Project Associate, Gender Mainstreaming in Institutions

The Global Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) presents a vital opportunity for addressing gender disparities and dismantling barriers to human development over the next 15 years. However, governments encounter challenges in translating these global objectives into national development agendas.

UNDP continuously provides strategic guidance, policy advice and technical support to the decisions makers at various levels and ensures the gradual process of development of the overarching system of gender mainstreaming in the governance system, making it consistent and aligned with international commitments and best practices in gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment approach. Overall, UNDP’s efforts create a conducive environment for gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives, driving positive systemic changes and promoting inclusivity across all levels of governance.

Effective mechanisms must be developed to promote equality, non-discrimination, and women’s empowerment within harmonized agendas. It’s crucial to institutionalize gender equality within state operations, internalizing commitment across mandates, regulations, processes, and budgets.

The UNDP Gender Equality Seal  offers a fresh take on gender mainstreaming, highlighting the linkages between organizational transformation and development results. The Gender Equality Seal process helps office to establish a baseline, fine tune strategies, identify and address gaps and challenges, document innovations and evaluate development impact and results. 
UNDP, in collaboration with Human Resources Management Authority, aims to implement the Gender Equality Seal in Public Institutions. This initiative recognizes and supports efforts towards substantive gender equality at three levels: political commitment, public policy cycle management, and organizational integration of the gender perspective.

Strengthening public administration, particularly human resources management, is crucial for Montenegro’s European integration process, expected public administration reform and effective service delivery. While the government has shown commitment to gender equality goals, insufficient efforts in gender mainstreaming persist. UNDP’s strategic initiatives have supported gender mainstreaming, offering assessments, guidelines, tools, and fostering institutional transformation dialogue.

The Human Resources Management Authority (HRMA), as a key institution in capacity development, was central to these efforts. HRMA’s role encompasses capacity development, recruitment, and supporting public administration reform. Through tailor-made training, including gender mainstreaming, HRMA equips public employees and decision-makers with knowledge and tools for inclusive policy development. The partnership between UNDP and HRMA will further embed gender equality into daily activities, fostering inclusive development and democratic governance. UNDP Montenegro remains committed to supporting HRMA’s capacity development, prioritizing institutional gender mainstreaming.
 

Under direct supervision of the Project Analyst for Gender Mainstreaming in UNDP Country Office in Montenegro, and overall supervision of the Team Leader for Gender Equality in UNDP Country Office in Montenegro, the incumbent will carry out the following main tasks:

Ensure provision of support in implementing/delivering of different aspects of the Gender Programme portfolio, focusing on Institutional gender mainstreaming. In performing this general responsibility, the incumbent will be required to carry out the following main tasks on a regular basis:

• Provide support to the Project Analyst on all administrative, budgetary, technical and programmatic aspects of projects;
• Develop tailored work plan for the integration of Gender Equality SEAL projects and be responsible for its implementation;
• Support the Project Analyst in day-to-day management and oversight of project activities;
• Support the Project Manager  in the preparation of various portfolio  reports such as narrative/programmatic progress reports, updates, etc. 
• Ensure all project documentation (progress reports, consulting and other technical reports, minutes of meetings, etc.) are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies in an efficient and readily accessible filing system, for when required by the Project Steering Committee, UNDP Project Manager, UNDP Gender Cluster Team Leader, project consultants and other relevant staff;
• Support Project Manager in coordinating activities with national partners (Government, CSOs, academia, media, etc.), ensuring timely and successful implementation of all interventions/activities defined by the Project documents, promoting networking and experience sharing between all relevant stakeholders;
• Provide support to the Project Manager on all programmatic aspects of the Programme including strategic inputs and contributions to gender equality dimension in the work of HRMA and corresponding public administration with particular focus on institutional gender mainstreaming and capacity development; 
• Provide support to the  Project Manager on all administrative, budgetary, aspects of technical and programmatic work; 
• Provide technical inputs and advise on preparation/implementation of project documents/activities, reports including definition of information requirements, data gathering and analysis;
• Support timely coordination and implementation of recruitment and deployment of experts to support Project implementation; 
• Provide support to implementation of procurement related activities in line with UNDP rules, regulations and policies; 
• Support Project Manager in the formulation and update of project risks, issues, monitoring, evaluation as well as targets and results and provision of regular updates in Quantum;
• Facilitate knowledge sharing by participating in trainings and contributing to networks that focus on integrating gender perspectives into the justice sector and public institutions;
• Promote the Gender Equality Seal by supporting its implementation in public institutions within Montenegro to advance gender equality and justice;
• Develop knowledge products by creating and supporting materials on best practices for gender mainstreaming in public institutions, utilizing insights from the Gender Equality Seal’s implementation;
• Execute communication plans by designing and implementing strategies to raise awareness about gender mainstreaming in the justice sector and the achievements of the Gender Equality Seal, targeting stakeholders such as media, government bodies, the private sector, academia, and the general public.

The incumbent will provide support to implementation/delivery of all aspects of the project’s’ annual work plans. In performing this general responsibility, the incumbent will be required to carry out the following main tasks on a regular basis:

• Implement day-to-day Project duties/activities;
• Contribute to the preparation of all necessary project documents/plans;
• Implementation of action plans and assigned tasks; 
• Assist in identifying relevant sources of expertise for project/activity implementation;
• Timely raise and inform Project Manager on any issue that may arise during the project implementation and advice on potential adjustments of actions and procedure in light of changing requirements and needs; 
• Assist the Project Manager in the preparation of various regular reports (e.g. narrative/programmatic progress reports);
• Maintain day to day communication with Operations Unit regarding the Projects administration matters; procurement, human resources and finance matters;
• Provide support to implementation of procurement related activities in line with UN/UNDP rules, regulations and policies; 
• Perform regular financial and administrative duties necessary for the successful and timely Projects` implementation, when needed: Enter daily transactions in Quantum system (vouchers, requisitions, etc.); Perform regular budget revisions; Provide regular delivery estimation and monthly expense estimation to the Finance Unit; provide regular reporting regarding the Project expenditures; Prepare periodic Project asset/inventory reports; 
• Draft routine correspondence, facsimile, memoranda and reports from oral instructions, previous correspondence or other available information sources, in accordance with the standard office procedures, and ensure appropriate follow-up; write minutes from the meetings;
• Liaise with all project stakeholders and partners;
• Assist in promotion of the project visibility;
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

Institutional Arrangement

Project Associate will work under direct supervision of Project Analyst for Gender Mainstreaming in UNDP Country Office in Montenegro, and overall supervision of the Team Leader for Gender Equality in UNDP Country Office in Montenegro.

Project Associate will be responsible for daily support to Project Analyst for Gender Mainstreaming. The incumbent will be based in UNDP Country Office in Podgorica.

Competencies

Core Competencies

• 2030 Agenda: People Gender
  • Gender and Institutional Development
• Partnership Management – Resource Mobilization          
  • Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities and establish a plan to meet funding requirements.
• Business Management  Communication
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
  • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.
• 2030 Agenda: People Gender 
  • Gender Mainstreaming 
• Business Management  Partnership Management           
  • Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• 2030 Agenda: People Gender      
  • Women’s Leadership (Political, Public Admin and Private Sector)
• Business Management – Project Management   
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.