Background

The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its new Country Strategic Note 2023-2027, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova 2023-2027 (UNSDCF), UN Women Global Strategic Plan, National Programs and Strategies and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women; 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance; 3) Women’s Economic empowerment and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on gender equality.

As of November 2023, UN Women launch the implementation of an EU-funded Project “Ending Violence, Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Women and Accelerating Gender Governance in Moldova with the short title: “EVOLVE4GE”.

The proposed project interventions will support the Government to address the persistent challenges and gaps identified in areas of critical importance for advancing gender equality by using gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting as key approaches to development of gender responsive policies and budgets. At the same time, it will integrate tailored actions for women to increase their entrepreneurship skills and economic competitiveness, but also support national stakeholders to improve and implement the regulatory and policy frameworks on economic empowerment of women. Additionally, the project interventions will aim to improve prevention of gender-based violence, work on behavioral change towards strengthening the culture of reporting and supporting women and girls in exercising their rights and reaching out to recourse mechanisms, it will expand and strengthen specialist services. Finally, it will enhance the overall planning, coordination and oversight of the progress on implementation of the Ending Violence Against Women programme, through the technical support in the establishment of the National Agency for Prevention and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, approved with Government decision accompanied by allocation of resources in the 2023 budget.

The project will contribute to the implementation of the Country Level Implementation Plan (CLIP) of Moldova of the Gender Action Plan III[1] and is fully aligned with the priority 5 of the Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2021-2027: a resilient, gender equal, fair and inclusive society[2]. As well it will contribute directly to the implementation of the national priorities set in the National Development Strategy “Moldova -2030”, the Government Programme on Gender Equality (2023 – 2027), the RoadMap for Economic Empowerment of Women, the National Programme on Ending Violence against Women (2023-2027), as well as to the gender responsive provisions of the National Strategy for Public Finance Management (2023-2030) and related programmes and the National Strategy Public Administration (2023-2030). It will also support the Government to advance implementation of the gender equality commitments aligned with the EU candidacy status granted to the Republic of Moldova in June 2022.

Reporting to the Project manager, the Project Officer contributes to the effective management of the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) component of the EVOLVE4GE project by providing substantive inputs to project design, formulation, implementation and evaluation and contributes overall to the effective management of the project activities. The Project Officer guides and facilitates the delivery of UN Women projects by monitoring results achieved during implementation and ensuring appropriate application of systems and procedures and develops enhancements if necessary. The Project Officer works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, EU Delegation, UN Women HQ personnel, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women project implementation under portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide substantive inputs to the design and formulation of project proposals and initiatives;
• Identify areas for support and intervention related to the project.

Provide substantive technical support to the implementation and management of the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) component of the EVOLVE4GE project:

• Provide technical inputs to the annual workplan and budget;
• Lead the implementation of project activities;
• Lead the coordination of the call/request for proposals, including the organization of technical review committees, and capacity assessment of partners;
• Review, coordinate and monitor the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Train partners on Results Based Management and monitor implementation.

Provide technical assistance and capacity development to project partners:

• Coordinate and provide technical support in the implementation of project activities; Develop technical knowledge products;
• Maintain relationships with national and local partners, private sector, academia and other relevant stakeholders to support implementation and expansion of the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) component of the EVOLVE4GE project;
• Identify opportunities for capacity building of partners and facilitate technical/ programming support and trainings to partners, as needed.

Provide technical inputs to the monitoring and reporting of the project:

• Monitor progress of implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Draft reports on monitoring missions, project results, outputs and outcomes;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of EU Delegation and UN Women reports.

Provide substantive technical inputs to the management of people and finances of the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) component of the EVOLVE4GE project:

• Monitor budget implementation and make budget re-alignments/ revisions, as necessary;
• Provide substantive inputs to financial reports.

Provide substantive inputs to building partnerships and resource mobilization strategies:

• Provide substantive inputs to resource mobilization strategies; analyze and maintain information and databases;
• Prepare relevant documentation such as project summaries, conference papers, briefing notes, speeches, and donor profiles;
• Participate in EU Delegation meetings and public information events, as delegated.

Provide technical support to inter-agency coordination on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) area to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women EVOLVE4GE project activities with other partners in the country:

• Provide substantive technical support to the management team in coordinating meetings, dialogues, advocacy spaces and strategic engagement of different stakeholders in the area;
• Provide substantive support in the convening of regular meetings with civil society and women’s rights networks for the implementation of the project;
• Provide logistical support and technical inputs for the coordination of events and participation in local, regional and global fora and advocacy spaces.

Provide substantive inputs to advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:

• Develop background documents, briefs and presentations related to Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) area;
• Coordinate and organize advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products;
• Coordinate the development of knowledge management methodologies, and products on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) area.

Competencies

• 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

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management;
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations;
• Good analytical skills;
• Expertise in the area of Women Economic Empowerment;
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising.

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in 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 2 years of progressively responsible work experience in development programme/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building;
• Experience in the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) area is an asset;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in oral and written Romanian and English. Good knowledge of Russian is an asset;
• Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language is an asset.