Programme Specialist WPS

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. Advancement of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is one of UN Women’s four main impact areas, with a focus on supporting women’s full and meaningful participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, the security and defense sector, and local and national political processes and institutions.

As part of the UN Country Team in Ukraine, UN Women has been supporting national partners to implement their commitments to Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) since 2016. UN Women has been providing technical assistance to develop, implement and monitor the first and the second National Action Plans (NAP) for the implementation of UN SCR 1325 as well as other relevant international and national commitments related to the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in Ukraine. In doing so, UN Women has partnered with and provided demand driven technical assistance to the key governmental institutions at national, regional and local levels, women’s rights CSOs and gender equality advocates, especially those affected by conflict and marginalized.

Since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, WPS needs have increased. People of all genders, in all their diversities, have been profoundly impacted. Women, girls and LGBTIQ+ persons have been affected differently, have specific needs and different priorities for support in the humanitarian phase and recovery. As of October 2023, 56% of the 3.7 million estimated IDPs are women, who make up 93% of the 4.6 million people returning to Ukraine. Out of the 14.6 million people who will need humanitarian assistance in 2024, 56% are women and girls. At the same time women and women rights organizations are playing a key role in the humanitarian response and recovery efforts. An estimated 50,000 women now serve in defense forces, and the number of women veterans needing support to reintegrate into civilian life is rising. Ukraine amended its 1325 NAP in 2022 to increase its relevance to the war time situation and local and regional authorities have developed local NAPs which are gradually being implemented. Efforts are still needed to ensure that women can meaningfully and equally participate in decision making at national and local levels on peace and security issues, including planning and budgeting for recovery efforts.  

Reporting to the UN Women Country Representative or her Deputy, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing the Ukraine CO’s WPS interventions.  The Programme Specialist will work in close collaboration with the CO programme and operations team, as well as partners amongst national and local government, civil society, UN agencies, and regional and international organizations. He/she will liaise closely with the Regional Peace and Security Adviser, as well as with members of the WPS Section in UN Women’s HQ.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide advisory and technical support in the area of women, peace and security

• Advise the UN Women Representative and the Country Office (CO) senior management team on strategies and opportunities to advance the WPS agenda in Ukraine
• Provide technical advice and leadership on strengthening women’s roles in the security and defense sectors and supporting women veterans
• Draft, implement and report on contributions to the CO strategic note (SN), annual work plans/reports, programme/ project proposals, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to WPS;
• Develop a resource mobilization strategy to further advance WPS in Ukraine as part of the implementation of the CO SN 2025-2029, support resource mobilization efforts
• Support inter-agency coordination on WPS and coordination with key regional and international partners
• Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, governmental counterparts, women leaders, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs and validate programme design and implementation.

2. Provide WPS programme development services, manage program implementation and monitoring

• Oversee and manage the design and formulation of programme proposals and budgets;
• Manage the technical implementation of programmes/ projects; including the preparation and implementation of work/spending plans; performance monitoring frameworks, and high quality donor reports;
• Oversee all operational and technical aspects of program implementation, including through the use of the online enterprise resources planning system (Quantum)
• Draft calls for proposals, lead partner selection and review implementing partner financial and narrative reports as required;
• Lead and/or take part in Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings.

3. Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Further develop relationships and partnerships with Government of Ukraine institutions, civil society partners, academics, experts, activists and regional/international organizations working on WPS issues
• Provide technical and substantive advice to partners on WPS best practice and norms
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Build, manage, and expand relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the WPS programme; respond to any potential problems;
• Implement and oversee capacity building opportunities and initiatives;

4. Manage people and contribute to the CO team  

• Manage Programme staff; mentor and coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee and contribute to recruitment processes;
• Share results and approaches with the CO team to build synergies and best practices
• Liaise with the regional office WPS Advisor and participate actively in UN Women’s global WPS community of practice

5. Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to WPS;
• Manage advocacy strategies and their implementation;
• Carry out data collection and dissemination of data, evidence and knowledge on WPS
• Lead the development of knowledge management and communications products on WPS, including awareness raising campaigns

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

• Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
• Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Excellent knowledge in WPS
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Strong networking skills
• Ability to negotiate and interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising

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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.
Experience:	Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in designing, planning, implementing, and monitoring projects to advance the women, peace and security agenda; At least three years experience working internationally, experience in a conflict/post conflict setting and/or the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region is an asset; Experience in communicating results, policy analysis and strategic planning; Experience in managing partnerships with government and civil society partners Experience working in the UN System is an asset; Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in English is required. 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.

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.)