Programme Manager Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction

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.

In 2018, UN Women Nigeria established a presence in Maiduguri, Borno State North East, Nigeria to support the efforts of the Government of Nigeria and other UN agencies towards the humanitarian response through targeted livelihoods support for women and girls and the broader transition from humanitarian relief to longer-recovery and development. UN Women is also engaged in coordination and technical support across the sectoral responses; capacity building for humanitarian workers; and undertakes various assessments and related initiatives to allow for evidence-based, gender-responsive responses to the evolving crisis in the North East. The objective of UN Women programmes in the Northeast is to ensure protection for vulnerable women and girls as well as their equitable safe access to humanitarian and recovery assistance. The programmes also promote women’s meaningful participation and leadership in humanitarian and recovery processes.

In this regard, UN Women, with funding support from the Government of Japan, is implementing a project on Empowering Women and Girls for Enhanced Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in Borno and Yobe States. The project is designed to contribute to reducing the spread of COVID-19 through support to women’s leadership and participation in preventing and responding to gender-based violence while expanding access to economic empowerment opportunities.

Under the direct supervision of the  UN Women Deputy Country Representative, and with strategic reporting to the Country Representative, the Program Coordinator is responsible for the leadership, substantive coordination, and overall management of the Japan-funded project for results as well as managing and coordinating other UN Women interventions in the Northeast. She/he works in close collaboration with the program and operations team, UN Women Nigeria Country Office staff, Government, civil society, and other humanitarian partners ensuring the successful implementation of UN Women programmes in Northeast Nigeria. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Manage the implementation of the Japan project and other assigned portfolio of projects in Northeast:

• Develop the annual work plan and budget and manage their implementation;
• Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Oversee the establishment of partnership agreements

Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners:

• Build and manage relationships with national partners to support the implementation of programmes;
• Identify capacity-building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training, and capacity development initiatives.

Manage the monitoring of programme/ project implementation and finances using results-based management tools:

• Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
• Oversee activities of implementing partners and the submission of inarrative and financial reports;
• Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output, and outcomes;
• Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results-Based Management tools and performance indicators;
• Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports.

Management of human and financial resources of the portfolio of  projects assigned under the Northeast response:

• Manage the program budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise field coordinators, Programme Associates and/or UN Volunteers, assigned;
• Mentor and coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
• Oversee the recruitment processes of experts and staff as necessary

Contribute to inter-agency coordination on gender in humanitarian action to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners  in the Northeast:

• Contribute to the strengthening of key humanitarian partners' process by providing continuous guidance and technical support on gender in humanitarian action through the Gender Technical Team Group.
• Contribute to gender mainstreaming in National-led efforts of humanitarian strategies and plans, such as the Humanitarian Response Plan and Humanitarian Overview, and Covid-19 Contingency Plan.
• Advocate for the engagement and meaningful participation of local women’s organizations and platforms in humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
• Design and deliver capacity-building initiatives in Gender in Humanitarian Action
• Engage working groups and sector leads,  and key humanitarian partners on Gender in Humanitarian Action initiatives aimed to increase the gender responsiveness of the coordination mechanism and systems.
• Provide technical support to the Head of the Sub-Office on inter-agency coordination-related activities by attending meetings, and events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;

Manage advocacy, knowledge-building, and communication efforts:

• Develop and review background documents, briefs, and presentations related to the Northeast  response;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Provide input to briefs, policy updates, and other documents related to the humanitarian situation in Nigeria
• Contribute to the exchange of information and knowledge products of the program internally and externally;
• Organize major advocacy campaigns, events, training, workshops, and knowledge products
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Northeast  response as necessary;

Key Performance Indicator

• Timely and quality programme strategies and activities.
• Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget and workplans, and in line with all UN Women operational rules and regulations, including security.
• Timely and quality monitoring and evaluation of programmes;
• Relations with partners and stakeholders.
• Quality reports and timely submission.
• Quality of advocacy and communication initiatives.
• Increased cooperation and communication between UN Women and the humanitarian partners in Borno and Yobe States

Competencies

Core Values And Guiding Principles:

• Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

• Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

• Respect for diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability and Responsibility
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent program formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills
• Excellent knowledge of results-based management principles and approaches
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, and budgets, and deliver on results
• Sound knowledge of gender and humanitarian issues
• Ability to lead the formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Excellent networking skills
• Ability to negotiate and interact with donors and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a 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 work experience at the national or international level in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of gender and development projects;
• Technical experience in mainstreaming a gender perspective in humanitarian programmes, humanitarian coordination, and experience working in humanitarian settings.
• Technical experience in implementing women’s economic empowerment and livelihood projects
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset
• Knowledge of Hausa will be an asset.

Notes:

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.)