Programme Management Specialist on Women’s Economic Empowerment

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.

The UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025 guides UN Women’s work with an eye toward the 2030 deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It supports the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and contributes to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The plan details how UN Women will work to catalyse urgent and sustained action to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls across the four impact areas of: Ending Violence Against Women, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Governance and Participation in Public Life, and Women Peace and Security.

UN Women’s work on economic empowerment of women is guided by the Women’s Economic Empowerment strategy. Economic empowerment builds on several critical elements: i) ensure women’s equal rights and access to, ownership and control over resources (natural and productive), ii) strengthen their ability to make decisions about their own lives, and iii) alter the social, economic, and institutional contexts in which they operate. For women's economic empowerment, this requires approaches that go beyond micro-level capacity building, to focus on dismantling structural inequalities in economic systems.1 Discriminatory laws, policies and social norms persist in impeding women’s full and equal participation in the economy. Due to the prevailing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination to which women and girls are subject, they are at greater risk of rising poverty, food insecurity, violence and exclusion.

In partnership with the Government of Lebanon, UN Women has been working in Lebanon since 2015 to accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the areas of: women’s leadership political participation, women peace and security, women’s economic empowerment and changing discriminatory gender norms. On Women’s Economic Empowerment, UN Women Lebanon is implementing a portfolio of projects that aim to advance the economic empowerment of women in Lebanon, including Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian women, through a holistic approach that is in line with the approach outlined in the UN Women Economic Empowerment Strategy. This portfolio includes projects that focus on provision of integrated livelihood and protection services, including provision of Cash-for-Work, work skills training, leadership training, among other areas.

Under the supervision of the Representative, the Programme Management Specialist on Women’s Economic Empowerment is responsible for managing the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes on Women Economic Empowerment for the Lebanon Co., including providing technical support to the implementation of the women economic empowerment programme, managing the monitoring and reporting for the Lebanon Country Office, overseeing and guiding people and budget management for the programme team, building partnerships and providing support in developing resource mobilization strategies, and managing knowledge building efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Manage the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme for the Lebanon Country Office, based on the UN Women Lebanon Country Office Strategic Note

• Provide overall programme advisory support to the office management;
• Guide the development of the Lebanon Country office Women’s Economic Empowerment programme, and provide technical support to the design and formulation of programme/ project initiatives;
• Review and provide feedback to project/ programme strategies and documents, workplans, case studies and related knowledge products and publications, as needed;
• Provide technical advice on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting;
• Review and evaluate proposals and oversee the preparation of donor proposals and reports;
• Draft policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/ materials for the use in the development and presentation of policy and programmatic positions.

2. Provide technical support to the implementation of the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme for the UN Women Lebanon Country Office

• Review Women’s Economic Empowerment programme annual work plans to assure compliance with UN Women programme goals and results-based indicators;
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
• Draft reports on activities, outputs and outcomes; and compile information in preparation of Lebanon country office donor reports and UN Women corporate reports;
• Analyze and ensure alignment of project budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
• Manage programme quality control and identification of potential challenges;
• Align programme activities with operations team in close liaison with Operations Managers;
• Build and manage relationships with national partners, including from the private sector, International Financial Institutions, and others, as necessary.

3. Manage the monitoring and reporting for the Lebanon Country Office

• Recommend and establish programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
• Manage the monitoring of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators;
• Coordinate the process of gathering information and preparing progress reports on programme implementation; prepare technical reports;
• Prepare programme team for audits and monitor implementation of audit recommendations;
• Provide training on results-based management to office staff, as necessary.

4. Oversee and guide people and budget management for the programme team

• Lead a team, perform staff performance reviews, ensure capacity development of staff members by suggesting development opportunities;
• Monitor and analyze financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations, and with other UN Women offices and units.

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

• Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
• Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for resource mobilization and cost sharing;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships.

6. 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.

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:
https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, 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 such as Economics, Political Science, International Development 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 in programme management, including programme design, programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, work planning, budget oversight, and donor reporting;
• Experience working on women’s economic empowerment issues in Lebanon with demonstrated understanding of the constraints and opportunities within the Lebanese Labor market;
• Prior experience working for the UN is an asset;
• Experience in leading teams effectively is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
• Working knowledge of French is desirable.

Application

Interested individuals must submit the following document to demonstrate their qualifications. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc;
• Any application without submitting the above-mentioned document will be a ground for disqualification.

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.)