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UN Women: Planning and Coordination Specialist

Panama

  • Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • Location: Panama
  • Grade: Mid level - P-4, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: Closed

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.

Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality translate into action.  UN Women supports improved UN coordination and accountability mechanisms, and up-scaling of the quality of support provided to Member States in addressing national gender equality priorities. UN Women’s coordination work is supported at the regional level by its Regional Offices – working with the UNSDG Regional Groups and the Regional Coordination Mechanisms in the context of the UN Development System reform. At the country level UN Women supports and works within UN Country Teams.

UN Women has placed emphasis on improving its planning and results-based management as an organization. The Regional Office supports and provides guidance to UN Women country presence in planning and results-based management.

The Planning and Coordination Specialist reports to the Regional Director in Panama who provides overall strategic guidance and direction to UN Women’s work in the Americas & Caribbean region.  In carrying out the functions, the Plannig and Coordination Specialist will work closely with the relevant units in headquarters such as Programme and Coordination Divisions.

The Planning and Coordination Specialist supports the Regional Director, who is a member of the Regional Director’s Team (RDT) to:

  • Manage and implement activities to enhance system wide coherence on gender equality and the empowerment of women in the context of the UN Development System reform;
  • Support UN Women country presences on the ground in their coordination roles with the UNCTs in the identification of technical expertise, the implementation of corporate-level accountability tools;
  • Provide support to UN Women country presences to ensure high quality planning processes at regional and country level, including through application of results-based programme planning and management with an emphasis on UNDSCF processes.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical support to the Regional Directorate as well as Multi Country Office and Country Offices on inter-agency coordination:

  • Provide technical support and guidance to the Regional Directorate in participation in regional groups and related technical bodies including the regional gender theme group, and other interagency coordination efforts, including in the UN Development System reform and related technical bodies as well as the Regional Coordination Mechanism; this includes issues-based coalitions;
  • Provide analysis and advice to COs and MCO on engaging United Nations Country Teams (UNCT) and Resident Coordinators (RCs) on gender responsive development assistance and on the development of gender-specific country programming processes and products, including the preparation of CCAs and UNSDCF;
  • Provide overall analysis on the UNSDCF at the regional level;
  • Provide substantive support and representation at conferences, high-level meetings, joint programme development, joint advocacy and research;
  • Prepare briefing materials on issues to be discussed in the UN and other events and meetings; Follow up on required action/outstanding issues and report on outcome/result;
  • Promote UN Women´s engagement in joint evaluations on gender equality and women´s empowerment, in coordination with regional evaluation specialists.

Provide technical support and guidance to the regional and country office on results-based management to ensure more coherent and coordinated UN Women commitments with in UNSDCFs:

  • Provide technical support and guidance to regional and country level colleagues on joint planning and programming modalities and strategies;
  • Provide technical support in monitoring of work planning processes and in developing strategic notes;
  • Provide technical support to RO and MCO/COs and guidance in the development of regional and country level planning instruments, such as annual work plans, programme/ project documents and strategic notes;
  • Ensure quality of regional and country level planning instruments, promoting application of good practice in the development, design, monitoring and reporting of results;
  • Collaborate with Regional Evaluation Specialists and country Monitoring & Evaluation focal points to ensure that findings and lessons from evaluations are reflected in strategic planning processes and Result Based Management and training on results-based management.
  • Provide technical support and guidance to MCO and COs in the development of gender-specific country programming processes and products, including the preparation of UNDAF and other UN system joint programming documents.

Provide technical support and guidance to the development of strategic partnerships within the UN system at the regional and country level:

  • Actively participate in the regional Programme Support Group to ensure gender is mainstreamed in the products and services provided by the Group to UNCTs;
  • Provide technical support to inter-agency groups at regional and country level, with emphasis on gender equality and women´s empowerment;
  • Promote and support the application of the CCAs, GECPs,  UNCT SWAP gender scorecard by UNCTs in the region as well as knowledge sharing among offices and country teams that have implemented it;
  • Ensure effective knowledge management and capacity development of UN Women in the region in rolling out and support system-wide tools on gender equality;
  • Provide technical support and guidance to MCO and COs on managing activities and other promotional events to for UN Women partnerships with other UN agencies and joint UN system programmes.

Facilitate knowledge building and sharing:

  • Participate in global practice network on coordination, sharing and learning best practices and  exchange experience and/or seek support on coordination issues affecting UN Women and UN system programmes and operations;
  • Lead the development and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned  on coordination and UN system programming and development;  ensure they are incorporated into programme development;
  • Provide technical support to the development of gender equality profiles by UN Women offices in UNSDCF roll out countries.
  • Manage the UN Women community of practice on strategic planning and coordination in the Americas and Caribbean (AC) Region.
  • Oversee the updating of the AC share point and internal knowledge management platform on UN coordination and strategic planning.
  • Design and implement capacity building training activities to enhance skills and knowledge on Gender equality and Women’s Empowerment, on request of country offices and UNCTs.

Key Performance Indicators: 

  • Quality and timely support to MCO and COs in their coordination efforts within UNCTs and working groups, planning processes and development of results-based and strategic notes and annual work plans.
  • Quality CCAs, CGEPs, SWAPs and UNSDCF developed in regions increasing GE presence, analysis and results in these processes and outcomes.
  • Quality guidance and leadership to advance UN WOMEN mandate in regional UN coordination spaces, NRAs UNCTs and Working Groups.
  • UN Women partners provide good feedback on their working relationship with UN Women, based on evaluations and assessments;
  • Increased awareness of UN Women’s mandate and work within the UN system particularly in NRAs.
  • Increased resources mobilized and interest in GEWE within the UN system.

Competencies

Core values:

  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism;
  • Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

  • Excellent knowledge of gender equity and women’s empowerment issues;
  • Excellent knowledge of UN system and understanding of inter-agency coordination processes;
  • Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development to experience;
  • Excellent knowledge of results based programme planning and management;
  • Excellent analytical skills;
  • Ability to promote and monitor inclusion of gender-specific objectives, indicators, targets and activities in the UN agencies programmes;
  • Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision;
  • Demonstrated negotiating, cultural sensitivity and diplomatic skills;
  • Well-developed people management skills;
  • Effectiveness and pro-activity;
  • Ability to leverage information technology, executive information systems, management techniques and tools for optimal office performance;
  • Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills;
  • Good planning, goal setting and prioritization and organizational skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

  • Master's degree (or equivalent) in international development, public administration, public policy, or other relevant social science 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) is an asset.

Experience: 

  • At least 7 years of progressively responsible development experiences in strategic and leadership roles related to development cooperation, international relations, public administration or other related fields.
  • Experience working in partnerships with UN agencies, governments and civil society organizations.
  • Experience in coordination and strategic programme planning processes.
  • Experience in programme development, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
  • Experience with results-based management.  
  • Experience in gender equality and women’s right s at the regional or international level is an asset.
  • Experience working in developing countries within the UN system, Agencies, Funds or Programs is an asset.

Languages: 

  • Fluency in English and Spanish is required;
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language 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/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558. 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.

 

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