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.

UN Women through its Liaison Office to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) engages with the AU and its various organs, the UNECA and civil society organizations, as well as the diplomatic community. Through the office, UN Women provides technical support to Member States and the AU in the adoption, implementation and monitoring of commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), in accordance with its mandate. Furthermore, the UN Women Liaison Office represents UN Women in the UN Liaison Team and facilitates the participation of relevant UN Women Offices including regional offices for East and Southern Africa (ESAR), West and Central Africa (WCAR) and North Africa (ROAS) in the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for Africa to advance the GEWE agenda on the continent.

UN Women, through its Liaison Office to the AU and ECA, aims at providing technical assistance to the African Union Commission (AUC) through the Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to effectively mainstream gender issues in AU and its programs and policy processes. UN Women Liaison Office also collaborates with relevant departments of the AUC for gender responsive development and implementation of regional initiatives. In addition, the Liaison Office continues to establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with relevant UN agencies, INGOs and CSOs to implement catalytic initiatives in supporting the continental GEWE agenda. In this regard, the Liaison Office carries out knowledge management activities by tracking the implementation of policies as well as identifying and disseminating advocacy messages and good practices to inform decisions and priorities of the AU and its organs. The Liaison Office accordingly endeavors to catalyze the adoption and implementation of gender responsive regional policies which inform programming, policy and partnerships at different levels in Africa.

The programme associate will be reporting to the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Programme Associate works with and provides support to the members of the Liaison Office in the development and implementation of effective programmes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Programme Associate contributes to research, financial and administrative management, and programme implementation including providing necessary operational, administrative and programmatic support. The Programme Associate works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and projects’ staff in the Liaison Office and UN Women COs/ROs/HQs as required.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide administrative and logistical support to the formulation and management of programmes

• Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements;
• Support the development of the Liaison Office’s annual workplan, budget, proposals and Program implementation arrangements.
• Provide inputs to the preparation of procurement plans related to the programme and project activities; provide technical guidance to the Project/programme team and responsible parties on routine delivery and reporting of programme supported activities and finances
• Provide technical and logistical support for programme and normative activities.
• Assist in the coordination of regional consultative, knowledge sharing and planning forums
• Consolidate briefing materials and assist in the preparation of power-points and other presentations on UN Women Liaison initiatives
• Support in identifying sources and gathering and compiling data and information for the preparation of documents, guidelines, speeches, and position papers
• Identify sources and gather and compile data and information for the preparation of documents, guidelines, speeches, and position papers.

Provide administrative support to the Liaison Office core team.

• Undertake all logistical, administrative, and financial arrangements for the organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions
• Make travel arrangements, including travel requisitions and claims;
• Prepare public information materials and briefing packets;
• Assemble briefing materials and prepare PowerPoint and other presentations;
• Provide guidance and training to Programme Assistants as needed.

Provide technical inputs to the Reporting of Liaison programmes/ projects and initiatives.

• Monitor and report the progress of implementation of activities of the Liaison programmesusing results-based management tools;
• Draft and review results, outputs, and outcomes report for Liaison programmes
• Assist in drafting annual reports of the programme and uploading of cleared reports to RMS.
• Provide substantive inputs to preparing donor and UN Women Liaison Office quarterly and annual reports.
• Assist in drafting annual reports of the program and uploading cleared reports to RMS.
• Keep a database of the Civil Society organizations working on GEWE in region

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

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:

• Functional Competencies
• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and reporting skills;
• Knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
• Good analytical skills;
• Knowledge of the Africa regional gender equality and women’s empowerment context and familiarity with UN
• Understanding and knowledge of intergovernmental policy processes, mechanisms, and partnerships
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to partnerships and resource mobilization

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, Peace and Security 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
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.

Experience:

• At least three years of progressive work experience in programme/project development and implementation, policy advocacy, coordination, knowledge management, donor reporting and capacity building at global/regional/national levels;
• Experience in carrying out administrative and logistical functions related to the UN Women Liaison Office initiatives on WPS and leadership.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with intergovernmental entities and regional organizations such as AU and RECs as well as donors

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required
• Knowledge of the French language is an asset.

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.)