UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security (WPS).
Reporting to the Programme Manager, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for designing, implementing, and managing UN Women’s research and analysis within the WPS portfolio. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio. Duties and Responsibilities
Design and develop research initiatives related to WPS and women’s rights/gender equality more broadly:
Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives related to advancing research on WPS and women’s rights/gender equality more broadly;
Design, manage, and/or commission knowledge products, including country -wide analysis of the status of gender equality in Afghanistan;
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data and draft reports for publication;
Supervise technical consultants and other specialists required to implement research initiatives;
Track and monitor developments related to WPS, gender equality and women’s rights;
Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to WPS;
Coordinate dissemination of knowledge products and related policy-advocacy;
Organize and implement seminars, launches, and meetings related to research/analysis.
Manage the implementation and management of the WPS programme with a special focus on research/analysis:
Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams and UN agencies;
Manage all research and analysis components of the WPS portfolio;
Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project related to research/analysis:
Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results based management tools;
Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports.
Manage the people and financial resources of the WPS programme related to research and analysis:
Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists (including consultants); mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments;
Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.
Contribute to inter-agency coordination on gender equality and women’s rights to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country:
Provide technical support to the Representative and Deputy Representative on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.
Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:
Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to WPS;
Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to WPS as necessary;
Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on WPS.
Required Skills and Experience:
Education and certification:
Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, research, statistics 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 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
Technical experience in research/analysis in crises contexts related to gender equality and women’s rights;
Experience using statistical software and qualitative analysis tools;
Experience in designing and managing country-wide assessments and/or research initiatives;
Experience coordinating inter-agency entities and/or donors is an asset;
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;
Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;
