Programme Management Support Unit - Manager

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of gender 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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the future of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to placing them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs and priorities of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

The UN Women Afghanistan Country Office Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU) thereby supports the effective management and monitoring of the UN Women programme portfolio in Afghanistan, including programme planning and development, monitoring of programme implementation based on agreed annual work plans and partner and donor agreements, compliance with UN Women programme policies, guidance and procedures, and sound substantive and financial reporting.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Country Representative - Programme, the PMSU Manager will provide overall leadership to the PMSU and act as quality assurance advisor to Senior Management on all aspects of the UN Women programme. She/he will be responsible for providing strategic direction to the development, implementation and monitoring of and reporting on programmes for the Country Office, including overseeing technical support to the implementation of programmes and projects, managing the monitoring and reporting for the Country Office and Sub-Offices, overseeing and guiding people and budget management for the programme, monitoring and evaluation and inter agency coordination teams, building partnerships and providing support in developing resource mobilization strategies, and managing knowledge building efforts. Additionally, the post incumbent will oversee the Sub-Offices, directly supervising the Heads of Sub-Office and contributing to ensuring programming coherence across all UN Women representations in Afghanistan.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Manage the Programme Management Support Unit

Lead the PMSU day to day work and supervise a team consisting of staff and consultants, including overseeing the establishment and implementation of the team workplans;
Manage the performance of the staff and consultants, provide managerial direction and guidance, mentoring and coaching support to the staff ;
Finalize terms of reference for new staff, consultants and contractors and oversee the recruitment process, as necessary.

2. Lead the programmatic development of the UN Women programme portfolio

Provide overall programme advisory support to the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office Senior Management;
Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of the country programme annual workplan, including budget and results frameworks;
Review and provide feedback on project/ programme strategies and documents, workplans, case studies and related knowledge products and publications, as needed;
Draft policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions.

3. Provide technical support to the implementation of the UN Women programme portfolio

Provide management oversight and lead technical advice on the development of systems, standard procedures, processes and mechanisms to support timely and effective programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting;
Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical frameworksand work plans;
Manage programme quality control and identification and mitigation of programmatic challenges;
Align programme activities with the operations team in close liaison with Operations Manager.

4. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the UN Women programme portfolio

Oversee the establishment of the monitoring and evaluation plan of the programmes, recommend and establish programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
Manage the preparation of quarterly and annual progress reports and donor reports and organize progress reviews, as necessary;
Prepare programme team for audits and monitor implementation of audit recommendations;
Provide training on results-based management to office staff, as necessary.

5. Represent UN Women in UN system wide coordination mechanisms, with a focus on programme development

As delegated by the UN Women Country Representative, represent UN Women in interagency coordination mechanisms, including interagency platforms to develop joint programme and resource mobilization strategies.
Lead and identify opportunities to amplify and demonstrate UN Women as the lead UN entity in mainstreaming gender perspectives across UN systemwide coordination architecture, anchored within the one UN strategic framework including the Transitional Engagement Framework and the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan.
Provide technical support and lead coordination of the relevant coordination mechanisms, within the one UN framework, to advance UN Women’s coordination mandate commitments in country.

6. Oversee the effective functioning of the UN Women Sub-Offices in Afghanistan and ensure coherence

Manage the effective functioning of the Sub-Offices, including through the direct supervision of the Heads of Sub-Offices;
Lead and oversee the development and implementation of the Sub-Office work plans and monitor their implementation;
In collaboration with the operations team, ensure that the Sub-Offices’ operational needs are met;
Ensure regular communication and information flow between the programme and operations teams in Kabul and the Sub-Offices to ensure programmatic and operational coherence and optimize mutually reinforcing strategic opportunities to advance the UN Women mandate in Afghanistan.

7. Build partnerships and provide support in developing resource mobilization strategies

Provide technical support and strategic advice to develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and support development of the relevant partnerships.

8. Manage knowledge building efforts

Manage the process of identifying and synthesizing of best practices and lessons learned that are directly linked to the implementation of the programme and contribute to their global dissemination.

Key Performance Indicators:

Programme team and Sub-Office workplans and budgets are developed and implemented in line with the Country Office Strategic Note and annual work plans;
Adherence to UN Women’s rules, regulations, policies and procedures, using a results based management approach;
Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with workplans and budgets;
Regular monitoring of programmes, issues/deviations are raised in a timely manner;
Timely and quality reporting and regular dissemination and sharing of information, including best practices/ lessons learned.

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

Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
Ability to develop detailed project plans and budgets, and deliver on them;
Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making;
Strong analytical skills;
Strong knowledge of Results Based Management;
Good knowledge of UN programme management systems.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender 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 7 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building;
Experience in working in the field of gender is required;
Experience in leading a team is required;
Experience coordinating with partners and stakeholders;
Experience of working with multi-cultural teams is required;
Experience in working in a complex humanitarian environment is desirable;
Experience in country and/or region is an asset;
Experience in administrative systems and UN system norms is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required;
Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset