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.

The Fiji Multi Country Office (MCO) covers 14 Pacific countries, with field offices/presence in 6 countries, and five ‘focus countries’ (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Samoa). Each field presence is led by a national Country Programme Coordinator. UN Women, in partnership with Pacific Islands Governments, regional organizations, CSOs, donors and UN agencies, focuses on delivering within four interlinked programme areas:

• Ending Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG);
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE);
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action; and
• Governance and Participation in Public Life (GPPL)

Under UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 set out UN Women’s vision to achieve gender equality, the empowerment of all women and girls and the full enjoyment of their human rights.

Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD) Programme

Disaster risks converge with critical socio-economic vulnerabilities, environmental degradation and climate change making the Pacific a disaster hotspot. Disasters and climate change are widening inequalities and undermining poverty reduction in the region. Threats such as COVID-19 further exacerbated the inequalities and hardships faced by women and girls including those with disabilities. Women and girls face greater vulnerability and exposure to disasters, yet women remain largely ignored and their capacities unleveraged in conventional resilience building processes. As a result, women are generally absent in the development of resilience strategies and decision-making processes for prevention, preparedness, and recovery. This is compounded by significant gaps at the global, regional and country level in relation to the availability and use of sex, age and disability disaggregated data (SADDD), knowledge sharing on women’s resilience; an enabling environment for building women’s resilience (including capacities, leadership and funding); translation of commitments into action; coordination and private sector partnership; and a need for transformative change to tackle the underlying drivers of disproportionate risk.

UN Women’s WRD programme proposes a comprehensive package for building women’s resilience to disasters, climate change and threats (including COVID-19). The aim of the WRD Programme is to render women’s and girls’ lives and livelihoods disaster-resilient, contributing to sustainable and secure communities, by promoting gender responsive prevention, preparedness, and recovery systems, plans and tools; and by enabling targeted action to help women and girls withstand hazards and threats, recover fully from disasters, and increase their resilience to future risks. The expected end-of-programme outcomes (EOPOs) are:

1. Prevention, preparedness and recovery systems, plans and tools are gender-responsive through women’s leadership in DRR, women’s enhanced influence in DRR decision-making, enhanced gender capacity of DRR and climate resilience stakeholders, increased access to knowledge, guidance and expertise on gender-responsive disaster resilience, and strategic partnerships and networks for women’s agency and leadership in DRR; and
2. Women and girls are prepared to withstand natural hazards, climate change and COVID-19, recover from disasters and increase their resilience to future risks, through gender-responsive early warning systems, gender targeted and mainstreamed services for women’s resilience, women’s informal and formal climate and disaster resilient businesses, women’s increased access to climate and disaster resilient livelihoods and strategic partnerships for resilient livelihoods.

Under the direct supervision of the WRD Gender and Resilience Specialist, the National Coordinator ensures the effective and efficient management of the WRD programme in Fiji by coordinating programme design, formulation, implementation, and evaluation. S/he guides and facilitates the delivery of the UN Women WRD Programme in Fiji by monitoring results achieved during implementation, ensuring risk management, ensuring appropriate application of systems and procedures, and development of enhancements if necessary. She/he works in close collaboration with the WRD programme and operations team at UN Women Fiji MCO, HQ/global team, national Government counterparts, donors and civil society, ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation portfolio.

The National Programme Coordinator further supports the WRD Gender and Resilience Specialist to establish and maintain effective partnerships with national and local Government, multi-lateral, and bi-lateral donors, develops the annual WRD country report and assists with the preparation of project related reports and documentations as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure the development of programme strategies and annual planning for the Women’s Resilience to Disasters programme in Fiji:

• Ensure the design and formulation of WRD Fiji national annual work plan, planning documents, WRD strategies and initiatives are in line with the WRD project document and particularly WRD outcome 1 and 2 indicators and targets;
• Coordinate the development of the national WRD baselines, milestones, and targets;
• Identify areas for support and interventions related to the programme;
• Participate in WRD regional meetings and learning retreats.

Implement and manage the Women’s Resilience to Disasters Fiji programme:

• Coordinate the implementation of the WRD Fiji national annual work plan and budget in line with identified targets and indicators, the two WRD outcomes and the WRD project document;
• Plan and lead the implementation of WRD programme activities and coordinate development of WRD deliverables in a results-based manner and in line with the approved WRD annual work plan;
• Support the review, coordination, and monitoring of the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Contribute towards the training of partners on Results Based Management and monitor implementation.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination to achieve a coherent and aligned presence for the Women’s Resilience to Disasters programme Fiji:

• Mainstream gender and women leadership in inter-agency coordination processes, tools, and activities.
• Draft background reports, technical support documents and briefs to increase the gender responsiveness of inter-agency processes on DRR and climate change.
• Initiate coordination meetings and identify opportunities to mainstream gender in inter-agency coordination processes as needed.
• Provide targeted technical support to UN agencies for the gender-responsive implementation of their DRR and climate work.

Develop and implement advocacy, knowledge building and communication activities and tools to increase gender-responsiveness and women leadership in disaster risk reduction and climate action in Fiji:

• Ensure advocacy and communication for gender-responsive prevention, preparedness and resilience and women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction and climate change at national level with government counterparts, NDMO, civil society organizations and DRR and climate practitioners.
• Develop background documents, briefs and presentations related to the Women’s Resilience to Disasters programme in Fiji;
• Coordinate and organize advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops, and knowledge products;
• Coordinate the development of knowledge management methodologies, and products on Women’s Resilience to Disasters in Fiji;
• Provide inputs and technical support to all communications and knowledge product development.

Provide technical assistance and capacity development to WRD programme partners:

• Coordinate and provide technical support in the implementation of programme activities;
• Establish and maintain relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of Women’s Resilience to Disasters Fiji programme;
• Identify opportunities for capacity building of partners and facilitate technical/ programming support and trainings to partners, as needed;
• Provide training, facilitation and mentoring to partners, as needed.

Ensure monitoring and reporting of the WRD programme at national level in Fiji:

• Monitor progress of implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Draft reports on monitoring missions, programme results, outputs, and outcomes;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports;
• Provide support to Program Management and Program Working Committee meetings and reports.
• Provide WRD risk management and monitoring at country level and take risk mitigation measures as needed.

Provide substantive technical inputs to the management of people, operations, and finances of the Women’s Resilience to Disasters Fiji programme

• Contribute to the monitoring of implementation and make budget re-alignments/ revisions, as necessary;
• Contribute to the training of partners on FACE form.

Provide substantive inputs to building partnerships for WRD and resource mobilization strategies complementary to WRD

• Provide substantive inputs to resource mobilization strategies; analyze and maintain information and databases;
• Prepare relevant documentation such as project summaries, conference papers, briefing notes, speeches, and donor profiles;
• Participate in donor meetings and public information events, as delegated;
• Assist in the preparation and support to partner organizations for the hosting of high-level delegations.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies:

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation 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 technical area;
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in development related discipline/s including gender issues, public policy, social work, or other related social science fields is highly required.
• A first-level University Degree (Bachelors’ Degree) in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of two (2) years (with Masters’ Degree), or minimum of four (4) years (with Bachelors’ Degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in project / programme formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building;
• Substantive and technical expertise in disaster risk reduction, climate change, women’s economic empowerment, or informal sector support;
• Experience in facilitating workshops and delivering trainings is an asset;
• Experience in coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;
• Knowledge of official national language of the duty station is essential.

Additional Information:

UN Women Statement on Diversity 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).

Application Submission:

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process