Programme Assistant, Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund (For Nationals of Philippines Only)

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.

UN Women, through its Women, Peace and Security Team in Cotabato City, manages the Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) that works with CSO partners in conflict impacted communities all over the country. It is also implementing the Empowering women for sustainable peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) together with UNDP. These programme recognize that gender-related vulnerabilities and violence, pandemics, climate change,  and electoral transitions challenge to the peace and stability of the BARMM and its surrounding areas by straining efforts to reintegrate former combatants, driving up competition for scarce resources in localities with historical tension, and shifting institutional focus away from building inclusive policies during the formative stage of the region’s new administrative apparatus. These programme seek to contribute to the Normalization agenda of the BARMM government. They are designed to prevent insecurity and violence by harnessing the potentials of both women and men and addressing structural gender inequality and discriminatory gender norms that are the barriers to sustainable peace.

In 2023, UN Women supported the development and launch ofthe National Action Plan on Peace on Women Peace and Security (2023-2033) and the BARMM Regional Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (2023-2027). From 2024, UN Women will focuses on the localization of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in BARMM and other conflict areas of the countries, with the assumption that peace is inextricably linked to equality between women and men. Empowering women to engage in peacebuilding within communities affected by conflict is critical to creating and sustaining peace in BARMM and the country’s other conflict zones. The Philippine NAP WPS and BARMM RAP WPS BARMM provide a clear entry point to translate commitment into concrete plans back with resource allocation in the coming years. As we implement these, the UN Women seek to enhance the role of the Filipino and Bangsamoro women in the implementation of the peace agreement, in conflict transformation and the protection of their human rights in conflict and post-conflict settings.

UN Women seeks a Programme Assistant to work and provides support to the members of the Programme Team in the development and implementation of the programmes, both in Manila and Cotabato Office. The Programme Assistant will provide support and assistance to the team to ensure effective programme implementation in line with UN Women rules and regulations. Under the guidance and supervision of the Programme Specialist, with the direct guidance from the Programme Associate, the Programme Assistant supports the programme operations by performing a variety of standard administrative processes. The Programme Assistant works in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations team to ensure consistent service delivery. 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide administrative and logistical support to the formulation and management of programmes 

• Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements, including tracking the delivery of funds;
• Provide administrative support to the executing agencies / responsible parties on routine delivery and reporting of programme supported activities and finances;
• Provide administrative support for the audit of programmes/ projects and support implementation of audit recommendations;
• Identify sources, and gather and compile data and information for the preparation of documents, guidelines, speeches and position papers, in collaboration with the Programme team.

2. Provide administrative support to the financial management of the Programme Unit:

• Create projects in Quantum system, prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project;
• Provide administrative support in monitoring and preparation of budget and the finances of programmes/projects, and in the preparation of FACE forms;
• Prepare non-PO vouchers for development projects;
• Process payment for consultants, as deleaged;
• Create requisitions in Quantum system for development projects; register good receipts in Quantum system.

3. Provide administrative support to the Programme Unit:

• Undertake all logistical, administrative and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions;
• Make travel arrangements for the Programme Team, including travel requisitions and claims;
• Draft minutes in meetings, as delegated;
• Assemble briefing materials and prepare power-point and other presentations, in collaboration with the Programme team;
• Organize and coordinate filing of documents; maintain mailing lists.

4. Provide administrative support to resource mobilization:

• Organize, compile, and process documentation and information from donors, and programme team as inputs to various databases and documents.

5. Support communications, visibility and programme results distribution through knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the CO, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Participation in programme and project review and stakeholder engagement
• Documentation and generation of impactful stories and cases studies
• Generation of marketing and communication materials to broaden project engagement and visibility
• Participation in the training and knowledge exchanges;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

6. 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:

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to perform a broad range of specialized activities aimed at effective and efficient functioning of the programme team, including logistical support.
• Ability to provide input to business process re-engineering, elaboration and implementation of new data management systems.
• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality.
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities.
• Ability to handle a large volume of work, also under time constraints.
• Ability to establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.
• Good financial and budgeting skills;
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required.
• University degree (or equivalent) in Accounting, Business or Public Administration or related field is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience with administrative or programme management/support.
• Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages.
• Experience in working with FACE Form is an advantage.
• Experience in the use of ERP systems, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable;
• Experience in supporting a team is desirable.
• Work experience within the UN system is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Tagalog is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN official language is an asset (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from
• 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 Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.