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.

The UN Women Programme Support & Management Unit (PSMU) provides corporate advisory services and direct support for project and programme development and implementation including for the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID). PSMU guides PPID, regions and countries in following best practice to ensure that all projects and programmes maintain a level of standardization, planning, share knowledge, and work collectively towards UN Women’s strategic goals. PSMU offers the organization’s Regional Offices and Country Offices a range of services, training and toolkits that increase their implementation capacity to deliver programmes on time, on scope and on budget. It also supports the implementation of global projects managed by Headquarters.

Within PSMU, the Head of PMO supports the Chief PSMU in leading the organization’s work on project and programme management capacities and strengthening, which includes:

• Capacity building and training for project and programme staff;
• Professionalization of project and programme management standards, practices, and capacities;
• Knowledge Management – leading the Community of Practice and Center of Excellence for Project and Programme Management; and
• Targeted project and programme planning and initiation support.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of PSMU, and under the direct supervision of the Head of PMO, the Programme Management Specialist will be responsible for supporting organizational efforts in the professionalization of project and programme management standards, practices, and capacities, specifically related to the organization’s Programme and Project Life Cycle (PPLC) Maturity Project.

In particular, the Programme Management Specialist will: 1) provide coordination and technical/analytical support in the promulgation and socialization of Policies and Procedures related to the PPLC, 2) support the PPLC project team to ensure successful implementation/monitoring of Policies and Procedures as well as recording progress on the maturity of the organization, 3) develop presentations, guidance documents and tools to support the implementation of Policies and Procedures, 4) coordinate and lead webinars on capacity development of staff on Policies and Procedures and use of platforms to manage project design and planning, and 5) perform other official duties and special assignments as requested.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1.Provide technical support in the promulgation and implementation of Policies and Procedures related to the PPLC

• Lead the global monitoring of Policies and Procedures around the PPLC implementation and generate reports to inform the progress of UN Women’s maturity.
• Support the revision and updates to relevant programming policies, procedures, and guidance documents.
• Lead capacity building efforts on the PPLC and provide technical support on demand.

2. Manage the Project Quality Assurance Platform 

• Lead the task team in place for the creation of the infrastructure environment of the Project and Quality Assurance Platform; maintain and update the platform as needed, to ensure seamless user experience.
• Develop guidance documents and lead webinars, to support the introduction and use of the Project Quality Assurance Platform among users in the organization.
• Provide technical support to ROs and HQ in relation to the management of the Project Quality Assurance Platform for effective control and use of the new project appraisal process.

3. Coordinate and manage the Global Project Oversight Committee Secretariat

• Support the launch of the Project Quality Assurance Platform among functional leads that are part of the Project Oversight Committee at Global, Regional and Country level and review roles and responsibilities.
• Conduct annual meetings with the Global Project Oversight Committee members to keep them abreast of the project design and planning process, and the use of the Project Quality Assurance Platform.
• Monitor the implementation of the new project appraisal process mechanism and develop reports to improve gaps and lessons learned.
• Coordinate the quality assurance process of new projects using the Project Quality Assurance Platform and serve as the Secretary of the Global Project Oversight Committee.
• Lead capacity building efforts on demand.

4. Facilitate and contribute to knowledge management:

• Identify and document best practices, and lessons learned from PPLC and ensure appropriate dissemination.
• Provide technical inputs to knowledge networks and relevant communities of practice.

5. Perform other official duties and special assignments as requested.

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:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong coordination and analytical skills
• Strong organizational skills and communication skills both written and verbal.
• Ability to design, implement, monitor, and report on projects and programmes.
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them.
• Ability to synthesize project, program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Strong knowledge of UN project and programme lifecycle Policies, Procedures and Guidances, as it relates to Social and Environmental Standards, Joint Programming, Donor Reporting and Direct Funding to Country Programmes/Strategic Notes management.
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• PRINCE2® Practitioner and/or Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®) Practitioner certification is an asset.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project and programme development, strategic planning, coordination support is required.
• International development experience preferably focused on, or strongly involved in programme and project management and gender equality at national, regional and/or international levels is required.
• Technical experience in Donor Reporting, UN Joint Programmes Management, Social and Environmental Standards knowledge and management of Direct and Flexible Funding to Country Programmes/ Strategic Notes is desirable.
• Experience in project/Programme oversight and coordination is required.
• Experience in the utilization of ERP systems for Project and Programme Management is required.
• Prior experience in the UN System is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish). .

Statements :

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.)