National Portfolio Coordinator (Tajikistan Nationality only)

Contract

This is a SB-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Service Board / Service Contract. It is normally only for nationals. More about SB-4 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.

Women's rights are the fundamental human rights that were enshrined by the United Nations for every human being on the planet. These rights include the right to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination; to be educated; to own property; to vote; and to earn a fair and equal wage.

It’s crucial for every woman and girl to realize the rights that are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other rights that are vital for women’s equality: reproductive rights, the right of every woman to live equally and free from discrimination, no matter her sexuality or identity.

In these regards, UN Women supports two critical documents for women’s rights that have followed the UN Human Rights declaration. The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international bill of rights for women, requires governments to end gender discrimination and affirms women’s rights to health services, including family planning. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 at the UN’s Fourth World Conference in Beijing, was a rallying cry to embed gender equality and women’s rights in every facet of life.

All over the world, women face several obstacles to participating in political life. Structural barriers through discriminatory laws and institutions still limit women’s options to run for office. Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have the education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders.

UN Women programming aims to increase social inclusion, voice, involvement, and decision-making of women and girls living endowing them with capacities, skills and competencies that open socio-economic opportunities, enable them to participate in political life, enhance their community participation, and live the life free of violence. Through its interventions, UN Women addresses risks of exclusion in the country which are increasing due to growing stigma and discrimination, persistent economic hardship, social, economic and political exclusion of young people and especially women and shifting social norms.

Reporting to UN Women Tajikistan Country Programme Manager, the Portfolio Coordinator will bear full responsibility for overall implementation of the planned activities under UN Women Tajikistan Annual Work Plan for enhancing capacity of partners to deliver efficient services pertinent to the portfolio objectives, support a joint work within Gender Theme Group on overcoming gender stereotypes and promotion of zero tolerance to violence against women and girls and raising public recognition on WHRs and universal commitments to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Portfolio Coordinator will contribute to the effective management of UN Women programme by providing substantive inputs to country programme design, formulation, implementation and evaluation.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Coordinate the area of Women’s Rights, Political Participation, and HIV/AIDS

• Coordinate the overall Programme work plan development and implementation according to programme document;
• Gather inputs and coordinate the preparation of work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the UN Women;
• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners;
• Provide inputs to overall implementation of the planned activities under UN Women Tajikistan Annual Work Plan for enhancing capacity of partners to deliver efficient services to young people and women and girls living with HIV, improving access to essential services for women, gender responsive governance, support an joint work within Gender Theme Group and relevant UNCT Theme Groups on overcoming gender stereotypes and promotion of zero tolerance to violence against women and girls and raising public recognition on WHRs and universal commitments to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Record and maintain documents on relevant Programme activities, issues, and risks.

2. Guide coordination with national partners and other stakeholders

• Coordinate relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Women’s Rights, Political Participation, and HIV/AIDS portfolio, raise potential problems and suggest solutions;
• Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives, as needed.
• Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design, as necessary;

3. Coordinate the monitoring and reporting on the projects under the Women’s Rights, Political Participation, and HIV/AIDS portfolio

• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on programmes and projects from the planning to the evaluation stages;
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds; conduct regular monitoring visits, as required;
• Compile annual and quarterly reports based upon inputs received from partners who lead implementation of key activities; coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Contribute technically to the development of programme strategies in the area of Women’s Rights, Political Participation, and HIV/AIDS portfolio;
• Provide inputs from Women’s Rights, Political Participation, and HIV/AIDS portfolio activities and results to relevant country and regional reporting documents.
• Lead and/or provide substantive inputs to the design and formulation of programme proposals and initiatives in the assigned areas, including UN joint programming;

4. Manage people and finances within Women’s Rights, Political Participation, and HIV/AIDS portfolio

• Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the projects, including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting;
• Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners;
• Approve and reviews procurement processes, including required support documents, and the procurement plan for Programme Management Costs and donor funds
• Ensure appropriate actions are taken to optimize use of funds.

5. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies under the orientation of the projects to seek additional resources to complement current interventions;
• Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on projects goals, regional needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

6. Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication

• Document the implementation process and products;
• Contribute to the exchange of information and provide inputs to the development of knowledge products internally and externally;
• Coordinate the organization of major advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products

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 budget and finance skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical skills

Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in public administration, law, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas is required or a Bachelor’s degree with an additional two years of experience.
• 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 2 years (4 years for candidates with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national partners, preferably related to thematic area;
• Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating development programmes and projects;
• Project management experience, including the financial, human resources and administration aspects of a project;
• Previous experience working in the UN System is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in oral and written English, Tajik and Russian is required;

• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;

• 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; Please group all documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows one document to be uploaded.