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.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of insecurity, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. Since the takeover by Taliban in August 2021, Afghanistan has witnessed a progressive erasure of women’s rights and freedoms, through over 70 formal and informal edicts, messages and practices. It is essential that Afghan women and girls continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan. In the evolving context UN Women continues to reconfigure and adapt its programming to be responsive to ensure the full spectrum of rights of Afghan women and girls are met.

UN Women’s programming approach in Afghanistan is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to, and capacities of, partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, (4) Contributing to Rebuilding Women Civil Society Organizations, and (5) Women, Peace and Security. Given the operational context in country, UN Women has also strengthened its 5 sub offices to ensure a more localized approach to its programming.

UN Women Afghanistan Country Office is seeking a consultant (Sub-National Coordinator Assistant) to provide support for the implementation of the WCSO project at the subnational level in the Southern Region (Duty Station: Kandahar). The consultant will work closely with the Kabul team and assist in various components of the program, including grantmaking, technical support, capacity building trainings, monitoring of implementing partners, project implementation activities monitoring, knowledge management, and operational support.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Subnational Coordinator Assistant will work under directly supervision of the WCSO Sub-Office coordinator and guidance from the Head of Sub-Office and the WCSO Programme Manager.
• Coordinate with the WCSO project team at both the Southern and Kabul levels.
• Support the ACO WCSO project team in disseminating expressions of interest to potential WCSO project partners, reviewing received applications, providing analysis, and conducting inquiries into applicant organizations.
• Assist the ACO WCSO project team and Southern Region Sub-National Coordinator in collecting and reviewing reports, information, and supporting documents from applicants/partners, as well as conducting monitoring and capacity assessments when necessary.
• Support the ACO WCSO project team and Southern Region Sub-National Coordinator in finalizing partner budgets and agreements.
• Provide technical assistance and capacity development support to project partners, including guidance on core budget expenditure, project concept note drafting and review, coordination with DFA on project implementation, and MoU signing with the line ministry.
• Coordinate and facilitate technical/programming support and trainings for partners, focusing on strengthening their organizations in areas such as operations, organizational and project management, and more.
• Oversee capacity assessments of each partner in coordination with the WCSO project team and Southern Region Sub-National Coordinator.
• Provide technical support and oversight for the implementation of program activities with partners.
• Contribute technical inputs to tools, methodologies, monitoring, and reporting of the project.
• Monitor progress on project activities, results, and indicators.
• Provide inputs to quarterly reports, donor reports, and other requested reports related to WCSO project outputs, results, and outcomes.
• Support advocacy, knowledge building, communication, and events related to the WCSO project.
• Provide technical inputs to background documents, briefs, knowledge products, and presentations.
• Coordinate and support the organization of activities, events, trainings, workshops, and knowledge products.
• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Provide overall support to the Southern Region Sub-National Coordinator.
• Perform any other necessary tasks assigned by the manager.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy with travel to partners in the Southern Region as needed as well as trainings/ meeting in Kabul.

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Experience in providing technical support and collaborating closely with civil society and training.
• Well-developed communication, leadership, and team-building skills.
• Ability to travel to offices of partners and applicant organizations.
• Previous experience working with the United Nations System in the same field is a distinct advantage

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Completion of high school education required.

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, or a related field is and asset.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in development program/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building.
• Experience in civil society and with women’s issues is an asset.
• Experience in the United Nations System is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in Dari and Pashto is required.
• Working knowledge of English is also required.

How to Apply:

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters 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.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)