platform.
  • Draft business proposals and reports for donors and prospects, including detailed project narratives, budgets, and reports with visuals as needed.
  • Manage donor relations for the Programme, Project, Life Cycle organization initiative and maintain accuracy, and timeliness with all aspects of commitments, acknowledgments, and donor requests.
  • Serve as the focal point for the design of the project management platform that aims to manage the project life cycle, and its end-to-end review from initiation to closure.

 

 

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 presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills;
  • Demonstrates strong skills in writing policies, procedures and guidance;
  • Excellent presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills;
  • Excellent ability and work experience in developing online content and presence, and drafting policies, procedures and guidance;
  • Experience in coordinating key stakeholder from different units/departments;
  • Proficient with office software packages and cloud-based systems;
  • Client orientation with constructive approach to resolution of problems and dedication to providing timely support;
  • Experience researching information and writing and presenting analytical reports to inform planning and decision-making;
  • A seasoned storyteller and networker who is motivated by the organization’s mission and has an ability to conceptualize and describe funding needs in a way that secures donor support;
  • Sound judgment;
  • Ability to multi-task, handling a complex workload involving concurrent deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

  • Master’s degree in business, public administration or journalism, project management, social sciences, law, economics or a related field; 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, PMP, or MSP certification is highly desirable.

 

Experience:

  • 5 years of relevant and progressively responsible experience, including experience in management consulting, business process design, business intelligence, data analysis, project management and change management;
  • Experience working with the private sector and /or project and programme management training providers and knowledge institutions;
  • Proven ability in strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
  • Excellent knowledge and work experience in programme and project management;

Excellent knowledge and work experience in mapping business processes, analysis and identification of gaps.

  • Working knowledge of mission-driven organizations and the UN system (experience working with UN Women is considered an advantage).

Language:

 

Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.