Country Programme Coordinator - Bahrain Nationals Only

Mid Senior Programme & Policy

Overview

Lead and manage the UN Women Country Programme in Bahrain.

You have:

• Master's degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Experience in leading a team is an asset.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.
• A project/programme management certification such as PMP, PRINCE2, or MSP would be an added advantage.

Contract

This is a NO-C contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about NO-C contracts.

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.

In response to a request by the Kingdom of Bahrain, UN Women will establish an Office in Bahrain to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Bahrain is a high-income country, with a high level of development. The Kingdom has established a legislative and policy framework to accelerate and measure progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in accordance with regional and international processes, such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Agenda 2030 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The UN Women Office will provide strategic policy advice and promote effective partnerships to support the Kingdom of Bahrain to implement these frameworks in line with the priorities identified in the National Strategy for the Advancement of Bahraini Women 2013 – 2022.

In May 2021, UN Women as a member of the UN Country Team in Bahrain signed the UN Strategic Cooperation Framework with the Government of Bahrain, to support national efforts to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with Bahrain’s national development priorities. Subsequently, UN Women developed a Strategic Note to contribute to implementation of that Strategic Cooperation Framework, with focus on women’s economic empowerment, gender-inclusive social sector policies and systems, and Bahrain’s role in international partnerships for sustainable development.

Reporting to the Regional Director for the Arab States, and in close consultation with the UN Resident Coordinator and UN Country Team in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Country Programme Coordinator is responsible for establishing, leading and managing the Country portfolio, including by implementing and managing programmes; and developing effective partnerships with Government counterparts, UN system agencies and organizations, civil society organizations, the private sector and other relevant actors to advance gender equality and women's empowerment. The Country Programme Coordinator works in close collaboration with the Regional Office, to ensure successful implementation of the UN Women programme in Bahrain.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead the Bahrain country programme:

• Manage the country programme planning cycle and individual programme workplans, including budget and results framework, in close consultation with stakeholders and the Regional Office;
• Manage delivery of the day-to-day programme activities to ensure prompt and adequate delivery of results;
• 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 implement their recommendations.

Lead technical support and capacity development to project / programme partners:

• Provide substantive technical support on gender equality and women’s empowerment to national partners and other stakeholders
• Build relations with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the country programme; respond to any potential problems;
• Manage capacity building opportunities and initiatives of key institutions and mechanisms;
• Provide timely inputs and suggestions on programmatic areas;
• Provide partners with technical assistance, training, and capacity development initiatives as needed.

Lead the monitoring and reporting of the programme:

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

Lead the management of people and finances for the country programme:

• Guide management of the overall country programme budget; and office operations, with oversight by the Regional Office;
• Review financial reports to ensure they are in accordance with UN Women procedures and submit the reports to UN Women HQ and partners as required;
• Supervise and coach country programme staff, and manage performance;
• Finalize terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary.

Manage inter-agency and country coordination for UN Women in Bahrain on behalf of the Regional Director:

• Participate in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) processes and similar exercises related to the Resident Coordinator (RC) system, as necessary and in close consultation with the regional office;
• Provide guidance to the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in supporting enhanced response to national partners in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment;
• Place UN Women strategically placed in UN planning processes, joint programmes and other inter-agency initiatives, such as the UNCT-SWAP, in close collaboration with the Regional Director;
• Draft analytical progress reports on UN Women’s programme experiences in support of UN Women inter-agency coordination role;
• Collaborate with the Regional Office, provide coordination support to UN Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and national authorities to promote gender equality and women empowerment activities in Bahrain;
• Identify and inform the Regional Office of joint programming opportunities and participate in the development of UN joint programmes, as necessary.

Build partnership and develop resource mobilization strategies:

• Develop and implement partnerships strategies and plans;
• Prepare relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for mobilization of financial and in-kind resources;
• Analyze and research on partners, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, and identification of opportunities for cost sharing;
• Plan and oversee the implementation of advocacy and awareness campaigns and fundraising events, as required.

Manage knowledge building and sharing and communications advocacy:

• Develop knowledge management strategies and methodologies for the country programme;
• Develop and lead communications/advocacy initiatives;
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned for the dissemination of information;
• Provide the Regional Office (and HQ) with updates and relevant information for publication and advocacy campaigns.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality programme design and annual workplan (in accordance with the planning cycle);
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans;
• Strong relations with partners and stakeholders;
• Timely and quality reports;
• Quality monitoring and reporting;
• Quality knowledge products;
• Increased awareness of women’s rights and UN women’s work in Bahrain;
• UN Women is seen as a leader in gender equality and women’s empowerment in Bahrain.

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: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Ability to manage operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them;
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management principles and approaches;
• Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women's empowerment;
• Strong knowledge of Bahrain and the Gulf sub-region;
• 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, 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Experience in establishing inter-relationships among international organizations and national governments;
• Experience in leading a team is an asset;
• Experience in the in the field of gender and human rights of women is an asset;
• Experience in administrative systems and UN system norms is an asset;
• Experience in Bahrain and / or the Gulf sub-region is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language 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.

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.)

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org