Programme Specialist, Women Leadership & Participation/ Peace and Security

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.

By placing the rights of women at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the efforts of the United Nations system to ensure that commitments to gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into actions around the world. It provides strong and consistent leadership in support of member states’ priorities and efforts, by establishing effective partnerships with civil society and other stakeholders.

UN Women Burundi’s Strategic Note 2019-2023 aligns with UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan 2018-2021, the National Development Plan 2018-2027, the National Gender Policy (PNG) and UNSC Resolution 1325 action plans for 2017-2021, UNDAF (2019-2023) and the United Nations Resilience Framework. It captures the triple mandate of UN WOMEN (Normative, Coordination and Programmatic) aimed at supporting government and partners to achieve lasting results for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, building on its comparative advantages.

The strategic note prioritizes three outcomes: i) An environment for the implementation of WPS commitment is enabled in Burundi through the participation and influence of key governmental and non-governmental stakeholders’t; ii Women, including those in refugees/ IDPS camps and other vulnerable situations, experience enhanced safety, security, physical and mental health, and their human rights respected in conformity with ratified regional and international instruments’; iii) Women and girls participate in and benefit from socio-economic recovery opportunities in the context of peace and resilience-building’.

Hence, UN Women Burundi is structured in three main components: (1) Women Leadership & Participation, Peace and Security (WPS); (2) End of Violence Against Women and Girls/Human Rights and (3) Women Economic Empowerment (WEE).

Reporting to National Programme Coordinator, the Programme Specialist is responsible for coordinating the Women Leadership and Participation, portfolio which includes coordinating relationships with national partners and stakeholders for enhanced Peace and Security results, the monitoring and reporting, and the finances and personnel of the portfolio.

1.Coordinate the Women Leadership and Participation (Peace and Security) Programme Portfolios

• Coordinate the overall Programme/Portfolio work plan development and implementation according to Strategic Note/ programme document;
• Liaise with the Programme Board, national counterparts, donors, UN Women and partners 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 UN Women;
• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners;
• Record and maintain documents on relevant Programme activities, issues, and risks.

2.Guide coordination with national partners and other stakeholders

• Coordinate relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Women Leadership and Participation Programme/Portfolio in a Peace and Security context, raise potential problems and provide solutions;
• Provide guidance to partners on establishment of performance indicators, and monitoring achievement of results;
• Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training, cross-partner learning, and capacity development initiatives.

3.Coordinate the monitoring and reporting on the Women Leadership and Participation Programme/Portfolios  for effective Peace and Security

• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on programmes and projects from the planning to the evaluation stages;
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds by partners; conduct regular monitoring visits;
• Write annual and quarterly reports; review and coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide inputs from Women Leadership and Participation  programme activities and results to Country Office reporting.

4.Manage financial resources and supervise staff

• Supervise and manage a team of professional and administrative staff, review performance and mentor/ coach staff;
• Coordinate development and preparation 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.

5.Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

6.Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication

• Ensure documentation of the programme implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines;
• Contribute to the exchange of information and knowledge products internally and externally of the programme;
• Organize major advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products.

7.Perform other tasks as requested by the supervisor and or senior management.

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

Functional Competencies

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong budget and finance skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Ability to work with government officials, CSOs, Women organizations and other national stakeholders,
• Strong analytical skills
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

• Master’s degree or equivalent in public administration, law, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) 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/programmes;
• Minimum 3 technical and professional years of   work experience in programme design and management in the areas of Women Leadership & participation, Women Peace and Security and Women governance
• Technical experience with gender analysis approaches,
• Experience in advocacy and policy as well as its impacts on women’s socio-economic development, ideally in a post conflict setting,
• Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women’s rights and related instruments,
• An understanding of the social, cultural, and political context of Burundi and its relation to gender is preferable
• Knowledge of UN Women business, operations and programming cycle is preferred
• Experience in coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset

LANGUAGES

• Fluency in French and English and is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;