Programme Specialist (Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Governance) (Open to Fijian Nationals ONLY)

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.

The UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office is based in Suva, Fiji and works alongside over 20 other UN agencies in the region and in 14 countries across the Pacific: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Under its Strategic Note (SN) 2023 - 2027, UN Women Fiji MCO focuses on delivering on four interlinked programme areas underpinned by support for intergovernmental and normative processes:

• Women’s Governance, Political Participation and Leadership
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Ending Violence against Women and Girls
• Climate Action/Humanitarian Action and Resilience

The work of the MCO on Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Governance is currently mostly led under the WPEL Programme which has a strong focus on Women’s Rights, Governance and Women’s Political Participation and Leadership. The Programme Specialist will however be expected to support and provide technical gender expertise to the entire portfolio of programming of the Fiji MCO. The scope of work of the Programme Specialist therefore requires experience and in-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s rights, governance as well as programme management expertise, to translate the programme objectives into effective development initiatives and results.

Reporting to the Deputy Representative, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under his / her portfolio. He / She works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programmes for the MCO related to gender equality, women’s political empowerment and leadership, women’s rights and governance:

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to gender equality, women’s rights and governance including women’s political participation.
• Support the integration of women’s rights and CEDAW throughout the programming portfolio of the MCO.

Manage the implementation and management of the MCO programs on gender equality, women’s political empowerment and leadership women’s rights and governance:

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

Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners:

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the MCO programming on gender equality, women’s political empowerment and leadership women’s rights and governance; respond to any potential problems;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners in the area of gender equality, women’s rights and governance.
• Manage the Fiji MCO’s CEDAW support (technical and financial support) including support to CSOs for Shadow Report development and development of UNCT Confidential reports.

Manage the implementation of programme/ project activities through monitoring and reporting:

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

Manage the people and financial resources of the MCO programs on gender equality, women’s political empowerment and leadership women’s rights and governance:

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists as necessary; Mentor and coach staff and do performance assessments as necessary;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies:

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination to achieve a coherent and aligned presence for the MCO on gender equality, women’s political empowerment and leadership, women’s rights and governance:

• Provide 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;
• Coordinate 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.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the areas of gender equality. women’s rights and governance;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to gender equality, women’s rights and governance as necessary;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on gender equality, women’s rights and governance.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

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 in order to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong Knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights, including CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action
• Strong organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail
• Good conflict resolution 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, 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.

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 focusing on gender equality and the empowerment of women;
• Strong technical experience in gender mainstreaming and women’s rights;
• Experience in establishing relationships among international organizations and national governments in the field of gender and human rights of women;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Management experience is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;
• Knowledge of official national language of the duty station is essential.

Additional Information:

UN Women Statement on Diversity Inclusion

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).

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process

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. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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