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 works to support women’s engagement in peace and security to promote improved implementation, and monitoring and reporting of global commitments on women and peace and security agenda as well as related accountability frameworks established by the UN system. The UN Women works to strengthen the capacity of actors engaged in inclusive peacebuilding and national dialogue processes to enhance women’s participation and influence and to secure gender-equality outcomes.

UN Women works to drive forward the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in Niger and Sahel Region. This includes support to national and regional bodies, civil society organizations, and collaboration with UN agencies in Niger and bordering countries. National work includes support to the implementation of the National Action Plans on Women, Peace, and Security, as well as more programs at local levels on inclusive peace and mediation processes, and at international level on peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

In this regard, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Interior, with the support of UN Women, have endorsed the Elsie initiative Fund. This is an initiative launched by Canada to remove barriers to increasing women's effective participation in UN peace operations through a combination of innovative approaches. Niger's proposal aims to achieve two outcomes of the Elsie initiative Fund project over a one-year period: The first is to improve knowledge of country-specific obstacles impeding the deployment of women in uniform to UN peacekeeping missions. The second is to increase the pool of women in uniform who can be deployed as peacekeepers.

Reporting to the UN Women Country representative in charge of Niger Office, the Programme Specialist Women Peace and Security will oversee the development of Women Peace and Security programmes, provide capacity building to Country Office, establish and strengthen partnerships, and develop relevant knowledge products on Women Peace and Security

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme strategies of the Elsie Initiative Fund project in Niger

• Design and formulate project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to of Women Peace and Security

Manage the implementation and management of the Elsie Initiative Fund project in Niger

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the 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.

Manage technical assistance and capacity development to Elsie initiative Fund project partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and Elsie Initiative Fund project
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Elsie Initiative Fund project in Niger; respond to any potential problems;
• Strengthen the capacity of implementing partners on UN peacekeeping operations, on international Human Rights standards, including but not limited to the prevention of gender-based violence;
• Identify and articulate policy and operational gaps that can be addressed by UN Women and partners;

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the Elsie initiative Fund project

• Manage the monitoring of 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.

Manage the people and financial resources of the Elsie initiative Fund project

• Manage the project budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists; Mentor and coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies on WPS in the country;
• Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization of WPS programmes;
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on WP to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

• 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.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts of Women Peace and Security programmes and the Elsie Initiative Fund Project

• During emergency response, develop and implement communication and advocacy messages and contribute inputs to strategies on key gender and protection concerns.
• Provide support to the development and implementation of strategies of advocacy campaigns and communication activities related to WPS programme;
• Lead the coordination of stakeholders’ engagement in organizing meetings, communicating with partners and maintaining smooth flow of information within UN Women and partners;
• Liaise with Resident Coordinator Office and prepare regular information brief for the representative
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide project improvement and strategy planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on WPS.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
• Timely and quality of 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
• 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
• 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 Women Peace and Security
• Strong knowledge of the country and the region of Sahel
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certifications

• 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

Experiences

• At least 5 years of progressive responsibilities at the national or international level in policy analysis and advocacy, programme/project management and  experience of mainstreaming a gender perspective in Women Peace and Security programmes addressing the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment; 
• Experience in programming and project management in areas related to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and/or development;
• Technical experience in Women Peace and Security;
• Experience in policy, advisory and advocacy and track record of engagement with senior officials, such as in the United Nations, government and external partners, with field experience in peace and security and humanitarian contexts is an asset;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working with security forces (military and or police) is an asset;
• Experience contributing to and publishing research on peacebuilding issues;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Experience leading/managing a team is an asset.
• Experience working in a conflict country is an asset

Languare requirements

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