Programme Specialist -Women Economic Empowerment

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 Ethiopia Country Office (ECO) Strategic Notes (SN) 2017-2020 and 2019 Annual Work Plan (AWP) focus on supporting the development objectives of the Ethiopia Growth and Transformation Plan II (2015/16-2019/20) in relation to Pillar 8 on equity and empowerment as well as being aligned with United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2016 – 2020). The country program team under the leadership of the Deputy Country Representative manages the program support to Ethiopia including Joint Programs. In its work for 2017-2020, UN Women ECO is focusing on four main development result areas: 1) Women supported to lead and participate in decision-making at all levels; 2) Women, especially the poorest and most excluded, are economically empowered and benefit from development; 3) Women and girls live a life free from violence; and 4) Governance and national planning fully reflect accountability for gender equality commitments and priorities. One of the priority programs of UN Women ECO is Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE).

In this area, UN Women works with key partners from government, civil society and UN organizations in development and humanitarian settings to address legal gaps and strengthen policy frameworks by promoting women’s access and control over productive resources such as land, climate resilient technologies, finances and know how to ensure that they are economically empowered and increasingly benefit from economic development policies, programmes and reforms in Ethiopia. To sustain the intended Women’s Economic Empowerment results for Ethiopian Women, UN Women engaged multiple strategies including building capacity of financial and non-financial service providers on gender mainstreaming to ensure women have better access to services, as well as strengthening gender equality advocates and their networks to enhance women’s agency and advocacy on women’s economic empowerment. Deconstructing the existing gender relations at the community level by working with men/boys/male partners/husbands, community leaders, to remove structural and social barriers to women’s economic empowerment has also been identified as critical intervention areas for the WEE Program.

Reporting to Deputy Representative, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under his/her portfolio and the WEE team. She/he 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.

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of WEE

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to WEE.
• Support the finalization for the programme document on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and its approval
• Develop two-page concept note, PPT and other materials to support fund raising for the CSA programme
• Liaise with other UN Agencies and INGOs on possible collaboration and partnership

2. Manage the implementation and management of the WEE programme

• Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.

3. Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

• Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the WEE programme; respond to any potential problems;
• Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.

4. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project

• 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 and other required reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
• Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of the WEE programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;

• Supervise Programme Analyst, programme assistant, volunteers and consultants; Mentor and coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

6. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

7. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on WEE to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in Ethiopia

• 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.

8. Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to the WEE;
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to WEE as necessary;
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Liaise with the Communication’s focal person and NGO partners to prepare press releases and human-interest stories to be published by the Ethiopia media houses, UN Women Regional Office in East and Southern Africa Region and the UN Women HQ website;
• Contribute to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, and outreach;
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on WEE.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
• Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programmes
• Relations with partners and stakeholders
• Quality reports and timely submission
• Regular communication with other agencies and partners
• Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives

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 knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of WEE  
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies

Education & Certification: -

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, 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 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 WEE;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies 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 and Amharic is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;
• Knowledge of another local language is an asset.

UNWOMEN is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.