Project Coordination Specialist, P-3

Position description

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.

UN Women’s Policy, Programme, and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) provides intellectual and strategic leadership on normative support and the delivery of integrated policy and program advice, including through policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The Division leverages innovation, knowledge management and innovative technical expertise to support UN Women programs and to build the capacity of partners to deliver results on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Peace Security and Resilience Section (PS&R) is responsible for providing technical support to UN Women Country Offices in key areas including conflict prevention and peacebuilding, justice, and security sector reform, promoting women’s political participation and mainstreaming gender issues into governance reforms.

The Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations (EIF) (https://elsiefund.org/) is hosted by UN Women – PS&R, PPID, New York. The EIF aims to support and incentivize efforts to increase the meaningful participation of uniformed women in United Nations peace operations through the provision of financial assistance or financial incentives to Troop and Police Contributing Countries (T/PCCs), and financial support to projects submitted by United Nations organizations. 

The EIF seeks to accelerate progress towards achieving the United Nations Security Council’s declared mandate to double  the rate of women’s participation within police and military contingents by 2020 compared to 2015, as well as supporting targets to increase the proportion of women serving as military observers, staff officers and individual police officers as per the United Nations Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018-2028.

The EIF Secretariat provides technical and administrative support to the Steering Committee and manages all aspects of the EIF’s funding allocations and programming rounds, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, reporting and stakeholder engagement.

Reporting to the EIF Manager, the incumbent will be responsible for providing technical and coordination support to the EIF Secretariat’s implementation of the EIF monitoring and evaluation framework, along with coordination and drafting support to the EIF Annual Narrative and Financial Progress Reports. 

Coordinate the provision of EIF support to prospective and current EIF fund recipients 

• Provide technical advice on the EIF’s operations to T/PCC, Participating UN Organizations (PUNO) and implementing partners during each stage of the EIF project life-cycle including formulation of Letters of Interest (LOI), detailed project proposals and supporting annexes; 
• Provide technical guidance to EIF fund recipients and applicants including on the UN HRDDP and HACT policy;
• Provide technical advice and support on project planning, implementation, and monitoring and reporting systems including the identification of performance indicators and monitoring the achievement of results;
• Coordinate enduring relationships with EIF fund recipients, implementing partners and other key stakeholders to support project implementation, build capacity, identify potential risks early and guide the development of solutions;
• Follow up on required actions/outstanding issues and report on outcomes and results to the EIF Fund Manager and Secretariat.

Provide technical support and advice to the EIF Fund Manager and EIF fund recipients throughout the project management life-cycle

• Coordinate the review and analysis of LOIs, project proposals and supporting documentation per the EIF Terms of Reference (TOR), Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (MEF) and Operations Manual;
• Oversee completion of project documentation for each project before submission to the EIF Steering Committee;
• Compile and synthesize guidance provided by the EIF Technical Committee on project proposals to prospective EIF fund recipients for inclusion in fund recipient project proposals and supporting annexes;
• Identify, monitor and track all follow-up EIF and fund recipient reporting actions and requirements including financial reporting;
• Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of project funds to EIF fund recipients.

Contribute to the management, monitoring and reporting of EIF projects as per the Fund’s Programming Cycle

• Coordinate the EIF’s annual reporting in accordance with MPTFO annual reporting timeframes, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Coordinate preparation and receipt of EIF fund recipient’s budgets, project (budget) revisions, expenditure tracking and annual financial reporting;
• Prepare and check for correctness, the submission of EIF fund recipient’s annual financial reporting to the MPTFO in accordance with MPTFO annual reporting timeframes;
• Coordinate regular inputs to the EIF’s Annual Workplan and other UNW and UN reporting as required; 
• Oversee the management, coordination and storage of all EIF project and related documentation in accordance with EIF Information Management procedures;
• Draft accurate Steering Committee and Technical Committee meeting minutes.

Coordinate and contribute to the implementation of the EIF Monitoring and Evaluation Framework 

• Support the EIF Manager in the conduct and coordination of the EIF formative and summative evaluations;
• Provide technical guidance and coordinate the conduct of EIF project evaluations;
• Coordinate the conduct of mid-term monitoring missions to assess project’s progress and results;
• Develop monitoring and evaluation tools to measure the EIF’s progress towards achieving its results framework;
• Contribute to the development and writing of the EIF Annual Progress Report to showcase project and program results and impact.

Supervise EIF staff and consultants

• Supervise EIF Secretariat members and consultants to ensure EIF team outputs are coordinated and accurate, per agreed EIF timeframes;
• Review performance, mentor and coach EIF personnel and consultants and conduct performance assessments.

Advocate and facilitate knowledge-building and management and communication

• Organize high-level Programming Round launches, advocacy campaigns, events, and workshops; 
• Contribute to the exchange of information and knowledge products internally and externally; 
• Manage activities and other promotional events to engage Security institutions / Donors, and other key stakeholders to expand and/or sustain interest in and resources for EIF activities;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Provide substantive support and representation at conferences and meetings where required.

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

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of gender issues, especially in the context of peace operations
• Understanding of issues surrounding gender in uniformed security services
• Demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment
• Excellent communication skills
• Highly effective organization and planning skills and high attention to detail
• Team player 
• Excellent analytical and research skills
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strong relationships and partnerships
• Excellent drafting and editing skills across a range of reporting formats and requirement
• Strong programme implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills and knowledge
• Very good analytical and computer skills, including MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Education and certification: 

• Master’s degree or equivalent in political science, social sciences, international relations, programme administration or another relevant field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree.

Experience: 

• At least 5 years of responsible experience at the national or international level in supporting the management of complex and multi-component programme interventions on gender, peace and security issues with national partners, preferably related to international development and with security sector knowledge.
• Experience in project management including coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating development programmes and projects is required.
• Experience working with security institutions in the context of international peacekeeping, in a military, police or civilian capacity, is highly desirable.
• Experience in the United Nations system, multilateral organizations, civil society, or related areas, in gender, peace, security and international development issues is highly desirable.

Languages: 

• Fluency in speaking, writing, and reading English is required.
• Fluency in speaking, writing, and reading French is required.
• Working knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. 

Application instructions

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