Background

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women works on 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 center 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.

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Afghanistan.  Staff and consultants of UN Women Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) 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 in Afghanistan works in four thematic areas i.e. Governance and Participation, Ending Violence Against Women, Women Economic Empowerment, and Women Peace and Security. In the area of governance and women’s political participation, UN Women focusses on supporting national and subnational efforts to increase women’s participation in decision making and leadership as well as in elected offices. To address the under-representation of women’s engagement in elections and in political leadership in Afghanistan and to strengthen the voice of women leaders in governance issues, the ACO works closely with the Government of Afghanistan, as well as with UN, civil society and development partners to promote women’s participation in elections including as voters, candidates, and part of the elections management teams. Further, UN Women in Afghanistan supports a cadre of women to develop capacity and ability to demonstrate leadership in political and institutional decision-making bodies and at the national and community level. Afghanistan Country office also continues to play a key role in supporting the Government on systematic institutionalization of Gender Responsive Budgeting as part of increased accountability on impact of national/provincial budgets and plans on women and girls.

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative, and directly reporting to the Head of Governance and Women Political Participation Pillar, the Programme Specialist supports the Head of Pillar on the planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under the Governance and Participation portfolio.  She/he works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women Regional, and HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society in ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under the governance and women’s political participation portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support to the design and develop programme strategies in the area of Governance and  Participation

• Draft/contribute to the design and formulation programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Governance and Participation

Support the management the implementation and management of the Governance and Participation programme

• Contribute to the Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage its implementation;
• Support the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Support the timely submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Assist the partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.

Provide technical assistance and capacity development to programme partners

• Provide technical advice, including developing and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Coordinate and strengthen relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of Governance and Participation programme; respond to any potential problems;
• Undertaken capacity building needs assessments of partners and strengthen coordination of technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.

Support the monitoring and reporting of the programme

• Draft /review monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results-based management tools;
• Participate infield missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
• Draft quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Contribute to the drafting office donor and UN Women reports.

Provide support for the managing people and financial resources of the Governance and Participation programme

• Provide support to Head of Governance Programme for the management of the programme budget and draft financial reports;

• Coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
• Support recruitment processes, as necessary.

Support partnerships and contribute to the developing resource mobilization strategies

• Contribute to the develop and implementation of resource mobilization strategies;
• Draft relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Draft research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing and joint programming.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on Governance and Participation to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in Afghanistan

• Contribute to technical support to the Representative and Deputy Representative on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
• Support the coordination with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Contribute to advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Draft background documents, briefs and presentations related to the Governance and ParticipationAs delegated, represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Governance and Participation as necessary;

• Draft/contribute to the developing advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Support the development of best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Draft knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on Governance and Participation.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
• Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation and progress
• Relations with partners and stakeholders
• Quality reports and timely submission
• Regular communication with other agencies and partners
• Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives

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 programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills

• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of Governance and Participation
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, political studies, business administration, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or other relevant 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 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Technical expertise and previous work experience in Governance and Participation, especially women’s political participation;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies, civil society organizations and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Dari/Pashto is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;
• Knowledge of other UN Language is an asset.

Qualified Female Candidates are encouraged to apply