Programme Specialist, WPHF programme

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 works with the government, parliament, and civil society in advancing gender equality through implementation of the national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions towards the realization of following strategic goals: elimination of violence against women and girls; implementation of women, peace and security agenda and gender responsive governance. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in integration of women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of UN work.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian military invasion on 24 February 2022, Ukraine is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s most complex emergencies where women and men, girls and boys, in all their diversities, have been profoundly impacted. The humanitarian crisis has continued to escalate, with varied and uneven gendered impacts. 56 per cent of the 3.7 million officially registered IDPs are women, and women make up 93 per cent of the 4.6 million people returning to Ukraine and seeking to re-integrate into society[1].  As of December 2023, at least 14.5 million people (one-third of the population) need humanitarian aid, of which 56 per cent are women and girls[2]. Women’s groups and civil society organizations have been quick to react to the immediate priorities of their communities but face many challenges as they attempt to provide support to large numbers of internally displaced people, host-communities and those directly affected by violence and insecurity. Civil society, and particularly women’s organizations in Ukraine are in the front-line to deliver immediate humanitarian assistance to displaced women and girls. Displaced women and girls are facing multiple human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence.

In response to the invasion and humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), with the technical support of UN Women, has activated its emergency response for Ukraine, by supporting local women’s rights organizations in Ukraine and Moldova on the frontlines of the response to the needs and displacement of women and girls. 

Reporting to Programme Management Specialist/NOD, the Programme Specialist (NOC) exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions within WPHF projects portfolio. The Programme Specialist (NOC) supervises and leads the team of eight staff deployed to WPHF projects portfolio implementation.  

The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bilateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio. 

• IOM, ”Ukraine Returns: General Population Survey – Round 14”, October 2023, p. 6, Link
• OCHA, “2024 Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan”, 2024 (forthcoming),

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and develop programme strategies for WPHF projects portfolio implementation

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to WPHF projects portfolio implementation.

Manage the implementation and management of the WPHF projects portfolio

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to personnel and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.

Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the WPHF projects portfolio; respond to any potential problems;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project

• 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.

Manage the people and financial resources of the WPHF projects portfolio

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists; Mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

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 on WPHF projects portfolio implementation 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 harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.

Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the WPHF projects portfolio;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to WPHF projects portfolio as necessary;
• 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 on [thematic area].

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 design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects is required.
• Technical experience in humanitarian programming, gender programming, or grant giving for development projects in a Ukrainian setting is required.
• [For supervisory positions] 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 coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is desirable.
• Experience working in the UN System is desirable.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Source: https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=116973