UN WOMEN: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women will work 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. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. Staff and consultants of the Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) are expected to contribute to a professional working environment in which the strengthening of national capacities and human potential is prioritized. Respect for diversity and human dignity is required, as is the active pursuit of a collaborative and inclusive approach to both internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues and partners. Under the guidance and direct supervision of the UN Women ACO Deputy Country Director (DCD), the Program Management Specialist shall be overall responsible and accountable for supporting the establishment of systems and knowledge on results based reporting, and monitoring and evaluation of programmes within the Country Office (CO). This includes, but is not limited to, supporting more systematic capturing of results and impact of the work on the ground; linking strengthened communication and evidenced based reporting to mobilizing partnerships and resources for the programme; supporting corporate monitoring and evaluation processes; and coordinating the strengthened evidenced based reporting processes and proposal development from a results-based perspective.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Responsibility: Work with the senior management to build and maintain effective external relations, partnerships and support resource mobilization; Ensure results-based orientation of Country Office (CO) programmes and projects Support the improved capturing and monitoring of results; Ensure the provision of effective and efficient coordination of results-based proposals and timely reporting to donors Assist senior management in monitoring and evaluation and supporting the more systematic monitoring of programmes by the relevant units in the CO; Ensure that programmes are implemented according to Strategic Plan, Work Plan and aligned to donor agreements and other national priorities including NPPs. Effective external relations, partnerships and resource mobilization support Supports UN Women ACO in the implementation of the resource mobilization strategy/plan and periodically reviews resource mobilization plan and adjusts it, as needed; Supports improved capturing and dissemination of results of programmes, including to government, development partners and international community; Develops appropriate tools and evidence-based rationale to support UN Women ACO in the pursuance of resources mobilization and partnership building, including preparation of project proposals; Develops a prospective donor profile database that includes prospective donor funding areas, geographical and sectoral preferences, criteria, and policies with a view to identify funding opportunities; Initiates periodic meetings and presentations to prospective donors in and outside Afghanistan; Supports preparation of reports to donors in close collaboration with programme staff, ensuring reports strongly capture the impact of programmes to date; and negotiates the use of unspent balances and closed projects and accrued interest; Explores opportunities of joint programming and co-funding with donors based in Afghanistan and the sub-region, including multi- and bi-lateral funding, INGOs and UN system organizations; Provides technical input and guidance to programs to ensure reports are results-based. Develops and implement strategies for maximizing potential for existing trust funds and regional projects and other sources; Develops staff capacities on corporate requirements for resource mobilization; Results-based Planning and Programme management Contributes to the systematic tracking , mid-term review and revision of the UN Women ACO Strategic Annual Workplan for 2012-2013 as well as Unit Work Plans Facilitates the annual resource planning exercise in line with the Strategic Annual Workplan targets Coordinates the process of results-based monitoring, including results-based annual reporting and target setting with programme units Coordinates and oversees the development of an annual results-based management schedule for the country programmes and projects Liaises with relevant programme units and senior staff to develop and appraise project proposals in accordance with UN Women programme guidelines. Actively participates in country level UN programming processes and related planning exercises, including UNDAF Monitoring and Reporting Contributes to the development and monitoring of relevant indicators related to ACO Strategic Annual Workplan. Provides quality assurance guidance to ACO programs to conduct monitoring activities as per ACO Strategic Annual Workplan and tracking tool, Programme specific M &E calendar and yearly planner. Tracks progress based on process indicators and targets on a quarterly basis and captures success stories. Orients programme units to ensure good quality monitoring data and ACO annual report are available. Provides quarterly M&E reports to support senior management based on the data from the M&E system. Facilitates organizing and conducting periodic planning and review meetings and workshops such as mid-term reviews, end reviews and consultation workshops. Evaluation: Contributes to the development of a comprehensive CO Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) plan in line with UN Women Evaluation Policy, Strategy and Guidance. Provide technical input in accordance with UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) standards and UN Women Evaluation Strategy, Policy and Guidance for evaluation activities including baseline, annual reviews, mid-term and end-line evaluations and other survey, programme assessment and reviews, and coordinate the implementation of baseline, mid-line and end-line studies or surveys. In collaboration with programme units and other UN Agencies participates in M&E working group of UNCT and contributes to ensure that UN Women meets its commitments based on the UNDAF M&E result matrix Builds capacity of implementing partners for results-based management and monitoring and evaluation Knowledge Management: Provides quality assurance to best practices and lessons learned to UN Women documented by staff Indentifies research gaps and initiate/coordinate relevant research activities Supports programme staff to collect and disseminate best practices, success stories and lessons learned from the programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation activities Utilizes formal and informal networks such M&E Working Group of UNCT and other theme groups, strategically to advance evidence based planning and effective monitoring mechanisms. Impact of Results: The key results of the post are to improve development and organizational effectiveness of the CO, to strengthen the cohesion and synergies between programme and operation teams, as well as between the CO and projects. It is further expected that the senior post ensures linkages between strategic planning, policy analysis, external relations, networking, knowledge management, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and resource mobilization. Programme and project management consistency, effectiveness, efficiency and oversight for CO programme and projects shall be improved and resources are mobilized while effective partnerships are being maintained. Timely preparation of result based reports and submission to donors. This highly strategic post ensures overall support to coherence and results-based management of the UN Women ACO.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies: Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards; Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability Fostering innovation and empowerment Working in teams at all levels Communicating information and ideas/knowledge sharing Analytical and strategic thinking/results orientation/commitment to Excellence Functional Competencies: Development and Operational Effectiveness Ability to lead results-based management and reporting; Job knowledge /technical expertise Ability to lead resource mobilization; Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage contributions and investments, manage transactions; Ability to implement new systems and affect staff behavioural/ attitudinal change. Management and Leadership Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback; Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude; Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills; Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities; Good planning, goal setting and prioritization skills. Other skills Ability to lead and inspire staff and partners toward shared goals; Good inter-personal and diplomacy skills; Capacity to write clearly and concisely; Ability to take decision under pressure and to deal with matters that are politically and cultural sensitive; Ability to work across multi-cultural context and build partnership to ensure achievement of results in a post conflict environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master’s Degree or equivalent in Public Administration, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences, Development Studies or related field. Experience: Minimum of 5 years of progressive relevant professional work experience in management methodologies along the areas of policy and program development and management, planning, design and project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, resource mobilization and networking, administration and human resource development and management. Track record on gender and participatory approaches with sound knowledge of international standards on women’s rights and related instruments. A proven ability to liaise with a myriad of stakeholders and partners, including government, civil society, international organizations and grassroots organizations. A proven history of leadership, management and staff supervision through a style of mutual accountability and professional development. Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact, and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles, implementing partners, and national and international personnel of varied nationalities and backgrounds. Commitment to upholding the organizational values and principles of UN Women. Preferably with an understanding of the social, cultural, and political context of Afghanistan and its relation to gender Language: Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially in professional English. Fluent in English language. Strong, confident command of both written and oral English. Knowledge of local languages, Dari and/or Pashto, an asset. Computer Skills: High level of proficiency in computer systems, internet navigation and various office applications. Important Note: 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. All applications must include (as an attachment) the 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. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.