Programme Specialist at UN Women

UN Women - 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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Specialist

Location: Abuja
Type of Contract: Service Contract
Post Level: SB-5
Duration of Initial Contract: 1 year with possibility of extension

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.  Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the efforts of the United Nations System to ensure that commitments on gender equality translate into action. To accomplish this mandate, UN Women partners with government, the private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations in furtherance of gender equality. 
• UN Women’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa will implement the project: Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement Reform in West and Central Africa between 2021-2024. The regional project seeks to support women’s economic empowerment through enhanced opportunities of women-led businesses to access public procurement and corporate supply chains in four countries of West Africa: Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire. The project will also integrate affirmative procurement initiatives in the context of COVID 19 response and recovery strategies. COVID19 hit West and Central Africa at the beginning of the second quarter of 2020.
• The implementation of the project will be led by project coordinator at the country and regional level.  The project coordinator will be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of project activities. They will also serve as subject matter expert on procurement and gender.  She/he will guide and facilitate the delivery of the project by monitoring results achieved during implementation and ensuring appropriate application of systems and procedures.  She/he will work in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, donor and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities
Project Management and Coordination:

• Act as project manager for the national component of the project Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement Reform in West and Central Africa and lead implementation of national activities
• Manage, supervise, and coordinate consultants and other contractors for the implementation of project activities
• Manage financial resources of the programme including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking
• Oversee regular monitoring visits to project implementation sites 
• Monitor project progress according to the work plan, and draft monitoring and donor reports
• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and timely donor reporting;·
• Finalize annual and quarterly reports; finalize the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports; ·
• Coordinate relationships with key partners to support implementation, raise potential problems and suggest solutions
• Act as country focal person for the regional evaluation of the project

Partnerships:

• Manage relationships with government stakeholders, including procurement agencies at the federal and state level, to strengthen implementation of project activities.
• Build and strengthen partnerships with women-owned businesses, women-owned business networks and development partners (civil society organisations, donors) including through facilitating partner learning, and identifying opportunities for collaboration

Technical Assistance and Advice on Affirmative Procurement Reform:

• Advice CO senior management and project partners on integration of affirmative procurement principles in national/regional policies.
• Identify capacity building needs and support the development of strategies to build capacity in the area of gender- responsive procurement policies and practices
• Support and oversee technical experts in the provision of technical assistance to institutional partners and Women-led SMEs to access public procurement/corporate supply chains

Knowledge Management:

• Support the CO in the formulation and implementation of national learning strategies to build capacity of UN Women’s and its strategic partners in the area of affirmative procurement
• Lead the development of advocacy, knowledge building and communications activities at the national/country level
• Contribute to the exchange of information and lead/supervise technical experts in the development of knowledge products
• Actively participate in UN Women’s Community of Practice on Gender responsive procurement to share results, information and lessons from the project

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality substantive inputs programme strategies and activities;
• Timely and quality substantive inputs to workplans and budgets;
• Adherence to UN Women standards and rules;
• Timely monitoring and tracking of programme results and finances;
• Relationship with partners and stakeholders;
• Timely organization of events;
• Quality of knowledge and advocacy products

Required Skills and Experience
Education and certification:

• Master's Degree in the following areas: Economics, Finance, Gender, International Development, Procurement or any other relevant area
• Certification in Procurement, Gender, Financial Management, Project Management, Public - Private Partnerships would be considered an added advantage

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible work experience in development programme/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building.
• Experience in public policy and strategy to support women's entrepreneurship.
• In-depth knowledge of gender/public procurement procedures and regulations in West and Central Africa;
• Knowledge of and experience working with private sector affirmative sourcing and supply chain practices;
• Experience working in programs and projects funded by international institutions (World Bank, African Development Bank; United Nations System) is an asset.
• Experience designing and delivering training for women entrepreneurs is an asset,

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:

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Good budget and finance skills
• Good knowledge of Results-Based Management
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
• Good analytical skills
• Good knowledge of the technical area of gender-responsive procurement
• Good knowledge of women's business associations
• Ability to identify and analyse trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English.
• Knowledge of local languages is an asset.

Application Closing Date
26th April, 2022, (Midnight New York Time)

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• 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.)