UN WOMEN Jobs - 84841- Grants Programme Specialist (Turkish Nationals Onl

Grants Programme Specialist (Turkish Nationals Only)

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

FTA Local

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

07-May-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

NO-C

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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. 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.?

The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) was established through the UN General Assembly Resolution 50/166 in 1996 with UN Women as its Administrator on behalf of the UN system. The UN Trust Fund (UNTF) is a global multi-lateral grant making mechanism supporting national efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls, one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. The UN Trust Fund provides technical assistance and funding to advance the development of innovative models and strategic interventions in the area of ending violence against women and girls. To date, the UN Trust Fund has awarded US $140 million to 493 initiatives in 139 countries and territories.

Under the overall guidance of the Chief and the direct supervision of the Grants Manager, the Grants Programme Specialist will be responsible for coordinating and monitoring the portfolio of grants from the UNTF portfolio, leading the monitoring and grant-management operational processes, providing operational and technical support in grant-making, providing technical inputs into Reporting and Knowledge Management, and providing technical support to Capacity Development.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Lead the monitoring and grant-management operational processes

Manage all operational processes related to the respective grants life-cycle, including budget revisions and disbursements in collaboration with Finance colleagues, processing of project modifications and no-cost extensions, and processing grant closures.
Lead the coordination for grants management with the Finance team, UN Women Regional, Country Offices and other teams as necessary to ensure the efficient oversight of the portfolio, including liaising with external stakeholders to ensure required documentation is received according to timeline agreed upon and the same files are stored in the UNTF shared drive, andconsolidating UNTF feedback to the grantee in all aspects of the project.
Provide technical assistance to grantees including in the design of their Results and Resources Frameworks (RRFs), in collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation team. Assist grantees in clarifying proposed programmes outcomes, outputs, indicators of success, methods of baseline and data collection, activities and budgets;
Provide tailored technical support throughout the grant life-cycle, including in design of grantee baseline and end-line data and support in undertaking the final evaluation;
Review progress reports and provide feedback to grantees as needed to ensure results-based reports and analysis and capturing of data;
Perform a basic review of financial reports and liaise with relevant finance staff (within the UNTF or in the field) before final approval for grants and subsequent disbursements;
Monitor and assess progress towards overall results based on results framework and monitoring schedules;
Undertake monitoring missions and finalize mission reports in accordance with mission report template, summarizing key findings and recommendations.
Review and provide technical feedback to grantees to ensure results-based analysis and capturing of data, with the effective use of Grants Management System.
Monitor implementation of Audit Recommendations and update Action Plans in the system, in coordination with the Operations Analyst, where applicable.
Perform a basic review of Financial Statements and flag inconsistencies between financial spending and project implementation.

2. Provide operational and technical support in Grant-making:

· Participate in annual grantee selection processes including through review and substantive analysis of concept notes and full-fledged proposals, accompanying budgets and monitoring and evaluation frameworks submitted to the UN Trust Fund.

· Prepare application feedback letters and summaries for all shortlisted applicants and grantees and systematically update these summaries based on progress reports and monitoring missions;

· Provide guidance to ROs and grantees to ensure adherence to UN Women policies, administrative and financial rules and procedures.

· Review and lead finalization of project documents and Results Resources Frameworks through dialogue with grantees on submitted documents

· Review implementing partner assessment forms and grant agreements prior to grantee selection and signature.

3. Provide technical inputs into Reporting and Knowledge Management:

· Maintain centralized portfolio matrix of assigned grants, and provide quarterly portfolio updates to the Grants Manager;

Prepare written contributions for various purposes, including inputs for the report for the Commission on Status of Women, UNTF annual donor reports, newsletters, fund raising efforts and other reporting needs;
Contribute to tracking and synthesizing, on an ongoing basis, developments, tools, emerging or good practices in the field of ending violence against women and girls, including capturing findings and lessons learned from evaluations;
Update and maintain UNTF Grants database with relevant grantee information.

· Support the Fund’s communications efforts through direct engagement with grant recipients to gather information about the achievements and impact of the grant, knowledge products, media, etc. and ensure communications accurately reflect grant programmes;

· Keep systematic track of noteworthy grantee achievements and communicate to colleagues for possible visibility, such as special features on the website.

· Support and organize knowledge sharing events and identify good and promising models that can be shared widely across grantees and other key stakeholders;

· Identify challenges and lessons learned across the assigned grants, and contribute to a process of institutional learning through documenting lessons learned and contribution to modification of strategies and programmes.

4. Provide technical support to Capacity Development:

· Support the production of capacity development tools, including training materials and packages, programme guidance notes and other related support specifically as it relates to monitoring and reporting for the assigned grants;

Support, organize and participate in knowledge sharing and capacity development events for grantees in liaison with the M&E and Knowledge Management Team.

Key Results Areas :

· Accurate analysis, monitoring and oversight of grants

· Timely coordination of grants management with DMA departments

· Issues are raised in a timely manner to appropriate stakeholders

· Grants portfolio is well maintained and information easily retrievable

· Quality of communication and training materials

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

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;
Knowledge of women’s organizations and governmental agencies working on women’s empowerment and gender equality in the sub-region;
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.
Ability to effectively represent UN Women in, and contribute to, United Nations inter-agency programming initiatives related to ending violence against women;
Builds strong relationships with, and focuses on results for clients and partners, responds positively to feedback;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
Ability to work in a global multi-cultural setting respecting gender equality and an ability to contribute to team work and provide conceptual leadership.
Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines.
Ability to use critical thinking, conceptualize ideas, and articulate relevant subject matter in a clear and concise way.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University degree or equivalent in Political Science, International Development Studies, Gender/Women’s Studies or other relevant field.
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:

Minimum of five years of relevant national/international working experience in international development, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment issues;
Experience working on addressing issues related to violence against women and girls;
Experience monitoring of grant programmes is highly desired;
Experience in knowledge management and communication – supporting collection and dissemination of lessons learned/best practices is an asset;
Experience with databases and data management a plus;
Experience in the United Nations, a governmental, other multilateral or civil society organization in a developed or developing country is highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Turkish is required.
Fluency in Spanish or French is an asset.