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.Established by UN General Assembly Resolution 50/166 in 1996, the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) is the first and remains the only global UN funding mechanism dedicated exclusively to providing direct grants to civil society organizations working to prevent and end all forms of violence against women and girls (EVAW/G). Since 2010, UN Women has administered the UN Trust Fund on behalf of the UN system, providing a strong institutional foundation and field support through a global infrastructure of country and regional offices.

With nearly three decades of experience, the UN Trust Fund has become a key global mechanism for funding initiatives that aim to eliminate violence against women and girls. It plays a critical role in fostering collaboration across governments, UN agencies, and civil society to address the root causes and consequences of violence, aligning its work with broader international policies and frameworks. The UN Trust Fund focuses on providing long-term grants to organizations that work in diverse contexts, particularly those representing marginalized groups, such as indigenous women, women living with disabilities, and women from rural or conflict-affected areas. Its investments are survivor-centered and aim to have sustainable, long-term impacts. To date, the UN Trust Fund has funded over 700 initiatives in over 140 countries and territories, significantly contributing to global efforts to end violence against women and girls.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the UN Trust Fund Grants Manager, the Regional EVAW Portfolio Specialist will be responsible for managing the Fund’s grants portfolio across the Europe and Central Asia region.

The Regional Portfolio Specialist will be responsible for the overall project management guidance and technical support to grantee partners to ensure high quality results monitoring and reporting and will lead the development and implementation of the regional portfolio strategy, collaborating closely with internal teams to guide grants selection, portfolio composition, and risk management. The Regional Portfolio Specialist will also play a key role in capacity enhancement and regional knowledge exchange for grantees, providing technical guidance and strengthening connections with UN agencies and other stakeholders.

The Regional EVAW Portfolio Specialist will work closely with relevant UN Women Regional Office (RO) and Country Office (CO) colleagues and will also coordinate and collaborate with relevant UN Trust Fund team members, thereby ensuring effective grant management processes, knowledge exchange, coordination and collaboration.

Functions:

1.   Lead the provision of strategic EVAW/G support to grantees in alignment with UN Trust Fund priorities as well as regional relevance.

• Provide technical assistance and specialist advice on EVAW/G programming for UN Trust Fund grantees in the region.
• Provide thought leadership and identify promising practices and strategic opportunities to EVAW/G in the region based on the practice-based knowledge and experiences of UN Trust Fund grantees.
• Oversee, monitor and guide the tracking of results from UN Trust Fund grantees, and contribute to the development of tools, guidance and resources on EVAW/G.
• Undertake missions to support programme development, verify principled project implementation and foster partnership building on EVAW/G thematic areas.
• Coordinate with relevant team members to highlight strategic regional and country portfolio achievements

2.   Manage and monitor the regional grants portfolio to ensure optimal resource allocation, compliance with standards, and delivery of intended programme outcomes. 

• Ensure that all regional grant selection processes and management follow UN Trust Fund’s global strategies, policies, and priorities, maintaining coherence between regional and global objectives.
• Monitor and assess the performance of the regional grant portfolio, including tracking progress towards outcomes, evaluating effectiveness, and ensuring that grants are achieving their intended results.
• Perform periodic high-level reviews of both programmatic and financial progress within the region, assessing overall effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement or adjustment.
• Maintain a centralized portfolio of all active and closed grants in the region and oversee grants performance assessment and portfolio updates on a regular basis.
• Work closely with finance and operations teams to address high-level regional operational challenges, providing solutions and support to mitigate issues that may impact grant implementation in the region.
• Proactively identify and escalate significant risks or issues that could affect multiple grants within the region, ensuring timely resolution and minimizing potential impacts on grant objectives.

3.   Provide technical advice for grants-selection and oversee grant-management processes for the individual grantee partners, to ensure a transparent, accountable and supportive process. 

• Oversee all operational and project management processes related to the grant’s life cycle, including project modifications, no-cost extensions, grant closures, as well as the review and approval of budget revisions and disbursements, in close collaboration with the Operation and Finance colleagues, to ensure they meet the UN Trust Fund’s standards and support the achievement of project goals.
• Contribute to the grant selection process including in the review of the Call for Proposals and related guidance documents and templates and support Regional PAC processes.
• Provide end-to-end project management support to CSOs and WROs, including in the project planning, inception and implementation phases, based on demand and need.
• Provide technical oversight and follow up on the implementation of audit recommendations for the partner, in close collaboration with the Operations team.
• Monitor and assess grantees’ progress towards overall results based on approved project documents and monitoring schedules, including through monitoring missions

4.   Provide capacity enhancement and knowledge management support to grantee partners and contribute to the implementation of a comprehensive EVAW/G regional grants portfolio strategy.

• Provide coordination and technical support for capacity development tools, including training materials and packages, guidance notes and other related support, as it relates to monitoring and reporting of grants.
• Support, organize and participate in knowledge sharing and capacity development events for grantees, including capacity development workshops for new grantees on monitoring and evaluation, in conjunction with relevant team members.
• Identify challenges and lessons learned across the grants and contribute to a process of institutional learning through documenting lessons learned and adapting strategies and programmes, accordingly.
• Collaborate with Regional M&E Team to integrate MEL capacity building into grantee support.

5.    Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with country and regional actors and development partners, including civil society leaders to ensure a relevant and sustainable programme in the region. 

• Act as the primary liaison between regional stakeholders and the UN Trust Fund headquarters.
• Foster the strengthening of key partnerships including supporting and feeding into regional advocacy efforts on promoting gender equality and EVAWG, in collaboration with UN Women and other partners.
• Work closely with UN Women and the broader UN system to influence policies and represent the UN Trust Fund in regional fora, conferences, and strategic meetings.
• Create spaces for programmatic connection and collaboration between UN Women offices and UN Trust Fund grantees, including through implementation of Country Office engagements.
• Participate in UN Women RO staff meetings, Programme Coordination Meetings and Annual Retreats, as needed, to ensure regional coherence.
• Contribute to select regional initiatives or other programmes developed by the RO, upon request and availability, in consultation with UN Trust Fund management.

6.   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:

• 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:

• Familiarity with the socio-political context and EVAW landscape in the Europe and Central Asia region.
• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Familiarity with budget planning, review and monitoring
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Ability to work effectively and independently in a decentralized structure, managing relationships across multiple locations and time zones.
• Strong analytical and writing skills.
• Proficient in the use of MS Office Suite of Applications
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems
• Familiarity in Quantum or another ERP system is an asset.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender Studies or 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 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building in the area of ending violence against women is required.
• Experience in working directly with civil society and women’s organizations, in the area of ending violence against women and girls is required.
• Experience setting priorities, budgets, work plans, participating in programme development and programme monitoring is required.
• Experience in leading teams effectively is required.

Language Requirements:

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

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.)

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements