Programme Specialist: Women Political Participation

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 123,320 USD and 161,478 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.

To promote the leadership and participation of women in all levels of decision-making processes, UN Women works with a range of stakeholders including women leaders and aspiring leaders, candidates, the National Legislature, political parties, media, civil society organizations, and electoral management bodies, in coordination with UN partner Entities, through a wide range of interventions which include: i) support gender responsive legal reforms, and institutional processes to advance women’s participation and representation (including initiatives to address violence against women in politics); ii) build capacities of women leaders and aspiring candidates; iii) promote change of gender norms through advocacy and outreach initiatives targeting communities, political leaders and the media; iv) and support women leaders in gender responsive political institutions.

Liberia’s record of having the first elected female President in 2005 in Africa and electing the first female Vice-President in 2018 has given the country a special recognition on the continent. This follows the outstanding role Liberian women have played during the civil crisis, which ended in 2003. Although Liberia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol; is a signatory to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; has ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), and has its own National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the country ranks 162 out of 187 placements on the IPU Parline ranking of women in national parliaments. Women occupy just 9.7% (10) of the 103 seats in the Legislature and 21% (4) of the 19 ministerial posts that comprise the Cabinet. In local government, from general town chiefs to county superintendents, women account for under 6% of leadership positions. Women’s representation and participation is also low in peacebuilding architecture and other decision-making for a.

Reporting to Deputy Country Representative, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under their portfolio. The PRogramme Specialist 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

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of Women Political Participation & Leadership

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Women Political Participation & Leadership.

2. Manage the implementation and management of the Women Political Participation & Leadership programme

• 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 personnel and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators.
• Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.

3. Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Women Political Participation & Leadership programme; 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.

4. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project

• 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.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of the Women Political Participation & Leadership programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports.

• Supervise Programme Officer and Programme Associate; Mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments.

• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

6. 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.

7. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on Women Political Participation & Leadership to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

• 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.

8. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the Women Political Participation & Leadership.

• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Women Political Participation as necessary.

• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation.

• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning.
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on Women Political Participation.

IV. Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
• Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programmes
• Relations with partners and stakeholders
• Quality reports and timely submission
• Regular communication with other agencies and partners
• Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives

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 knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of activities related to Women Political Participation
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• 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 would be an added advantage

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;
• Technical experience in Women Political Participation activities;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;

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.)