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.

Globally, UN Women focuses on six priority areas. These include increasing women’s leadership and participation in political spaces, ending violence against women, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, supporting women’s participation in achieving and sustaining peace, making gender equality central to national planning and budgeting and advancing gender in intergovernmental processes.

In Sri Lanka, UN Women has extensive experience and leads on implementing the WPS Agenda in Sri Lanka by building capacities of government officials to implement policies in relation to women’s rights, with a broader aim of adopting and implementing Sri Lanka’s first ever National Action Plan on WPS. UN Women has been implementing a number of programmes and projects on conflict prevention, the promotion of social cohesion, and the prevention of violent extremism in Sri Lanka.

To ensure that women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems, UN Women’s programmes on leadership and participation are designed to train women leaders to help build their capacities and promote women’s leadership at all levels of decision-making. It advocate for legislative, policy, budgetary, and constitutional reforms to end discriminatory laws that prevent women from meaningfully participating in all spheres of life. To ensure that women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy, UN Women promotes women’s ability to secure decent jobs, accumulate assets, and influence institutions and public policies determining growth and development. To ensure that women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence, UN Women focuses on women’s economic empowerment, early education, respectful relationships, and working with men and boys, recognizing that prevention is still the most cost-effective, long-term way to stop violence.

UN Women in Sri Lanka coordinates eff­orts within the wider UN system to advance gender equality. The office coordinates advocacy eff­orts, generate knowledge, build networks, and monitor system-wide action and progress to position gender equality as fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka, and a more inclusive world.

Reporting to the Head of Office, the Programme Associate works with and provides support to the members of the Programme Team in the development and implementation of effective programmes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.  The Programme Associate contributes to research, financial 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 RO and UN Women HQs as required for resolving complex finance-related issues and exchange of information.

III. Key Functions and Accountabilities

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

• Provide administrative support and inputs in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements;
• Provide technical guidance to the programme presence office on routine delivery and reporting of programme supported activities and finances;
• Prepare information for the audit of programmes/ projects and support implementation of audit recommendations;
• Identify sources, and gather and compile data and information for documents, guidelines, speeches and position papers.

2. Provide administrative support to the financial management of the Programme Unit 

• Create projects in Quantum system, prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project;
• Provide administrative support in monitoring budget preparation and the finances of programmes/projects; including the finalization of FACE forms;
• Review financial reports; prepare non-PO vouchers for development projects;
• Process payment for consultants;
• Maintain internal expenditures control system
• Create requisitions in Quantum system for development projects; register goods receipts in Quantum system
• Assist in the preparation and follow up of cost-recovery bills in Quantum system.

3. Provide administrative support to the Programme Unit

• Undertake all logistical, administrative and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions;
• Make travel arrangements for the Programme Team, including travel requisitions and claims;
• Prepare public information materials and briefing packets;
• Liaise with high level officials on administrative issues;
• Prepare and assemble briefing materials and prepare power-point and other presentations; contribute inputs to the materials;
• Organize and coordinate filing of documents; maintain mailing lists.
• Assist in drafting of TORs for recruitment of consultants and managing their payment schedule in accordance with the contract and deliverables
• Assist the Programme Team in the management of budgets, administration and procurement-related matters and functions in accordance with UN/UN Women rules and regulations
• Maintaining the asset management registry

4. Provide administrative support to Resource Mobilization 

• Organize, compile and process information from donors, and programme team, as inputs to various databases and documents.

5. Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Provide administrative support synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices related to programme management and finance;
• Provide administrative support to the organization of training for the office staff and partners on programme and operations related issues

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

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and accurate support to events, workshops, and missions;
• Full compliance of administrative activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Timely recording of overall programme unit finances;
• Timely and accurate tracking of data for the programme presence office management and donor purposes;
• Quality maintenance of internal systems and files
• Quality and timely support to programme team

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 knowledge of programme management;
• Knowledge of procurement processes, systems, administrative rules and regulation
• Ability to create, edit, synthesize and present information in clear and presentable formats;
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow
• Excellent financial and budgeting skills;
• Excellent IT skills.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

VI. Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Completion of secondary education required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Public Administration is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in administration or programme management/support;
• Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP system, preferably Quantum system is an asset;
• Experience in supporting a team is required;

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and local languages (Sinhala/ Tamil) is required
• Working knowledge in another official UN language is an asset

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.)