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.

Women’s Political Participation (WPP) is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work, recognizing the vital role of women’s leadership in strong and stable democratic processes and inclusive societies. It is covered under the Entity’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 Impact Area 1 – Participation and Governance in Public Life: “Women and girls participate in leadership and decision making and benefit from gender responsive governance” and across several Systemic Outcomes of the Strategic Plan, mainly Outcome 1 on normative frameworks and policies, Outcome 5 on Voice Leadership and Agency; and Outcome 7 on UN Coordination.

UN Women works with various partners and stakeholders nationally, regionally, and globally to ensure more women of all ages fully participate, lead, and engage in political institutions. Within this framework, UN-Women has partnered with the European Union to implement one of the components of the European Union funded Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative (WYDE) Initiative. Launched by the European Union in 2023, WYDE seeks to strengthen the rights, empowerment, and participation in public and political life of youth and women as key actors of development and change. A multiparter initiative, WYDE includes five interlinked components,[1] which are aligned with the European Union Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for the period 2020–2024 and the Youth Action Plan.

UN-Women, jointly with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), will implement the WYDE/Women’s Leadership component through a three-year programme titled: “Advancing Women’s Political Participation and Decision-Making through Social Norms Change, Networking and Global Advocacy.” Through the programme, the partners will leverage collective action, partnerships, coordination, knowledge, and resources at a global level to promote the full and effective participation and decision-making of diverse women, especially those most often left furthest behind, through social norms change, networking and global advocacy.

The WYDE/Women’s Leadership programme will prioritize changing social norms and shifting cultural attitudes that portray women’s roles in communities and society as incompatible with political power; and put specific focus on building critical skills of young women and engage men and boys, office holders and the media as allies for gender equality and women’s empowerment. It will enhance synergies between women’s rights movements, decision makers, the international community, the media, and other key actors, including the WYDE community across its different components, to maximize the effectiveness of spaces for coalition building, advocacy, and campaigning to promote WPP.

Based in UN Women Brussels Liaison Office (Brussels, Belgium), and reporting to the Global Policy Advisor on Political Participation (Governance and Participation Section, PPID) in HQ; the Programme Manager is responsible for coordinating the WYDE/Women’s Leadership programme implementation which includes coordinating relationships with implementing partners and stakeholders, monitoring and reporting, and the finances and personnel of the programme. The Programme Manager works in close collaboration with WYDE/Women’s Leadership implementing partners, UN Women Regional Offices, and the Generation Equality Forum Team, to ensure successful implementation of in all stages of programme cycle thus contributing to the cohesiveness of the programme and its compliance to the corporate programming policies.

[1] “Youth Participation in Public Affairs” (WYDE tendersglobal.net Civic Engagement); “Youth for Freedoms of Association and Assembly” (WYDE tendersglobal.net Freedoms); “Youth and women in Parliaments” (WYDE tendersglobal.net Inter Pares); “Youth and Women in Political Parties,” (WYDE tendersglobal.net Political Parties) and “Advancing Women’s Political Participation and Decision Making” (WYDE tendersglobal.net Women Leadership).

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Lead the management of the WYDE/Women Leadership Programme

• Manage and coordinate the overall Programme work plan development and implementation according to the programme document.
• Liaise with the Programme Board, implementing partners and the EU, to ensure the Programme results are achieved and resources are managed.
• Prepare and present work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the Programme Board and Technical Team as necessary.
• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring in collaboration with partners.
• Record and maintain documents on relevant Programme activities, issues, and risks.
• Report progress of the programme at regular intervals to the Programme Board.
• Proactively escalate and resolve issues and initiate corrective actions as appropriate.

2. Manage coordination with partners and other stakeholders.

• Manage relationships with implementing partners to support implementation of the Programme ensuring regular communication.
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, partners’ needs and donors’ priorities.
• Raise potential problems and provide solutions.
• Provide substantial guidance to partners on establishment of performance indicators and monitoring achievement of results.
• Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, and cross partner learning and sharing, and capacity development initiatives; develop training materials and workshops, as necessary.
• Coordinate the consolidation of the annual report submission to the EU and organize the annual consultation with the WYDE Strategic Steering Committee.
• Participate in on-going coordination mechanisms, including the EU WYDE Steering Committee, and/or other WYDE Task Forces as needed to ensure coherence of the programme with other WYDE components processes.

3. Oversee the monitoring and reporting on the WYDE/Women Leadership Programme

• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on the programme from the planning to the evaluation stages.
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds by partners; oversee regular monitoring visits.
• Finalize annual and quarterly reports; finalize the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports.
• Ensure the delivery of baseline, monitoring, evaluation plans and reports (flash, progress and final) based on information compiled from colleagues and implementing partners.

4. Manage financial resources and supervise staff.

• Supervise and manage the Programme Implementation Unit, comprised of a team of professional and administrative staff, review performance and mentor/ coach staff.
• Develop and prepare of financial resources of the programme including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting.
• Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners.
• Ensure appropriate actions are taken to optimize use of programme funds.

5. Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication.

• Finalize briefs on programme achievements.
• Ensure documentation of the programme implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines.
• Coordinate exchange of information and knowledge products internally and externally of the programme.
• Oversee the organization of advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops, and knowledge products.

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

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

• Excellent programme management, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to lead the development of detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them for development results.
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong knowledge of UN programme management systems
• Experience managing programmes related to women’s participation and governance is an advantage.

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 7 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national partners, preferably related to governance and political participation.
• Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating development programmes and projects; specifically with different UN agencies.
• Previous experience working in the UN system is an advantage.
• Experience managing EU funded programs is an advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of French is an asset.

Application:

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.

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.