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 in Kyrgyzstan is a strong advocate for improving the lives of women and girls in the country. Building on the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, and in the framework of the UN Women Strategic Note for Kyrgyzstan 2023-2028, the Country Office implements a comprehensive programme with a focus to enhance women’s leadership; eliminate violence against women; promote women participation in peace and security agenda, all aspects of decision making; financing for gender equality, women economic empowerment, gender mainstreaming in humanitarian action, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.

UN Women is seeking to hire a Programme Specialist who will be responsible for ensuring effective and efficient delivery of programme in support to advancement of women’s leadership in the wide range areas of development. The Specialist will ensure synergies of programme activities, contribute to strengthening partnership, and promote a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations and commits to high standards of quality, productivity and timeliness in the delivery of tasks.

Under the supervision of the UN Women Country Representative and working closely with the Country Office Head of Programme the Programme Management Specialist is responsible for managing the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes for the UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office, including providing technical support to the implementation of the CO Women Leadership programme, managing the monitoring and reporting for the WiL Programme, overseeing and guiding people and budget management for the programme team, building partnerships and providing support in developing resource mobilization strategies, and managing knowledge building efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Manage the programmatic development for the CO Programme, based on the UN Women Kyrgyzstan Strategic Note

• Provide overall programme advisory support to the Office Management;
• Undertake a mapping of a actors working in support to women leadership and participation in the broader range of areas of WPS, and EVAWG;
• Organize and conduct consultations with a wide range of partners on the process of implementation of the State Programme on Women Leadership, including on institutionalization of mechanisms and procedures set as part of the State Programme on WiL;
• Contribute to the consultations with the government partners to enhance their skills and knowledge to localize and implement the NAP on GES and NAP 1325.
• Provide inputs to the process of facilitation of dialogues, co-creation, testing and iteration of local and national level mechanism/s and procedures on promoting WiL, including national and local strategic planning, budgeting and monitoring;
• Provide guidance to the facilitation and coordination CO support to different platforms and networks on women leadership;
• Review and provide feedback to project/ programme strategies and documents, workplans, case studies and related knowledge products and publications, as needed;
• Provide technical advice on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting;
• Review and evaluate proposals and oversee the preparation of donor proposals and reports;
• Draft policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions.

Provide technical support to the implementation of the CO programme

• Review programme annual work plans to assure compliance with UN Women programme goals and results-based indicators;
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
• Draft reports on activities, outputs and outcomes; and compile information in preparations of country office donor and UN Women reports;
• Provide inputs on WiL/WPS to coordination/planning/reporting activities of the UNSDCF RG4;
• Manage programme quality control and identification of potential challenges;
• Align programme activities with operations team in close liaison with Operations Manager;
• Build and manage relationships with national partners, as necessary.

Manage the monitoring and reporting for the CO programme

• Recommend and establish programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
• Manage the monitoring of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators;
• Coordinate the process of gathering information and preparing progress reports on programme implementation; prepare technical reports;
• Prepare programme team for audits and monitor implementation of audit recommendations;
• Provide training on results-based management to office staff, as necessary.

Oversee and guide people and budget management for the programme team

• Lead a team, perform staff performance reviews, ensure capacity development of RPs and staff members by suggesting development opportunities;
• Monitor and analyze financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes and operations, and with UN Women office in the Southern region.

Build partnerships and provide support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for resource mobilization and cost sharing;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

Manage knowledge building efforts

• Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination.

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

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical 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, and related fields. 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 programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building; Experience in working in a gender related area is an asset; Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in programme development and programme writing; Experience in leading teams effectively is an asset.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in Kyrgyz, Russian and English. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

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. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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 is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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.)

Applications without the completed P-11 form are incomplete and will NOT be considered for further assessment!