Programme Specialist

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.

In Ukraine, UN Women is committed to delivering results across strategic priorities, exercising its triple mandate encompassing normative support, UN system coordination, and operational activities to mobilize urgent and sustained action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. UN Women has long been actively supporting local priority areas in Ukraine from increased political participation to gender mainstreaming in public policy, and economic development.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has had a profoundly negative impact on the lives of women and men, girls and boys, causing widespread destruction, displacement and suffering. According to Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023,  nearly 18 million people, out of whom 6.7 million are internally displaced, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Multiple forms of gender-based violence (GBV), including intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and economic exploitation, are being reported, exacerbating the pre-war situation. With women constituting the majority of refugees from Ukraine and those displaced within the country, the multisectoral impact of the war affects women disproportionately through such factors as increased care responsibilities, reduced access to livelihoods and increased threat of gender-based violence.

Amidst the full-scale invasion, Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022 and was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. The European Council will decide on further steps once Ukraine fulfils the conditions outlined in the European Commission’s opinion on its EU membership application. Ukraine has begun work on meeting the conditions and is embarking of a self-screening of its legislation to determine its compliance with the EU Acquis, and it intends to prepare a National Programme on the Adoption of the Acquis and to establish a structure to engage in the candidacy negotiations.

The accession process is an opportunity for Ukraine to further fast track progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as the goals of SDG 5. The Government of Ukraine, civil society partners, local and regional authorities are engaged together in Ukraine’s EU accession process.

Furthermore, in February 2024, EU and Ukraine launched explanatory sessions for Ukrainian legislation screening to bring it line with European acquis, starting from the Chapter 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights”, which is one of the main chapters comprehensively focusing on Gender Equality Acquis. During meetings with the key national partners from above mentioned institutions of the National Women’s Machinery and EU Integration architecture, UN Women was requested to provide expert support on gender mainstreaming to European accession processes. Explanatory session for all chapters and criteria will last until the end of May 2024.

Negotiating Framework for Ukraine’s EU accession as an important document that establishes guidelines and principles for accession negotiations with each candidate country is under the development by the European Commission in parallel with the screening process, which involves checking Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU law. Following this, the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference – the new bilateral body that will subsequently conduct the negotiations – takes place (date tbc). Ukraine and the EU will finally approve the negotiating framework at this conference. Its key objective is to make the accession process “more predictable, credible, and dynamic.” The accession negotiations will be based on Ukraine’s achievements and will not depend on the dynamics of other candidate countries. Framework for Ukraine’s EU accession as an important document that establishes guidelines and principles for accession negotiations with each candidate country is under the development by the European Commission in parallel with the screening process, which involves checking Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU law.

Towards this end, UN Women is looking for a qualified Programme Specialist to play an integral role in developing the CO’s programmatic interventions to mainstream gender equality in Ukraine’s EU accession process. Reporting directly to the National Programme Specialist , under the oversight of the Deputy Representative, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing and managing UN Women interventions under their portfolio. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women RO/HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bilateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under the portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme and policy strategies in the area of gender mainstreaming in the EU accession process

• Oversee the development of country program and policy documents;
• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;

• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents.

Manage technical assistance and capacity development of the project/programme partners and the CO team

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance;
• Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives;

• Identify the capacity-building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training, and capacity development initiatives to partners.
• Provide technical policy advice to program partners on gender mainstreaming in the EU accession process

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/project and manage its staff

• Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results-based management tools;
• Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
• Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Contribute to office donor, and UN Women reports.

• Supervise Programme Analysts and Programme Associate (as applicable)
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with stakeholders, regional/ international actors and development partners

• Build and maintain alliances and strategic partnerships for the advancement of gender mainstreaming, including with donors;
• Produce periodic updates and briefs on regional/country development situation to be used by stakeholders, CO, RO and HQ;
• Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Women COs and ROs.

Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Finalize relevant documentation on donors and 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.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

• Provide technical support to the Representative and Deputy Representative on inter-agency coordination-related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonised and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to recovery, development and EU accession;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent supervises one staff member (Programme Analyst). The incumbent is expected to supervise other staff as well if requested. 

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

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills

• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of Protection
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Required Skills and Experience

 

Education and certification:	Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, or a related field 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 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects that advance gender equality/women’s empowerment; At least three years of experience at the national or international level on European Union policies and/or programs is required; Experience working directly on EU accession is desirable; Field experience working in a conflict/post conflict setting is desirable; Experience working in the UN System is desirable; Experience working in the Ukraine context is desirable.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in English is required; Working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

All applications must include completed and signed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from   

Applications without P11 may be treated as incomplete and may not be considered for further assessment.

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).