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.

UN Women in Kyrgyzstan is a strong advocate for improving the lives of women and girls in the country. Building on the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, and in the framework of the UN Women Strategic Note for Kyrgyzstan 2023-2028, the Country Office implements a comprehensive programme with a focus to enhance women’s leadership; eliminate violence against women; promote women participation in peace and security agenda, all aspects of decision making; financing for gender equality, women economic empowerment, gender mainstreaming in humanitarian action, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.

The Country Office is operating in the southern region of the country through its Osh based sub-office. Given the complex geo-political context, the sub-office enables it to quickly address urgent issues and strategize coordination and partnerships to accelerate the advancement of gender equality and women’s rights in the southern region.

UN Women is seeking to hire a Project Specialist who will be responsible for ensuring effective and efficient delivery of projects within Women, Peace and Security (WPS) portfolio in support to advancement of the agenda in this priority area. The Project Specialist will ensure synergies of programme activities, contribute to strengthening partnership, and promote a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations and commits to high standards of quality, productivity and timeliness in the delivery of tasks.

Under the supervision of the UN Women Country Representative and working closely with the Head of Suboffice the Project Management Specialist is responsible for managing the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of WPS programme, including managing the implementation monitoring and reporting for WPS programme, overseeing and guiding people and budget management, and managing knowledge building efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Project planning, monitoring and reporting

• Prepare and compile an integrated operational and financial Annual Work Plan (AWP) in coordination with partners and all involved stakeholders to ensure compliance with UN Women programme goals on WPS and results-based indicators;
• Ensure synergies and complementarities between the different activities and outputs to achieving the envisaged outcomes of the joint project
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budget with logical framework matrices and work plan;
• Manage the monitoring of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators;
• Draft reports on activities, outputs and outcomes; and compile information in preparations of country office donor and UN Women reports;
• Preparation of quarterly and annual joint programme progress reports, funds, requisition, financial reports, and any other reports as requested by the participating agencies
• Monitor and analyze financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes and operations, and with UN Women office in the Southern region.

Coordination and partnership

• Convene quarterly Joint Coordination meetings and circulate minutes of the meetings to all members
• Ensure the integrity of the joint programme and information sharing among the main stakeholders of the project; facilitation of joint monitoring and evaluation missions
• Provide inputs on WPS to coordination/planning/reporting activities of the UNSDCF RG4;
• Undertake a mapping of actors working in WPS area;
• Contribute to the consultations with the government partners to localize and implement the NAP on GES and NAP 1325.
• Provide assistance to the facilitation and coordination of different platforms and networks on WPS agenda;
• Coordinate and follow up with the UN Agencies involved in the joint programme to follow up on progress, proactive identification of joint programme issues and risks and reporting on any foreseen problems that could affect joint programme overall progress or delivery
• Provide assistance to the work of the Secretariat for the Programme National Steering Committee (NSC), including the preparation for the NSC meetings and follow up on the NSC meeting decisions

Knowledge management

• Review and provide feedback to project strategies and documents, case studies and related knowledge products and publications;
• Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination.
• Draft policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials summarizing the results of project actions;
• Organize joint programme events to ensure integration among the various programme components, including the design and performance of surveys, awareness raising, advocacy and networking activities amongst various constituents
• Document success stories and lessons learnt and share them with partners;
• Provide such information as may be requested by national authorities and the UN partners;

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:

• 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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:	Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, and related fields. 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:	At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project management, including project design, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building; Experience in working in a gender related area is an asset; Experience in working in the Southern region of Kyrgyzstan is an asset; Experience in setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in project development and writing; Experience in leading teams effectively is an asset.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in Kyrgyz, Russian and English. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc 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. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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 is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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.)

Applications without the completed P-11 form are incomplete and will NOT be considered for further assessment!