Programme Specialist - Programme Management and Support

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.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 4,707 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 Regional Office Project and Programme Support and Management Unit (PSMU) is established to provide advisory services and direct support for project and programme development and implementation across the region. Through enhancement of management and operational capacities (e.g.: training, development of toolkits, and targeted support in delivering projects and programmes etc.), PSMU guides the region in following best practices to ensure that all projects and programmes maintain a level of standardization, planning, share knowledge, and work collectively towards UN Women' s strategic goals.

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Regional Director and matrix reporting to the Chief of PSMU in HQ, the Programme Specialist - Programme Support will play a proactive role in the promotion of programmatic oversight as well as project and programme development, implementation, and monitoring of the implementation of project and programmes in the region

Duties and Responsibilities

1 Provide advisory support and guidance on project and programme management and manage the strategic alignment and quality assurance efforts.

• Manage quality control for the effective project management and programme implementation, including programme partner management to ensure smooth workflow and processes for results-based management.
• Manage the monitoring of project and programme implementation, including programme partner management to ensure adherence to implementation rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results, and keep supervisor informed.
• Monitor project and programme implementation exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigates anomalies or unusual transactions.
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project and programme budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans in support to results based budgeting and appropriate cost recovery.
• Prepare the project and programme teams for audit and monitor implementation of audit recommendations across the region and ensure a tracking system is set up to monitor status of actions taken to enhance implementation.
• Provide technical advice on the corporate requirements and process of project quality assurance mechanisms at the project entry and implementation stages at the country, regional and global levels.

2 Strengthen capacities of project and programme teams across the region.

• Regularly assess learning needs on project and programme management procedures, including partner management, and prepare annual learning plans.

• Design and deliver tailored training programs to enhance regional capacities on project and programme implementation, including programme partner management.

• Provide targeted support to high-visibility, high-risk projects and programmes as required, in coordination with the Chief of PSMU and the Head of PMO, and Head of PSU on partner management.

3 Provide management, operational, and Project and Programme Implementation Oversight and support.

• Contribute to data, information, and analysis on Programmatic areas for the Regional Quarterly Business Review (QBR).
• Recommend and establish project and programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other key performance indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results including partner management, leading analysis, and preparing reports.
• Provide targeted support and services in support of the programmatic QBR areas.
• Systemically undertake monitoring and quarterly project and programme implementation analysis to oversee key donor portfolios.
• Provide project and programme implementation advisory support, including partner management, when required.
• Facilitate effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations, and with other UN Women offices and units.
• Provide quality assurance for all Project Documents and Donor Agreements prior to approval and signing.

4 Manage knowledge building efforts.

• Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the selected projects and programmes and contribute to their regional dissemination.
• Document capacity building efforts and good practices related to project and programme management at the regional [and country] level.

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

• Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: May supervise support personnel in the same unit.

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:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting.
• Ability to lead business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/attitudinal change.
• Ability to build strong relationships with clients; focuses on impact on results for the clients and responds positively to feedback.
• Ability to manage complexities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline 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.
• PRINCE2® Practitioner and/or Project Management Professional (PMP®) and/or Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®) Practitioner certification is an asset.

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project and programme development, strategic planning, coordination support or change management is required.
• Proven track record of drafting and advising on high quality proposals, reports, strategic notes and related documents for senior officials is required.
• International development experience preferably focused on, or strongly involving in project management and gender equality at national, regional and/or international levels is required.
• Experience in an international organization is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.
• Technical expertise in all aspects of project management including planning, financial management, budget management, risk management, communications and stakeholder engagement is desirable.
• Experience with dealing with bilateral and multilateral funding sources is desirable.
• Prior experience in the UN System is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. 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.

In accordance with the UN Staff Regulation 4.5 (b) A temporary appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal. A temporary appointment shall not be converted to any other type of appointment. This temporary appointment is budgeted for a maximum term of 729 days.

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.

Diversity and 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.