Programme Associate

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

- Tier 0 : UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.

- Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments

- Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers

- Tier 3 or no tier indicated : All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in support of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. It was launched in September 2017 by the UN Secretary General and the EU High Representative and Vice President as a model for partnerships with donors, civil society, and the UN to deliver on SDGs in a comprehensive manner. SDG 5 and the achievement of gender equality are placed at the center of efforts (alongside Goal 16) with the aim to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of all goals. Within the UN, the Initiative helps operationalize the UN development system reforms and model a new way of delivering on SDGs in an integrated way, leveraging stakeholders’ diverse comparative expertise and collaborative advantages.

In Liberia, the Spotlight Initiative ran from 2019 to 2023 and focused on addressing the root causes of sexual and gender-based violence, harmful practices, and violations of women's rights, including SRHR. Building on the knowledge and lessons from the first phase (2019-2023), Spotlight Initiative 2.0 is being implemented to consolidate the achievements and further galvanize crucial efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls.

To support this implementation, multi-stakeholder, and multi-year programme, a dedicated Programme Coordination and Management Unit (PMCU) has been established within the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office. In this context, the Resident Coordinator’s Office is seeking to recruit an Programme Associate to provide programme implementation support, stakeholder engagement, advocacy, knowledge management, reporting, and results tracking. The Programme Associate position has been created to strengthen support for programme delivery and achievement of results to support services to the Spotlight team based in the Resident Coordinator’s office, and as needed, to the Spotlight RUNOs technical team based in UNDP, UNFPA and UN Women.

Duties and Responsibilities

- Scope of Work (5 to 7 items only)

a. Programme implementation Support

- Support implementation follow-up of programme workplans, activities, decisions, commitments, and agreed actions to ensure timely delivery of results.

- Support programme implementation tracking, programme planning , and programme management review processes

- Support organization of meetings, preparation of agendas, briefing materials, presentations, participant lists, minutes, and action trackers.

- Support tracking of decisions from programme meetings and governance mechanisms.

- Support field missions’ preparations, and stakeholder engagements.

- Maintain a repository of programme decisions, commitments, action points, and key implementation documents to support institutional memory and accountability.

b. Stakeholder Engagement, Advocacy and Partnership Support

- Support efforts for stakeholder engagements

- Assist in organizing advocacy initiatives, dialogues, consultations, campaigns and various activities that advance Spotlight Initiative objectives.

- Support communication and information-sharing on spotlight initiative among stakeholders and beyond

- Support preparation of advocacy materials, briefing notes, talking points, presentations, position papers, and engagement packages.

- Document stakeholder commitments, recommendations, and agreed actions and monitor follow-up implementation.

- Support donor missions, visits, programme reviews, and other relevant engagements.

- Maintain stakeholder databases and partnership records to facilitate effective engagement and communication.

- Support efforts in preparation of stakeholder mapping and engagement updates to inform programme planning and partnership management.

c. Knowledge Management, Reporting and Learning

- Support documentation and dissemination of programme achievements, lessons learned, good practices, innovations, and success stories.

- Maintain programme knowledge repositories and ensure systematic filing and accessibility of programme information and documentation.

- Compile initial information and inputs from RUNOs for programme reporting purposes.

- Assist in preparation of progress reports, implementation updates, briefing notes, donor reports, and management information products.

- Contribute to the preparation of knowledge products highlighting programme results, impact, and emerging evidence.

- Contribute to programme advocacy through support in preparation of success stories, human-interest stories, event summaries, and other results-focused communication products, ensuring compliance with applicable UN and donor visibility requirements

d. Administrative Support

- Provide logistical and administrative support for programme activities, workshops, consultations, trainings, meetings, missions, and other stakeholder engagements.

- Support travel arrangements, mission planning, procurement requests, and other operational requirements in accordance with UN regulations and procedures.

- Maintain programme records and support documentation required for programme implementation, reporting, and audits.

- Facilitate coordination between the PMCU and relevant support units within participating UN agencies.

- Assist in tracking and maintaining programme documentation necessary for accountability and reporting purposes.

- Support organization of meetings, missions, programme reviews, and consultations, including preparation of logistical and administrative arrangements.

- Maintain accurate records of correspondence, official communications, meeting documentation, and programme files in accordance with UN records management requirements.

e. Event Management Support

- Support in coordination and management of programme events, including workshops, trainings, conferences, launches, consultations, and meetings, ensuring effective planning and implementation.

- Coordinate event logistics and operational arrangements, including venue selection, accommodation, transportation, catering, participant registration, and event invitations.

- Ensure that event materials, including participant packages, registration materials, presentations, visibility items, and other event-related documentation are timely available.

- Maintain event records, attendance lists, and related documentation to support programme accountability and institutional memory.

f. Program delivery

- Assist in monitoring and updating programme implementation delivery status against approved workplans and results budgets.

- Assist in identifying implementation delays, outstanding actions, and accountability gaps requiring management attention.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

- Institutional Arrangement

The Programme Associate will work under the direct supervision of the Spotlight Initiative Programme Specialist/Spotlight Initiative Coordinator. The incumbent will collaborate closely with other Spotlight Initiative Programme Management Team members, programme and operations teams of RUNOs, implementing partners, government counterparts, and other stakeholders, and will submit all outputs and deliverables to the supervisor for review and approval.

Competencies

Customer Satisfaction/Client Management- Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Project Management- Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

Strategic Thinking- Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments

Digital strategy - Ability to plan the use of resources through digital channels to reach and engage target audiences effectively and to achieve particular objectives . Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, including preparing reports, briefs, presentations and other programme-related materials.

Procurement management- The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source

Events management (including retreats, training and meetings)- Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.

Financial reporting and analysis- Understands changes in regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks and standards for financial reporting in the public sector. Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring. Understands the benefits of integrated reporting, including non-financial resources such as human, social and intellectual capital, and environmental and governance performance

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary education is required.

OR

A university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Accounting, Finance or Economics, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

Minimum of 6 years of experience (with a High School Diploma) or 3 years of experience (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience, preferably in administration or programme experience or a related field, is required.

Demonstrated experience in providing programme support, including coordinating activities, maintaining programme documentation, following up on action points, and supporting the day-to-day planning and implementation of development programmes/projects is required.

Proven experience in programme monitoring and reporting, including compiling programme data and information, tracking activities and results, and contributing to progress reports and other programme-related documentation is required.

Demonstrated experience in stakeholder engagement and coordination, including supporting communication and follow-up with government institutions, development partners, UN agencies and other relevant stakeholders is required.

Experience in knowledge management and documentation, including organizing programme information, maintaining records, documenting good practices and lessons learned, and supporting the dissemination of programme knowledge is required.

Sound experience supporting gender equality, women's empowerment, gender-based violence prevention and response, human rights, or related development programmes, including coordination of activities, follow-up on implementation, maintenance of programme documentation, and tracking of results.

Proven familiarity with results-based management approaches and monitoring frameworks is required. Experience with EU-funded programmes or other donor-funded development programmes is an advantage.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to prepare clear and concise correspondence, briefs, presentations, meeting documentation and other official programme materials.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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