Antecedentes

UN WOMEN Regional Office for CSEE based in Bratislava, Slovakia has been supporting and developing innovative and catalytic initiatives promoting women’s rights and gender equality in CSEE. UN WOMEN’s CSEE projects are focusing on strengthening women’s right in area employment, political participation and decision making, governance, peace and security and in ending VAW.

Fund for Gender Equality:

The Fund for Gender Equality is a new $68 million, multi-donor initiative designed to advance innovative, high-impact programmes that focus on women’s economic and political empowerment at local and national levels, in line with national development plans and priorities. Launched in December 2008 with an initial contribution of EUR 50 million (US$65 million) from the Government of Spain, and subsequently joined by the government of Norway, the Fund for Gender Equality provides grants on a competitive basis to civil society and governmental partners in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Arab States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Southeastern Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Fund is unique in its focus on supporting partners to turn local and national laws and policies into tangible gains for women’s rights.

The Fund provides two types of support: Catalytic Grants, designed to foster strategic partnerships to catalyze the development of gender equality plans and policies. Implementation Grants are designed specifically to advance the implementation of agreed-upon gender equality laws and policies.

The Fund for Gender Equality is managed by UN WOMEN and is guided by a Steering Committee composed of donor, UN and other multilateral agencies and civil society organizations’ representatives. A Technical Committee, composed of experts in women’s economic and political empowerment from every region of the world, reviews proposals and makes recommendations for funding to the Steering Committee.

The knowledge management, communication, monitoring and evaluation aspects of the Fund are central to its operations.

The Programme Monitoring and Reporting Specialist will be part of a cohort of five specialists based in five developing regions. They will support the UN WOMEN Sub-regional and Country Offices to facilitate better monitoring and reporting by grant recipients.

The Programme Monitoring and Reporting Specialist will be responsible for the management of   FGE grants portfolio of approximately 3 grants per year from the Central and Southeastern Europe Sub Region, and will spend approximately 1 month at New York HQ for orientation and training purposes with a permanent assignment at the corresponding UN WOMEN Sub-Regional Office in Slovakia. The Programme Monitoring and Reporting Specialist for the Central and Southeastern Europe Su Region will be expected to participate in approximately 4 field missions per year.

Deberes y responsabilidades

• Monitor projects supported by UN WOMEN core sources and ensure that the objectives are met, delivered timely and properly captured for donor and UN WOMEN reports;
• Monitor donor reporting schedule and ensure that Project Managers provide timely inputs in the donor reports as per schedule;
• Serve as the Evaluation and Monitoring Focal Point for SRO;
• Provide introductory trainings for UN WOMEN (new staff) and partners on Monitoring and Evaluation;
• Assist RPD in preparing Management Responses to the project evaluations;
• Assist Project Managers in developing performance monitoring project frameworks; 
• Provide substantive inputs to corporate exercises such as Annual Report, Progress Reports, UN WOMEN publications;

Duties and Key Results Expected:  

Under the supervision and guidance of the UN WOMEN Regional Programme Director of the corresponding Sub-Regional Office and the Deputy Manager of the Fund for Gender Equality, and in close collaboration with the Regional Geographic Chiefs, the Specialist will support a monitoring and evaluation of a portfolio of programmes (including program grants from the FGE) in the sub region and will be responsible for the following main tasks:

 Monitoring Services:

• Serve as liaison between SRO office, Geographic Sections, and Fund for Gender Equality Secretariat at HQ
• Provide technical assistance to SRO Programmes and Catalytic and Implementation grantees in the region including TA in the design of grantees’ Performance Monitoring Frameworks (PMFs) or Logical Frameworks. Assist them in clarifying proposed programmes’ outcomes, outputs, indicators of success, methods of baseline and data collection, activities and budgets
• Provide technical feedback and backstopping support to SRO Programmes and FGE grantees in the development of programme design, baseline, and monitoring systems and plans
• Assess quality and methodological issues of SRO Programmes and FGE grantee annual and final reports and prepare periodic technical assessment updates and recommendations for improvements and future guidance on the development and follow up of monitoring plans
• Monitor and assess progress towards overall results based on results framework and monitoring schedules and in alignment with UN WOMEN strategic plan
• Review progress reports and provide feedback to grantees as needed to ensure results-based reports and analysis and capturing of data. Validate reports of the grantees before submission
• Responsible for reviewing financial reports and liaising with FGE finance specialist at HQ before final approval for grants and subsequent disbursements.
• Review audit reports prior to submission and support the coordination of FGE grantee programme audits as required by the Fund and by UN WOMEN
• Undertake monitoring missions and provide ongoing technical accompaniment for FGE Fund grantees (2 per grantee yearly)
• Participate in the annual process of technical appraisal FGE applications at sub-regional levels, as requested and needed
• Provide lead technical and managerial assistance when evaluations of SRO and FGE programmes and projects are commissioned
• Assess quality and methodological issues of SRO Programmes and FGE grantee evaluation reports and prepare periodic technical assessment updates and recommendations for improvements and future guidance on the development and follow up of monitoring and evaluation plans.
• Review SRO Programmes and FGE Grantees response to evaluation findings/recommendations and support UN WOMEN FGE focal points to follow up the implementation of evaluation action plans.
• Participate and contribute actively in Monitoring and Evaluation meetings in coordination with UN WOMEN’s Evaluation Unit and focal points (Task Forces, United Nations Monitoring and Evaluation work group)

Reporting and Knowledge Management Services:

• Prepare substantive reports and written contributions for various purposes, including inputs for the FGE annual donor reports, speeches and newsletters, fund raising efforts and other needs, reporting.
• Contribute to tracking and synthesizing, on an ongoing basis, cutting-edge developments, tools and emerging or good practices in the field on women’s economic and political empowerment of programs in the respective sub-region, including capturing findings and lessons learned from evaluations
• Work with relevant SRO programme staff to contribute to continued learning between FGE programmes and other UN WOMEN initiatives, including governance and economic empowerment programmes.
• Liaise closely with the UN WOMEN FGE Secretariat and sub-regional focal point to identify and provide select written contributions and knowledge products. This includes writing select case studies and related products for wider dissemination in partnership and consultation with implementing partners
• Support the SRO and FGE Fund Management team in extracting critical lessons learned and good practices from final evaluation reports, including as relates to monitoring and evaluation
• Carry out or support research on specific topics, when needed, aimed to knowledge sharing
• Update and maintain FGE Grantmaking and Knowledge Management Tracking database with relevant grantee information

Capacity development:

• Play a key role in the production of capacity development tools, including training materials and packages, programme guidance notes and other related support in association with to programme baseline, monitoring and reporting
• Participate in the provision of orientation and training sessions on evidence-based approaches to programming in the field of women’s economic and political empowerment to FGE Fund grantees, national counterparts, UN WOMEN staff and other external stakeholders

Managerial and Organizational Tasks:

• Liaise and consult with UN WOMEN Thematic Advisors, Geographic Sections and sub-regional and country programme offices, as well as with leading practitioners from women’s groups, civil society and UN sister agencies, for the achievement of the above and related tasks
• Liaise with UN WOMEN administrative and support staff for the contracting of services, including by providing terms of reference for technical assistance subcontracts and in ensuring timely submission of reports from implementing partners

Expected Results:

• Tracking and monitoring capacities and processes are used by UN WOMEN, FGE partners, and other Programme Partners to improve performance of programmes
• Enhanced technical assistance services provided by UN WOMEN to SRO Programmes and FGE grantees on monitoring and reporting
• Increased frequency and quality of technical accompaniment and monitoring support to UN WOMEN Programmes and FGE grantees and their initiatives.
• Increased number and quality of knowledge products produced and disseminated globally on women’s economic and political empowerment
  
  

Tracking and monitoring capacities and processes are used by UN WOMEN, FGE partners, and other Programme Partners to improve performance of programmes

Competencias

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by upholding the United Nations’ values and ethical standards.
• Promotes UN WOMEN vision, mission and strategic goals.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age-based sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Skills:

Monitoring, Reporting and Knowledge Management:

• Strong knowledge of planning and monitoring and related development policy and programming issues, including knowledge of results-based management, familiarity with log frames and understanding of baseline data collection and monitoring methodologies
• Experience in monitoring and reporting on programmes related to gender equality. Experience in monitoring of grant programmes is highly desired
  Knowledge of women’s organizations and governmental agencies working on women’s empowerment and gender equality in the sub-region
• Experience in projects and programmes related to women’s economic and/or political empowerment is desirable
• Familiarity with UN WOMEN procedures, particularly with regard to project management and more specifically in relation to the development of work plans, budgets, monitoring and reporting plans, purchasing plans and the identification of indicators
• Experience in knowledge management and communication – supporting collection and dissemination of lessons learned/best practices
• Experience as a trainer and facilitator on monitoring issues, and in developing user-friendly practical guidance and tools conducive to learning

Management and Leadership:

• Ability to manage for results: translate strategy into achievable plans, with established priorities, monitor them, making periodic adjustments as required.
• Ability to effectively represent UN WOMEN in, and contribute to United Nations inter-agency programming monitoring and reporting initiatives
• Outstanding networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills
• Capacity to work with diverse partners including governments, civil society and women's groups.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines

Communication:

• Good interpersonal and diplomacy skills
• Ability to use critical thinking, conceptualize ideas, and articulate relevant subject matter in a clear and concise way
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Working knowledge in national languages spoken in the region is highly desirable
• Ability to communicate effectively with and relate to people of different cultures, demonstrating an ability to see issues from other perspectives

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software.
• Proficiency with Online communication, including Skype, etc.
• Experience with databases and data management a plus.
  
  

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Academic Qualifications:

• Advanced University degree or equivalent in Political Science, International Development Studies, Gender/Women’s Studies, Economics or Sociology. Advanced University degree in Monitoring and Results Based Management considered an asset.

Experience:

• Minimum of five years of relevant national/international working experience in international development, in gender equality and women’s empowerment issues. Knowledge and experience working on women’s economic and political empowerment highly desirable.
• In-depth knowledge of programming on women’s human rights and gender equality
• Minimum of five years of experience working in monitoring and reporting including:
•   - Proven track-record in the successful design and implementation of comprehensive monitoring systems.
    - Experience working in the field of monitoring: developing plans, tracking results, reporting to different constituencies. Monitoring experience in the UN WOMEN context highly desirable.
    - Experience in results-based management (RBM). RBM experience as specifically applied in the UN WOMEN context an asset.
• Knowledge management and communications experience – supporting collection and dissemination of lessons learned/best practice
• Skills as a trainer/facilitator and dynamic interpersonal skills; prior training and experience as a facilitator
• highly desirable.
• Experience in the United Nations, a governmental, other multilateral or civil society organization in a developed or developing country highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English
• Fluency in other national spoken languages in the region will be considered an asset.