UN Women - Project Officer Vacancu- United Nations Job in Uganda

UN Women - Project Officer
Location: Gulu, Uganda

Closing Date: Friday, 11 March 2011

   
Background

In 2007, UN WOMEN Uganda implemented a programme, Supporting Women's Engagement in Peace-building and Preventing Sexual Violence in Northern Uganda: A Community-led Approach, to increase visibility of women's peace and security issues in the Juba peace process and the peace building initiatives within Uganda. The focus of the programme was women's access to justice, national responses to SGBV and women's peace building initiatives. To achieve the goal of this programme UN WOMEN supported FIDA Uganda to set up a legal aid office in Gulu district, placed a Gender Adviser in the Office of the UN SESG to the Juba Peace Talks, supported the advocacy of the Women's Task Force on the PRDP to mainstream gender in the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda, and supported the Police with training and logistics to handle Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). The Women's Peace Coalition was also supported to engage in the Juba Peace Talks, resulting in the Coalition receiving observer status during the talks in 2008.

A second phase to this programme that is more community based, has been developed and will focus on sustainable support to women's organisations to contribute to lasting peace in Uganda within the context of UN SCR 1325. This will entail building the capacity of women's community based organisations to provide legal aid services, empower women to understand and seek their legal rights, and engage community structures for law enforcement, and demand accountability for SGBV offences. The programme will enhance the institutional, human resource and programme implementation capacities of community based organisations in 7 selected districts that are currently engaged in peace building activities for greater implementation of UN Resolution 1325 at the community level. The programme will further support gender security sector reforms, especially the implementation of agreed procedures for tracking and accounting for SGBV reports, a work plan for the implementation of 1325 in the security forces and a defined mechanism for collaborating with women's community based organisations to ensure greater security for women in the target districts. The major stakeholders and partners of this programme will be women's CBOs, NGOs, community leaders, law enforcement institutions such as the Police, the judicial institutions and women.

It is in this context that UN WOMEN Uganda is looking for a project office with experience in protection, peace and development. Under the guidance and supervision of the Country Programme Manager or as advised in the future, the Project Officer is responsible for management of UN Women programme within the thematic/sectoral areas assigned.

The Project Officer will analyze political, social and economic trends and lead or coordinate formulation, implementation and management of project and other UN Women activities within his/her portfolio, monitor and evaluate projects and resources and provide policy advice services to the organization.

The Project Officer supervises and leads or coordinates with the other project support staff, and ensures delivery of services by the consultants as assigned. The Project Officer will work in close collaboration with the programme/project, finance and administrative staff in the UN Women Country Office and the Sub-regional Office as per requirement and procedures. S/he will also engage with counterparts in other UN Agencies, Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation in Gulu. In particular, s/he will be expected to work closely with the judicial institutions, the Uganda Police Force, Probation and Social Welfare Officers, NGOs, CBOs, community leaders, UN Agencies and other stakeholders that are engaged in the Justice, Law and Order sector and other areas of recovery, reparation and development.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Implementation of project/programme strategies

Management of the project/programme and financial resources

Creation of strategic partnerships and implementation for timely delivery of the results

Provision of good quality project/programme and policy advice services to the UN Women, CSOs and Government, and facilitation of knowledge building and management among the partners and stakeholders

Implementation of project/programme strategies:

    * Thorough analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country and Gulu, situation of gender based violence and women's participation in conflict prevention in the target districts, and preparation of substantive inputs to Country Strategy and other documents including inter-agency UN assessments and plans and UNDAF.
* Identification of areas for support and interventions to address the access to justice and ensure accountability for women's human rights.
* Consultation with non government stakeholders (traditional leaders, opinion leaders, women's organisations, etc.) to understand/prepare gender equality, gender based violence and peace related agenda for debate, discussion, further analysis and to inform identification of the areas of support.
* Ensure preparation of the project programme content and processes as per the UN rules and internal policies and procedures of UN Women.

Management of the project/programme and financial resources:

    * Effective application of Result Based Management tools, establishment of management targets and monitoring achievement of results.
* Assess legal service provision and accountability mechanisms to ensure gender equality and women's participation and representation in prevention and protection from gender based violence, peace and development areas for UN Women's intervention.
* Facilitate the setting up of the small grants facilities for CBOs in target districts to enable them provide services to sexual gender based violence survivors.
* Designing and formulation of project to support the recognition and promotion of women's rights, their access to social services and economic empowerment opportunities, translating UN Women's priorities into local interventions. Coordination of programme implementation with the implementing partners.
* Supporting or organization of, as may be required, institutional strengthening of CBOs in the gender based violence Cluster/Uganda Police Force Referral Pathway in the target districts.
* Identification and mobilisation of women's community based organisations in the target districts working on peace building and sexual gender based violence prevention and response service provision and assistance to them to organise regular town hall meetings with justice law and order institutions/functionaries or other meetings to assist the implementation of Uganda country programme strategy.
* Support the finalisation and roll out of the Police Accountability Mechanism for SGBV Reports and continuous assistance in the future to ensure its smooth operation.
* Planning, initiation and integration of UN Secretary General's UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign in all project work.
* Introduction of performance indicators/success criteria, targets and milestones, both qualitative and financial, for each of the projects and for UNiTE campaign.
* Initiation and implementation of the call for proposals, if needed, and project procurements within the area of responsibility and initiation of a project, presentation of the project to Local PAC and procurements to LAMRC as required, preparation of project and activity budgets for ATLAS, preparation of partner cooperation agreements and other forms of MoUs and agreements; determination of required project and budget revisions; coordination of the mandatory and budget re-phasing exercises, review of partner progress and feedback, and closure of projects through review.
* Participation in project personnel procurement processes for projects as per UN and UN Women rules and procedures.
* Financial and qualitative/substantive monitoring and review of the projects, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions. Participation in audit of projects/implementing partners as may be required.
* Follow up on audit recommendations as may be applicable. All exceptions are timely reported.
* Regular preparation of aggregated reports on activities, outputs and outcomes as well as report on UNiTE Campaign, project briefs and updates.

Effective application of Result Based Management tools, establishment of management targets and monitoring achievement of results.

Creation of strategic partnerships and implementation for timely delivery of the results:

    * Development of partnerships with the UN Agencies, relevant government institutions, private sector, and civil society, particularly women's organizations at community and district levels for securing gender equality and women's rights based on strategic goals of UN Women Country Strategy, particularly the goal of access to justice, and emerging priorities in the country as approved through UNDAF.
* Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.

Development of partnerships with the UN Agencies, relevant government institutions, private sector, and civil society, particularly women's organizations at community and district levels for securing gender equality and women's rights based on strategic goals of UN Women Country Strategy, particularly the goal of access to justice, and emerging priorities in the country as approved through UNDAF.

Provision of good quality project/programme and policy advice services to the UN Women, CSOs and Government, and facilitation of knowledge building and management among the partners and stakeholders:

    * Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of good practices and lessons learnt directly linked to the UN Women's and the Country Programmes's policy goals.
* Support to development of policies and institutions that will address gender equality needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.
* Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice within UN Women and the UN system.
* Organization of activities for CBOs to learn good practices and for the Uganda Police Force and Uganda People's Defence Forces' to understand be better equipped to apply the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820, and the Goma Declaration.
* Regular assessment of the human resource and institutional capacity gaps of CBOs providing services to the sexual gender based violence survivors to inform and using that planning and organization of capacity development activities to strengthen their engagement in access to justice issues, and to improve preventive, social integration and legal aid capacity in the formal and informal sectors, and to improve UN System's response women's human rights.

Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of good practices and lessons learnt directly linked to the UN Women's and the Country Programmes's policy goals.

Not limited by the above, the position-holder may be assigned to any other duty by the organization as may be required.

Competencies

CORPORATE COMPETENCIES:

    * Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards
* Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women
* Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
* Treats all people fairly without favouritism

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

Knowledge Management and Learning

    * Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office

In-depth knowledge on development issues

    * Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
* Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
* An understanding of the social, cultural, and political context of Karamoja and its relation to gender.

Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the officeIn-depth knowledge on development issues

Development and Operational Effectiveness

    * Ability to coordinate and lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
* Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources
* Prince2 training and certification or commitment to complete as soon as the opportunity is provided
* Good knowledge of Results Based Management
* Strong IT skills
* Ability to lead implementation of the project/programme plans, and affect team and stakeholder behavioral/ attitudinal change

Management and Leadership

    * Focuses on impact and result for the Country Programme and responds positively to feedback
* Becomes part of teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills
* Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
* Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
* Builds strong relationships within UN women, other UN agencies and and external actors
* Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure
* Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Focuses on impact and result for the Country Programme and responds positively to feedback

Technical

    * Has substantive knowledge in the area of women's human rights, gender, peace and development issues

Has substantive knowledge in the area of women's human rights, gender, peace and development issues

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters degree or equivalent in conflict resolution and peace building, human rights, international law, governance, international development, public policy, or other relevant social sciences, with focus on gender issues.

Experience:

    * Minimum of 7 years progressively relevant professional work experience in project management
* Minimum 2 years of substantive exposure to areas of gender, peace and development, rule of law and customary justice, ending sexual gender based violence prevention and response in post-conflict contexts.
* Demonstrated experience in the area of advocacy and policy analysis for gender equality and particularly for ending sexual gender based violence.
* Demonstrated experience of budget management.

Language requirements:

    * Very good understanding of English and excellent written and spoken skills in English is a must.
* Skills in Kiswahili is desirable.

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.

To Apply
All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from

http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.