Background

UN Women Mission Statement:

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women will work 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. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Organizational Context:

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s human rights in Afghanistan. Staff and consultants of UN Women Afghanistan are expected to contribute to a professional working environment in which the strengthening of national capacities and human potential is prioritized.  Respect for diversity and human dignity is required, as is the active pursuit of a collaborative and inclusive approach to both internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues and partners. UN Women is structured to ensure greater cohesion between the programme areas through three pillars: Eliminating Violence Against Women Pillar (EVAWP), Coordination and Advocacy Pillar (CAP) and Political and Economic Empowerment Pillar (PEEP), in which this position is placed.

This position will be responsible for the overall programmatic areas of economic empowerment within PEEP. The key responsibilities include:

• Implement the  programme strategies on economic empowerment
• Coordinate the activities of the  economic empowerment programme
• Maintain partnerships with IPs and represent the pillar in economic empowerment areas
• Support the monitoring & evaluation and reporting of the economic empowerment activities and initiatives.
The role of the PEEP is to support national counterparts – including the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Independent Administrative Reform for Civil Service Commission (IARCSC), key line ministries, Parliamentary bodies, and civil society in implementing the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA) and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) in the areas of political and economic opportunities for women. The Pillar builds on partnerships developed with MoWA, MOFA and Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), the international community, the UN Country Team, etc., to promote increased women’s participation in political and economic development.
 
UN Women will be recruiting a Economic empowerment Officer who will be responsible for the implementation and coordination of the programmes of economic empowerment within PEEP

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary:

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the PEEP Programme Manager and directly reporting to the PEEP Deputy Programme Manager, the Economic empowerment Officer is tasked with the overall programmatic initiatives of economic empowerment of PEEP in terms of coordination and implementation, provision of support to the monitoring and evaluation of the economic empowerment initiatives. Under the guidance and supervision of the Deputy Programme Manager and with assistance of Programme Associate, the incumbent will lead the trainings and capacity development initiatives of PEEP on women’s economic rights and strategies.  The EEO will provide support and oversee the functions of implementing partners on the areas of collaboration on the economic empowerment of women, such as the MRRD, MOWA, the Civil Service Commission, Women Business Associations and NGO. In close coordination with relevant team members, the incumbent will facilitate workshops and meetings with partners on specific projects and at times provide presentations in different forums to represent PEEP’s economic empowerment programmes as required and requested. The incumbent will closely work with Monitoring & Evaluation and Reporting Officer (MERO) to conduct monitoring activities and contribute to the development of reports, letters and knowledge products on economic empowerment.

Functions/Key Results Expected:

Implementation of  programme strategies on economic empowerment of PEEP:

• Implement economic empowerment activities relating to implementation of women’s economic rights and strategies, engendering the economic development process and entrepreneurship initiatives
• Draft request for proposals for activities under the objectives of economic empowerment and lead the selection process of IPs. As the economic empowerment programme focal point, ensure oversight on quality and timely management and reporting of activities by IPs.
• Provide support and supervisory role to Programme Associate in maintaining relationship with partners in implementation of the projects funded by UN Women.
• Support the civil society implementing partners in monitoring, reporting and advocating for implementation of national obligations of Afghanistan.
• Conduct field visits as and when needed with support of MERO to monitor the implementation of trainings and other initiatives supported by PEEP and provide guidance and technical assistance to partners. 
• Ensure quality and timely implementation of the agreed activities with government partners and civil society partners and provide the needed support to them
• Be on top of the budget for economic empowerment activities and ensure that budget expenditures are in accordance with the agreed plans.
• Assist the DM and DPM in preparation of AWPs, budgets and related revision relating to economic empowerment

Coordination of economic empowerment programmes:
• Maintain close contacts with civil society and government partners on the implementation of economic empowerment activities
• Serve as the resource person for the economic empowerment initiatives and provide advisory updates to the pillar management on the interventions in this area 
• Support the team members and/or directly facilitate the trainings and workshops for/with partners on the issues around women’s economic participation.
Representation and Partnerships:
• When authorized, represent the PEEP of ACO on the platforms relating to women’s economic empowerment programmes.
• As and when requested, give presentations on different forums to stakeholders on the interventions of UN Women/PEEP programmes and initiatives in the economic empowerment arena.
Monitoring and Evaluation and reporting:
• Under the guidance of the Deputy Programme Manager and in close coordination with MERO, lead the monitoring of all economic empowerment initiatives of PEEP and provide oversight on evaluation of those activities as per the donors’ agreement for programme strengthening while taking initiatives to engage in proactive and remedial action for the current and future similar initiatives.
• Provide substantive support to the MERO of PEEP in the development, review and finalization of quarterly, annual and all donor reports, meeting the quality and standard requirements. 
• Undertake any other tasks as may be requested by the office.

Competencies

• Ability to multi-task and respond simultaneously and in a timely fashion to job requirements. 
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work under pressure, to follow deadlines and handle numerous tasks simultaneously,
• Strong and proven integrity, time management and work prioritization skills;
• Understanding of UN WOMEN  procedures, rules and regulations an asset;
• Capacity to take initiatives and work both independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles and projects, implementing partners, and national and international personnel of varied nationalities and backgrounds.
•  Excellent communication skills, written and oral
• Commitment to upholding the organizational values and principles of UN Women Afghanistan.
• A proven ability to liaise with a myriad of stakeholders and partners, including government, civil society, international organizations and grassroots organizations
• Ability to travel inside and outside the country
 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
Master’s Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, Organizational Development or related field, with minimum of 3 years’ relevant professional work experience in the areas of projects management, projects coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation with focus on women’s economic empowerment or Bachelor’s Degree in the above mentioned subjects with minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.

Experience:

• Good understanding and experience on women’s economic empowerment, enterprise development, livelihood or employment creation for women and promoting gender in governance and administration
• Experience in planning, budgeting, work plans development, participating in program development and proposal writing, projects implementation, monitoring, reporting, evaluation and program coordination;
• Capacity to take initiatives and work both independently and as part of a team.
• Clear understanding of the effect/impact of women’s economic participation on development and the ways to address those issues to enhance women’s participation in these processes
• An understanding of the legal, social, cultural, and political context of Afghanistan and its relation to gender.
• Proficiency in the use of computer, office software packages
• Able to work under pressure and tight deadlines and deliver quality work products
• Must be willing to travel within and outside of Afghanistan.

Language:

Fluency in professional written and speaking English and local language (Dari and/or Pashto).