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.

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Director of Arab States Regional Office, and in close consultation with the Resident Coordinator [RC] in Yemen, the Country Programme Manager is responsible for the strategic positioning of UN Women as a leader in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Yemen. The Country Programme Manager is responsible for leading and managing the Country portfolio and for translating UN Women’s Strategic Plan in line with regional and national priorities, into development initiatives and results by developing, implementing and managing programmes; and developing effective partnerships with government counterparts, UN system agencies and organizations, civil society organizations and with bi-lateral and non-traditional donors in order to promote inter-agency partnerships, support for UN report, mobilization of visibility and resources to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead programme management and oversight

  • Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of country programme annual workplan and individual programme workplans, including budget and results framework;
  • Manage delivery of the day-to-day programme activities to ensure prompt and adequate delivery of results;
  • Coordinate programme outputs;
  • Ensure effective use of resources and compliance with UN Women rules, policies and procedures as well as donor/ fund requirements;
  • Lead the preparation for programme audits and implementation of its recommendations.

Provide technical support and capacity development to programme partners

  • Lead relationship building with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the country programme; respond to any potential problems;
  • Lead capacity building opportunities and initiatives of key institutions and mechanisms with the aim of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment; with focus on women peace and security and humanitarian action
  • Provide timely advice on programmatic areas of gender equality and women’s empowerment; women peace and security and women’s participation and protection.
  • Provide partners with advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives as needed.

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme

  • Lead the establishment of an effective monitoring system for the delivery of programme results;
  • Manage the preparation of quarterly and annual progress reports and donor reports and organize progress reviews as necessary.

Lead management people and financial resources of the country programme

  • Is responsible for overall programme budget;
  • Review financial reports in accordance with UN Women procedures and submit the reports to UN Women HQ and donors;
  • Supervise and guide programme staff, and manage performance;
  • Finalize terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary.

Lead the UN Women inter-agency and country coordination support

  • Participate in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/UNDAF processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;
  • Lead the writing of analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s program experiences in support of UN women inter-agency coordination role;
  • Collaborate with the Regional Office for Arab States, provide strong coordination support to UN Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and national authorities through the establishment of a wider consultation process and appropriate fora to promote gender equality and women empowerment activities in Yemen;
  • Lead inter-agency initiatives in Yemen to ensure programmatic integration, sharing of lessons and best practices, and economies of scales;
  • Facilitate joint programming and promote UN Women’s mandate;
  • Ensure that UN Women is strategically placed with the UN planning processes, joint programmes and other inter-agency initiatives;
  • Provide leadership and guidance to the UNCT in supporting enhanced response to national partners in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment; particularly to enhance women’s participation in the on-going national dialogue and peace process, to follow up on the implementation of UN security council resolution 1325 and to ensure universal access to services and protection from gender based violence, including sexual violence;
  • Seek out participation of UN Women in UN system thematic and other working groups to establish effective network and to keep abreast of ongoing debate and thinking on development.
  • Provide analysis and advise the UNCT on the gender dynamics and opportunities to support inclusive engagement of women in the transition and development assistance provided by the UNCT, and within programmes and actions targeting reconciliation and community based initiatives;
  • Identify and advise on entry points for new initiatives for the UN to strengthen national and local capacities for gender equality and to support the advancement of women’s empowerment and gender equality in the country;
  • Advise the UNCT on improved accountability tools and assets so as to ensure the UN’s commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment are tracked and up-scaled as opportunities arise;
  • Advise and support joint programming and coordination around gender equality, including support in forging strategic partnerships at the national and local level to promote gender equality, women’s advancement and women’s representation.

Lead strategic partnerships and resource mobilization

  • Establish and maintain partnerships with other UN agencies, governments, donors, civil society organization and other stakeholders;
  • Develop network and build working relations with key partners;
  • Coordinate existing civil society platform and networks in coordinating joint efforts and provide space for dialogue on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
  • Conceptualize, design and implement resource mobilization strategies;
  • Plan and oversee the implementation of advocacy and awareness campaigns and fund raising events, as required.

Lead knowledge building and communication efforts

  • Lead the development and expansion of knowledge management strategies and methodologies for the country programme;
  • Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination;
  • Introduce innovation and best practices to enhance programme performance.

Key Performance Indicators

  • Timely and quality programme strategy
  • Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplan
  • Partners and other stakeholder provide positive feedback on advisory and technical services
  • Timely and quality of reports
  • Quality knowledge products
  • Increased awareness of UN Women’s work in the country
  • Increase in resources mobilized
  • UN Women is seen as a leader in gender equality and women’s empowerment in country

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:

  • Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
  • Excellent knowledge of RBM principles and approaches
  • Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
  • Excellent knowledge of gender equality and women's empowerment
  • Excellent knowledge of country and/or region
  • Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
  • Ability to envision and lead the strategic direction for UN Women in the country

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification: 

  • 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

Experience: 

  • At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments,
  • Experience in the in the field of gender and human rights of women
  • Experience in working in emergency and crisis context is highly desirable
  • Prior experience in the UN System is an advantage
  • Prior experience in working at the country / regional level
  • Experience in leading a team 

Languages:

  • Written and oral proficiency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of Arabic 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.