Programme Specialist - Gender Responsive COVID-19 Prevention

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 for women as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Based on UN legislative mandates and the UN Women Strategic Note, the UN Women Somalia Office through the Government of Japan funded project entitled “Prevention of COVID-19 infections among women and girls displaced into IDP and refugee camps in ESAR” aim to strengthen the protection, leadership and empowerment of over 8000 vulnerable women, men and youth affected by COVID-19 and forcibly displaced into IDP and refugee camps in Somalia.

The Leadership, Empowerment, Access and Protection (LEAP) of women and girls in crises, is a regional project targeting two of the most affected countries in the East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR): the two countries continue to suffer from the impact of COVID-19 with limited capacity of government to mitigate the impacts. At the onset of the pandemic, raft of measures put in place to contain the spread which included closing of learning institutions, closing down of border points, dusk to dawn curfews, social and physical distancing in public places. The impact of these containment measures has had severe socio-economic repercussions on the population and more so women and girls particularly those displaced into refugee and IDP camps.

In Somalia, the project seeks to promote COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures, targeting women and girls in IDP and refugee camps. It will enhance leadership skills of IDP women and girls, develop their capacities for promoting gender responsive COVID-19 prevention and recovery support among crisis affected women in Mogadishu, Baidoa, Kismayo and Garowe. This project will directly reach over 9,400 beneficiaries (IDPs women and girls) and benefit an additional 10,000 indirectly.

Accordingly, UN Women will work closely with relevant government ministries, CSOs, the WHO and other stakeholders to ensure that women and girls, especially those most marginalized, are at the centre of COVID-19 prevention and response. The Gender Responsive COVID-19 Prevention Programme Specialist will work on the above project implemented in the IDP settings in the select Federal Member States in Somalia.

Reporting directly to the UN Women Somalia Country Program Manager, the Programme Specialist is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the project ““Prevention of COVID-19 infections among women and girls displaced into IDP and refugee camps in ESAR” implemented in Somalia in the select Federal Member States (FMSs), which includes coordinating relationships with regional and national partners and stakeholders, and the monitoring and reporting, and the finances and personnel of the portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Coordinate the COVID-19 and Humanitarian Action Programme/Portfolio:

Coordinate the overall Programme/Portfolio workplan development and implementation according to the programme document
Liaise with national counterparts including UN entities, government, CSOs, donors and UN Women Regional Office, to ensure that the Programme results are achieved and resources are managed.
Prepare and present workplans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to UN Women for submission to the donor
Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners
Ensure documentation of the programme implementation process and products produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines
Record and maintain documents on relevant Programme activities, issues and risks.
Technical support to the government partners, CSOs and women on enhancing the measures and access to services for women for COVID-19 prevention and response.
Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Women, Peace and Security and Leadership.

2. Coordinate monitoring and reporting on “Gender-Responsive COVID-19 Prevention and Response” programme:

Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on programmes and projects from the planning to the evaluation stages.
Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds by partners; conduct regular monitoring missions remotely or in-person
Write annual, semi-annual and quarterly reports; review and coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports
Provide inputs from programme activities and results to Somalia Office reporting and coordinate with country level personnel to do the same.

3. Manage financial resources and supervise staff:

Supervise and manage a team of professionals and consultants, review performance and mentor/coach staff
Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the Programme including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting
Oversee and monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners, along with the purchasing processes for goods and/or services.
Write and contribute to quarterly reports, Annual reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes.

4. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies:

Provide technical support to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies
Identify potential programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.
Undertake research and develop concept note and proposals for submission to the donor.

5. Research, Knowledge building and management and communication:

Defines and implements a knowledge management approach/strategy for the UN Women Somalia Programme aimed at enhancing knowledge sharing and delivering of planned results.
Develop concept notes calling for proposals for undertaking research on Gender, COVID-19 and Macroeconomics;
Develop knowledge products, advocacy material on COVID-19 awareness and prevention and facilitate civic education.
Identify capacity building needs and support partners through technical assistance, mentoring, training, cross-partner learning and capacity development initiatives.
Ensure documentation of the programme implementation process and products including human interest stories produced are in accordance with UN Women guidelines.

Key Performance Indicators:

Timely and quality programme design and inputs to Strategic Note
Timely and quality support on monitoring and reporting to the programme team and partners in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security
Relations with partners and stakeholders
Quality and timely systems for tracking/monitoring
Timely submission of accurate and quality reports
Quality communications strategy and timely implementation which leads to greater exposure and understanding of UN Women’s work
Quality and relevant advocacy materials and content on the website and social media channels

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

Functional Competencies:

Good knowledge of programme formulation, implementation, and Results Based Management;
Good knowledge of monitoring and evaluation, evaluation design, data collection and analysis, and reporting;
Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports;
Analytical and report writing skills;
Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies;
Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies;
Strong knowledge of managing web-based knowledge management systems;
Strong oral and written communication and editing skills;
Strong communication, networking and advocacy skills;
Knowledge of gender and human rights issues is desirable.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in public health, public administration, law, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national or regional partners, on gender equality and the empowerment of women;
Experience in providing access to COVID-19 services and in supporting research, organizing community awareness dialogue and advocacy;
Experience in coordinating, monitoring and evaluating development programmes and projects specifically on Gender and COVID-19 measures;
Previous experience working in the UN system is an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required;
Knowledge of Somali language is an asset.