UN Women: Programme Management Specialist, Programme Management Office (PMO)

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 140,639 USD and 184,155 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

The duration of the assignment is until 31 December 2022. Whereas an external candidate will be offered a temporary appointment, subject to release agreements, staff members in UN Women may be administered as a temporary assignment and staff members in the UN Common system may be administered under a loan arrangement.

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 Programme Support & Management Unit (PSMU) provides corporate advisory services and direct support for project and programme development and implementation including for the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID). PSMU guides PPID, regions and countries in following best practice to ensure that all projects and programmes maintain a level of standardization, planning, share knowledge, and work collectively towards UN Women’s strategic goals. PSMU offers the organization’s Regional Offices and Country Offices a range of services, training and toolkits that increase their implementation capacity to deliver programmes on time, on scope and on budget. It also supports the implementation of global projects managed by Headquarters.

Within PSMU, the Head of PMO supports the Chief PSMU in leading the organization’s work on project and programme management capacities and strengthening, which includes:

• Capacity building and training for project and programme staff;
• Professionalization of project and programme management standards, practices and capacities;
• Knowledge Management – leading the Community of Practice and Center of Excellence for Project and Programme Management; and
• Targeted project and programme planning and initiation support.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of PSMU, and under the direct supervision of the Head of PMO, the Programme Management Specialist is responsible for supporting organizational efforts in the professionalization of project and programme management standards, practices, and capacities, specifically related to the organization’s Programme and Project Life Cycle (PPLC) Maturity Project.

In particular, the Programme Management Specialist will: 1) provide coordination and technical/analytical support to the PPLC team and key stakeholders, including management of the project scope, schedule and budget, 2) support the PPLC project team to ensure successful implementation/completion of accepted recommendations and relevant follow-up, 3) develop and manage the adoption and promulgation of corporate policies, procedures, guidance and tools per the PPLC project scope of work, 4) coordinate and attend project meetings, prepare inputs, and prepare minutes and other documentation, including progress reports for the Head of PMO, and 5) perform other official duties and special assignments as requested.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide coordination and technical/analytical support to the PPLC team and key stakeholders, including management of the project scope, schedule, and budget:

• Gather, compile, and analyze information relevant to the PPLC project and project/programme management best practices;
• Ensure that all information is provided and managed in a consistent and organized manner, enabling efficient delivery of the PPLC Project;
• Review project data and provide recommendations based on the data and make PPLC/PMO colleagues aware of actions to be taken;
• Coordinate, schedule and attend PPLC-related meetings, coordinate inputs, synthesize data and inputs, and prepare minutes, visuals, and other documentation, including summary reports, audit updates, and presentations of progress as required;
• Communicate and liaise regularly with Regional Office, Country Offices, and Headquarters to ensure smooth implementation and timely support of PPLC-related initiatives, capacity-building measures, and queries.

2. Support the PPLC project team to ensure successful implementation/completion of accepted recommendations and relevant follow-up:

• Support the adoption/enhancement of PPLC processes through implementing recommendations from the existing gap analyses, evaluations, and audits, and through application of international best practices.
• Provide substantive inputs to the design and formulation of relevant PPLC Project Documentation, including annual workplans and budgets;
• Create and maintain relevant information and documentation, and establish and manage a tracking and monitoring system for PPLC and PMO issues in alignment with corporate systems;
• Prepare and/or provide substantive inputs and updates on the PPLC project for corporate reports and provide data, analysis, and inputs as required;
• Review internal and external materials and comparable initiatives to identify trends, lessons learned, best practices and challenges related to project/programme management best practices that can inform the PPLC;
• Review and check substantive PPLC-related materials for accuracy as requested by the Head of PMO;
• Ensure all information on the PPLC project is easily available for all relevant offices, including through the development and roll-out of a centralized repository for project and programme management as managed by the PMO;
• Update information on the intranet on the PPLC and contribute to the Project, Programme and Portfolio Management Community of Practice.

3. Develop and manage the adoption and promulgation of corporate policies, procedures, guidance and tools per the PPLC project scope of work:

• Support the development and drafting of PPLC-related policies, procedures, guidance and tools to be created per the scope of work, and support management with their promulgation and adoption by UN Women’s corporate body.
• Establish and maintain relationships and liaise with offices, including the Independent Evaluation and Audit Services (IEAS) office, Regional Offices, Country Offices and HQ staff on the PPLC-related policies, procedures and guidance that will inform the corporate approach to project management, and ensure a smooth exchange of information and data, implementation, and work planning in support of optimized organizational delivery;
• Respond to PPLC queries and requests for information, and provide technical support as required; compile and maintain data and documentation related to requests;

4. Coordinate and attend project meetings, prepare inputs, and prepare minutes and other documentation, including progress reports for the Head of PMO:

• Organize and coordinate regular meetings for the PPLC team with relevant stakeholders, keeping track of issues raised and ensuring action and follow-up when required.
• Provide technical inputs and analysis for the development and refreshment of training materials on project/programme management in relation to the current status of PPLC-related matters;
• Draft status reports and other types of reports (missions, analysis, updates, inputs into UN Women reports and communiques, etc.).

5. Perform other official duties and special assignments as requested.

• Undertake or participate in missions and capacity-building activities as required to support successful implementation of the PPLC project;

Key Performance Indicators

• The PPLC workplan and budget are developed, managed, and implemented in line with the PSMU biannual work plan
• Adherence to UN Women’s Rules, Regulations, policies and procedures, using a results-based management approach
• Regular monitoring of deliverables, issues/deviations are raised in a timely manner
• Timely and quality reporting and regular dissemination and sharing of information, including best practices/ lessons learned

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 Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Strong policy, procedure and guidance formulation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
• Ability to synthesize corporate data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical and drafting skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, or Gender 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including policy/procedure/guidance development, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building;
• Experience in working in a gender related area is an asset;
• Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in corporate policy/procedure design and drafting exercises and performing oversight;
• Experience in leading teams effectively 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) 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.

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.)