Programme Manager, EVAW

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.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and one of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of insecurity, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. Since the takeover by Taliban in August 2021, Afghanistan has witnessed a progressive erasure of women’s rights and freedoms, through over 70 formal and informal edicts, messages and practices. It is essential that Afghan women and girls continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan. In the evolving context UN Women continues to reconfigure and adapt its programming to be responsive to ensure the full spectrum of rights of Afghan women and girls are met.

UN Women’s programming approach in Afghanistan is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to, and capacities of, partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, (4) Contributing to Rebuilding Women Civil Society Organizations, and  (5) Women, Peace and Security. Given the operational context in country, UN Women has also strengthened its 5 sub offices to ensure a more localized approach to its programming. In addition, UN Women

Under the overall guidance of the Special Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Country Representative (Programmes), the Programme Manager is the most senior staff in EVAW Programme Team and oversees/guides the implementation of the EVAW portfolio; providing quality advisory and programme development services to the Strategic programme direction, including EVAW programme coordination and policy development. The EVAW Manager engages with relevant counterparts (internal and external),  reviews programme and donor reports, leads high level advocacy initiatives and knowledge management, and provides guidance and vision on technical capacity development. Working closely with the Operations team, She/he is also responsible for overall financial  oversight and management of the EVAW funding commitments.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Oversee the programmatic development for the EVAW Programme, based on the Strategic Note

• Advise and guide the development of the EVAW Programme, including design and formulation of  programme/ project initiatives;
• Review and provide feedback to ongoing projects/ programmes on related strategies and documents, workplans, case studies, and related knowledge products and publications;
• Provide strategic and specialized 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;
• Finalize policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions;

       2. Provide technical support to the implementation of the EVAW programme

• Assess EVAW programme annual work plans and provide recommendations to assure compliance with programme goals and results based indicators;
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
• Oversee programme quality control and identification of potential challenges;
• Ensure EVAW Programme is aligned with operations plan;

       3. Oversee monitoring and reporting for the EVAW programme

• Review and recommend programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
• Oversee the monitoring of progress against  mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators;
• Gather information and prepare reports on progress of programme implementation for the EVAW Programme and donors; prepare technical reports;
• Provide technical support in the preparation of audits and follow up on the implementation of audit recommendations; 
• Develop, coordinate and provide training on results-based management to  the EVAW team and partners;

       4. Review budget management for the EVAW Programme and manage people

• Lead a team, perform staff performance reviews, ensure capacity development of staff members by suggesting development opportunities;
• Monitor EVAW programme financial situation to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination between offices, programmes and projects;

       5. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

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

       6. Lead knowledge building and sharing results

• Lead 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;

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

The incumbent leads a team of 16 staff and 7 consultants, which include 6 direct reports ( two P3 staff, two NOC staff and two P2 staff) . The incumbent is responsible for mentoring and building the capacity of the EVAW team.

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

• Excellent 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
• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management
• Strong knowledge of UN programme management systems
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Strong networking skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender is required
• 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 would be an added advantage

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building is required
• Experience in working in a gender related area and EVAW is required
• Experience of working on EVAW anchored within a wider integrated protection and livelihood approach is desirable
• Experience of working in complex settings is desirable
• Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in programme development and programme writing is required.
• Experience leading and coaching staff in international settings is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in women’s economic empowerment is desirable
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Dari and Pashto is desirable
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (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.

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.)