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 provides support to partners in Afghanistan to increase the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and sustainable peacebuilding processes. Under the current country Strategic Note (2018-2022) and in line with UN Partnership for Sustainable Development (2016-2020) and Afghanistan’s National Peace and Development Framework (2017 – 2021), UN Women supports the government to implement its National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325), including district and provincial localization, and to achieve targets of SDG 5 and 16.

In addition, UN Women supports localization of the 1325 National Action Plan with active participation of diverse women and women peacebuilders, as well as local governments, as well as the Provincial Peace Councils, is one of the UN Women’s top priorities for the years 2018-2020. UN Women supports the development of capacities for women’s organizations to build platforms and advocacy for peace through the Afghan Women’s Network and beyond. In partnership with UNAMA, UN Women will continue to support women’s engagement in the peace and stability processes. In partnership with UNDP, UN Women will continue to engage on women’s access to justice and security sector reform.

Reporting to Senior Programme Manager on WPS (based in the UN Women Country Office in Kabul, Afghanistan) will be the primary programme specialist for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions on NAP1325 programmatic activities through donor funds. They will work in close collaboration with the programme and operations team in Afghanistan, and relevant UN Women staff in the Regional Office (Bangkok) and HQ (New York), Government officials, civil society and development partners to ensure successful implementation and achievement of planned results.

1.  Provide programme development advisory services on implementation of NAP1325 (WPS),

• Provide programme advisory support to the WPS Programme Manager, the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan within the WPS portfolio, specifically to plan, monitor and implement activities supporting the implementation of NAP1325, including planning and developing of future NAPs, providing technical support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and planning and executing localization workshops that incorporate engagement with key women’s civil society organizations.
• Provide technical and coordination support to the development and provision of policy advice and substantive of the programme on NAP1325 implementation, including through organizing periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design, as necessary.

2.  Provide technical and coordination support to the management and oversight of the NAP1325 implementation components of the WPS programme portfolio:

• Monitor and report on progress annual workplan and budget for relevant WPS programme outcomes (NAP1325) and manage their implementation in line with Results Based Management Tools;
• Review the submission of implementing partners’ mandatory reports as required (MoFA, civil society organizations and relevant partners in localization);
• Contribute to and finalize quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes, prepare high quality donor reports and contribute to UN Women reporting (quarterly, annual, etc.), and communicate with donors on a regular basis with specific responsibility under outcomes, outputs and actitivites related to NAP1325 implementation.

3.  Provide technical assistance and capacity development support to partners working in area of WPS and the management of the people and financial resources of the WPS programme portfolio activities related to NAP1325 implementation:

• Build, manage, and expand relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the WPS programme, specifically by exploring innovative and best practice approaches to NAP1325 implementation, in close coordination with the WPS programme staff and WPS Programme Manager;
• Serve as an expert resource to partners on WPS;
• Oversee the management of the relevant section of the programme budget and stay up to date on financial status of its implementation;

4.  Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies, particularly as it relates to NAP1325 implementation and localization:

• In close coordination with WPS Programme Manager, Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies for WPS;
• Proactively identify potential donors/ partners and explore opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

5.  Provide technical and coordination support to the management of inter-agency coordination to achieve a coherent and aligned implementation of WPS activities:

• Provide substantive technical support to the WPS Programme Manager, Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees and keep all stakeholders informed of NAP1325 and localization activities on a regular basis.
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with the partners’ efforts;
• Take part in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/ United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;
• Prepare substantive inputs to CCA/ UNDAF and other documents, as necessary.

6.  Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to WPS as requested by the Country Representative and WPS Programme Manager;
• Provide inputs to the management of advocacy strategies and their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Lead the development of knowledge management strategies and methodologies and products on WPS.

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

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

Functional Competencies

• Strong writing skills and ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
• Strong organization skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;
• Strong policy analysis experience and knowledge of WPS;
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Strong networking skills

• Ability to negotiate and interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising;
• Understanding of programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in international affairs, law, human rights, gender/women's studies 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 

Work Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience working on women, peace and security, human rights, and/or gender equality and women’s empowerment issues, including at the international level, or related fields;
• Demonstrated technical experience in the area of Women, Peace and Security required;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors required;
• Experience coordinating and technically supporting donor, non-governmental, and UN coordination mechanisms at the technical level is an asset.
• Experience working in the UN System and/or in Afghanistan is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of other UN official languages and/or Dari and/or Pashto language is an asset.

Application:

• 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.