Background

Organizational Context

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 West and Central Africa region encompasses 24 countries, UN Women being present in 9 of them, either through Country Offices (CO) with full delegation of authority, or through Programme Presence (PP), namely: Countries offices: Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone; Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo. Program Presence: Niger, Senegal; Central African Republic.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Specialist will provide technical support to the development and management of UN Women’s strategic partnerships and relationships, and resource mobilization strategy, as well as enhance resource mobilization capacity in the Regional Office (RO) and the region’s Country Offices (CO). 

Duties and Responsibilities

    1.   Oversee the development of UN Women’s strategic partnerships in the Western and Central Africa region

  • Oversee the relationships with key partners; provide substantive technical inputs to senior management’s efforts at the country level to develop new and innovative partnerships;
  • Set and monitor annual priorities, goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for regional partnerships;
  • Provide substantive technical support the drafting and review of partner-specific Framework Arrangements and Cost Sharing Agreements; and the preparation of brief funding proposals and concept notes;
  • Provide strategic advice to the Regional Office and Country Offices on building and maintaining partnerships and positioning with potential donors, including country Civil Society Advisory Groups (CSAG); coordinate of the work of the regional CSAG;
  • Advise RO and Country Offices on the design and implementation of effective advocacy strategies and methods for proactive and strategic targeting of partners and donors.

     2.  Oversee regional resource mobilization strategies and initiatives

  • Oversee the development and implementation of differentiated, donor fund-raising strategies, aligned and coordinated with country-level activities initiatives and outreach activities;
  • Oversee the development of targeted products and initiatives to mobilize programmatic resources and attract additional donors’ funding;
  • Provide technical support to the development of project proposals in line with the UN Women’s strategy and the interest of donors;
  • Identify opportunities to secure additional non-core resources;
  • Oversee ad-hoc donor studies, research, and other activities to identify funding opportunities; update the resources mobilization strategy as needs emerge.

      3. Build trust and maintain effective relationships with donors

  • Provide substantive technical support to the Regional Director and other senior managers in the preparation of missions, meetings and other consultations with donors, including the preparation of notes, briefs and other materials;
  • Act as a direct entry point for donors, building institutional relationships;
  • Provide regular donor intelligence.

     4.  Promote the submission of high quality and timely reports to donors

  • Promote compliance with the terms of grants and agreements, across the region;
  • Provide substantive technical support to programme managers for the preparation of high quality and timely donor reports;
  • Coordinate with the monitoring and reporting teams for the collection of information and preparation of results-based reports for external constituencies.

    5.  Strengthen internal resource mobilization capacity

  • Advise and support UN Women Regional Office and field offices on resource mobilization procedures and guidelines as well as funding modalities;
  • Facilitate partnership resource mobilization training to program staff and managers based in Country Offices including the development of tools and products.

    6.  Oversee knowledge building and sharing and advocacy efforts

  • Support the development and implementation of the regional knowledge management strategy;
  • Oversee the development of knowledge products and mechanisms to effectively position UN Women in the region;
  • Share knowledge and enhance organizational learning among UN Women regional and field offices through the development and use of on-line tools, templates, tips, mechanisms and guidelines;
  • Monitor emerging issues that could affect partnerships and resource contributions at the national or regional levels (risk management).

 Key Performance Indicators

  • Timely attention and response to UN Women’s partners and donors
  • Quality inputs to resource mobilization strategy and timely support to Country Offices and the Regional Office
  • Timely targeting of funding opportunities and timely tracking of donor intelligence
  • Quality communication and advocacy products which result in increased resources and a strong investment case for UN Women
  • Quality knowledge products and timely sharing of best practices to improve/ enhance donor relations
  • Increase and diversification in RO, regional and COs financial resources and partnerships

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 knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues;
  • Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with government representatives of Member States (donor and programme);
  • Proven networking skills, and ability to mobilize support on behalf of UN Women;
  • Excellent negotiating skills;
  • Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes;
  • Excellent IT skills, including databases, extranet and office software packages;
  • Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, business management, social sciences, public administration, international relations, communications, 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.

Experience:

  • At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in resource mobilization, business development and advocacy;
  • Experience in gender equality and women's empowerment;
  • Proven experience in successful development of partnerships, network-building, and track record in resource mobilization;
  • Extensive experience in knowledge management and/or communications, including clearly communicating results, evidence, and issues and/or in conducting research and policy analysis;
  • Experience working with civil society organizations, international institutions and donors;
  • Experience working with national/international bilateral partners on development projects/programmes;
  • Experience working with private sector partners in development issues;
  • Working knowledge of and/or successful track record of networking with development actors and donor communities in West and Central Africa is an asset;
  • Experience working in the UN system is an asset.

Language requirements:

  • Fluency in French and English is required
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

 

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)