UN Women: Project Coordinator, Kabul, Afghanistan, I-PPSA 10, International Partner Personnel Service Agreement

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. 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 of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Integrated Programming and Localization, (2) Women's movement building through core grant making; 3) Policy and Research; 4) Economic Resilience and Women's Empowerment and 5) Coordination, Access and Humanitarian Response. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces of Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

UN Women is currently implementing the Protection of women’s rights in Afghanistan and delivery of essential services to address gender-based violence project, which is situated across two program pillars, namely, Integrated Programming and Policy and Research. The project’s dual focus integrates service delivery, with gender-responsive research and advocacy, to deliver both immediate and long-term change in protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls to live free from gender-based violence. Through the project, UN Women supports community-based initiatives that expand access to quality essential services for women, girls, and their families, while engaging communities, leaders, men, and boys to promote positive social norms and respect for women’s rights. In parallel, the project generates high-quality gender analysis, including through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, to inform the work of the UN system and international stakeholders.​

​Reporting to the Deputy Country Representative – Programmes, the Project Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the overall management of the Protection of women’s rights in Afghanistan and delivery of essential services to address gender-based violence project, working in tandem with colleagues across the Country Office, including Programme Management Support Unit, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Unit, and Operations Unit.

III. Scope of Work:

1.Coordinate the overall management and implementation of the project

- Lead the overall planning, coordination and management of the project in accordance with the approved Project Document, Results Framework, workplan and budget, UN Women policies and procedures, and donor requirements, with inputs from respective programme pillar.

- Coordinate project implementation across relevant ACO programme units, sub-offices and corporate functions, ensuring coherence across the project’s service delivery, research and advocacy components.

- In coordination with the relevant ACO units, develop, review and update and finalize project-related documents, including workplans, risk matrices, briefs, presentations, etc. and implementation arrangements, ensuring alignment between planned activities, results, budgets and timelines.

- Track implementation progress and identify and document emerging challenges, bottlenecks and corrective actions to support timely and quality delivery.

- Lead regular internal monthly project coordination meetings and quarterly progress reviews, ensuring agreed actions are documented and followed up.

- Coordinate Project Board meetings and follow up on decisions and recommendations.

- Provide guidance and support to all project-related units on donor rules and procedures to ensure compliance.

2.Lead project monitoring, reporting and risk management of the project

- Oversee monitoring of the project Results Framework, including progress against outputs, outcomes and performance indicators, in close coordination with relevant programme teams and the Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU).

- Regularly review programmatic and financial performance and provide an analysis of progress, challenges, risks and recommended corrective actions, building on inputs from relevant ACO units.

- Coordinate the preparation and quality assurance of, and directly support drafting and generation of, timely and high-quality donor narrative and financial reports, technical briefing notes, situation updates and other project documentation.

- Coordinate regular updates of the project risk register/risk management matrix and follow up on mitigation measures with responsible units.

- Ensure that project data, evidence and documentation are systematically captured and available to support reporting, learning and decision-making.

- Promote the application of relevant evidence, lessons learned and good practices throughout project implementation.

3.Support coordination of project partnerships and stakeholder engagement of the project

- Where relevant, under the guidance of the responsible programme units, support the coordination of project relationships with partners, service providers, and other relevant stakeholders.

- Maintain an overview of project partners, service providers, and implementation arrangements across the project.

- Facilitate effective communication and coordination across programme units, sub-offices, Operations, Finance, PMSU, Partnerships & Relational Management unit (PRM) and other relevant UN Women offices and units.

- Serve as the primary project focal point for the donor, working closely with the PRM, the Deputy Representative and relevant colleagues.

4.Oversee and guide financial and resource management of the project

- Monitor project budgets, expenditures, financial delivery and resource utilization, ensuring alignment with approved workplans, Results Framework, and agreed targets.

- Work closely with Finance, Operations and programme teams to identify and address financial or operational issues affecting project implementation.

- Support forward planning and forecasting to ensure the effective and timely utilization of project resources.

5.Support strategic partnerships and resource mobilization

- Contribute to the development, coordination and review of donor proposals, concept notes and other resource mobilization materials related to the project and/or its areas of work.

6.Manage knowledge building efforts and support project evaluation

- Identify, document and synthesize good practices, lessons learned, innovations and evidence emerging from project implementation.

- Develop knowledge products that strengthen programming, policy engagement and resource mobilization efforts.

- Facilitate the dissemination and application of project learning within the Country Office and, as appropriate, with partners, donors and other UN Women offices.

- Coordinate the final project evaluation if applicable.

Competencies :

Core Values:

- Integrity;

- Professionalism;

- Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

- Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills

- Strong knowledge of Results Based Management

- Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making

- Strong knowledge of human rights, ending violence against women and girls and/or women, peace, and security

- Strong analytical and report writing skills

- Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

V. Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

- Master’s degree or equivalent 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 experience managing humanitarian and/or development projects, including preparation of budgets, workplans, and reports, in the area of human rights/women’s rights, ending violence against women and girls, and/or women, peace, and security is required;

- Experience using standard software applications Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook etc. and ERPs and other web-based management systems is required;

- Experience coordinating and liaising across units, and with international-bilateral and multilateral partners, and/or donors is desirable;

- Experience working in Afghanistan or similar highly volatile contexts is desired;

- Experience working in the UN System is desirable;

Languages:

- Fluency in English is required.

- Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process .