Project Officer, Women’s Economic Empowerment and Strengthening of National Institutions

Contract

This is a SB-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Service Board / Service Contract. It is normally only for nationals. More about SB-5 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.

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

She/he provides technical expertise on capacity development of national institutions including the national gender machinery, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, institutions in the justice law and order sectors, civil society and government departments for gender equality and women’s empowerment with a holistic approach. The Project Officer analyses political, social, and economic trends, provides policy advisory services to partners in government, UN, development partners, CSOs and academia; The Project Officer provides regular analysis of policies and practices to senior management and compiles lessons learned for formulation of strategic interventions, including support on resource mobilization.

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme strategies around Women’s Economic Empowerment and the strengthening of national institutions portfolios

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Women’s Economic Empowerment and strengthening national institutions for gender equality in Zimbabwe

Manage the implementation of the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme and the strengthening of national institutions programme

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

Provide strategic guidance, technical assistance, and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme and national institutions strengthening programme; respond to any gaps that may be identified;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.
• Provide support in validation, finalization preparation for required normative frameworks reporting
• Support establishment of a continuous CSO shadow monitoring and reporting framework for international and national GEWE normative commitments
• Provide support in preparation and adoption of Action Plans for the implementation of CEDAW Committee recommendations

Ensure timely and quality project monitoring and reporting

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results-based management tools and financial reporting tools;
• Monitor the implementation of normative frameworks on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment across national institutions
• 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 Women’s Economic Empowerment programme and the strengthening of national institutions programme

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

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on Women’s Economic Empowerment and the strengthening of national institutions programme 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.
• 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 advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the Women’s Economic Empowerment and institutional strengthening;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Women’s Economic Empowerment/ Normative frameworks, GEWE and institutional strengthening as necessary;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategic planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on Women’s Economic Empowerment and institutional strengthening to deliver on gender equality and women’s empowerment

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

• 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 and understanding of gender equality concepts and strategies for Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising and to develop resource mobilization strategies accordingly

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 would be an added advantage

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects to advance gender equality including working with national institutions;
• Technical experience in Women’s Economic Empowerment;
• Strong knowledge of international, regional, and national instruments, resolutions, policies, and conventions that protect women’s human rights, including Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
• Strong links with national networks, actors and partners in government, civil society, traditional leaders, parliament, media, academia, private sector, including experience in strengthening capacities of national and local partners;
• Demonstrated skills in resource mobilization and familiarity with donor priorities in Zimbabwe.
• 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;

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) a 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 and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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 based on 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.)