UN Women: Project Officer, Colombo, Sri Lanka, N-PPSA8, National 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.

Working for the empowerment and rights of women and girls globally, UN Women’s main roles are:
• To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms.
• To help Member States implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
• To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality, as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

UN Women has been working in Sri Lanka since 2014, marking a decade of service dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country. In our collective efforts to uphold women’s rights, we work collaboratively with the Government of Sri Lanka and other partners to develop national policies, conduct research and advocacy, and deliver programming on women’s economic empowerment, women’s leadership in governance and decision-making, Women, Peace and Security, and preventing violence against women and girls. Our goal is to help every woman and girl achieve her full potential, and build a more inclusive, just and equal Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka, UN Women is implementing programmes – such as the five-year project titled “THRIVE: Together for Her: Resilience-building, Inclusivity, and Voices for Equality in Sri Lanka” – to strengthen the economic and social resilience of women who are marginalized by equipping them with the resources needed to navigate and recover from crises, insecurity, and the impacts of climate change. UN Women’s work encompasses three main outcomes: a) Women’s enterprises are resilient to climate impacts and crises, b) Shifts in community attitudes towards the perception of women and positive behaviour change to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, and c) Women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Office and with matrix management by the Programme Management Analyst, the Project Officer contributes to the effective management of UN Women project(s) and provides substantive inputs to programme design, formulation, implementation and evaluation. He/she will be responsible for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring the implementation of the assigned project(s) led by UN Women.

Scope of Work:

1. Coordination and implementation of the project:
• Support the various assessments undertaken by the project in its initial stage and ensure strong coordination with relevant stakeholders in finalising the project deliverables and meeting project targets.
• Coordinate timely and effective implementation of the project, including daily management and delivery of project outputs;
• Support the development and monitoring of interventions at the individual, household and community levels to shift harmful social norms and promote positive behaviour change;
• Support the development of advanced capacity development programmes for women entrepreneurs, with a focus on adapting to the crisis and ensuring business continuity or diversification;
• Liaise with other UN agencies, government counterparts and partners in coordinating and implementing project activities.

2. Technical and financial management, monitoring and reporting
• Assist the Head of Office / Programme Management Analyst in the management of budgets, administration and procurement-related matters and functions in accordance with UN/UN Women rules and regulations;
• Coordinate the contracting of project services to implementing agencies, ensuring compliance with UN procedures; oversee the release of funds to counterparts, liquidation of funds and other processes;
• Periodic monitoring meetings with government and non-government partners;
• Monitoring, analysis and evaluation of technical and financial reports from partners, including technical and management support;
• Assist in analysing quality of project design and implementation for improvement, and periodically update the project monitoring framework incorporating reviews, lessons learned, and best practices;
• Regular field visits and liaison with the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific;
• Preparation of internal and external technical reports, research publications and briefs including donor reports; documentation of activities, outputs and outcomes on a regular basis.

3. Strategic partnerships, advocacy and knowledge management
• Support the development and strengthening of partnerships with UN agencies, government institutions, and civil society programme/project implementation and other stakeholders;
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs, concept notes or project proposals on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost-sharing and joint programming.
• Identification and synthesis of good practices and lessons learnt linked to the project outcomes, and incorporating these to refine project strategies.
• Coordinate development of knowledge management strategies, advocacy products and methodologies on responding in crisis contexts.
• Organise advocacy campaigns with implementing partners.

4. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The position carries no supervisory responsibilities.
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:

• Knowledge of programme management
• Knowledge of procurement processes, systems, administrative rules and regulation
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills in English and Tamil, including the ability to prepare succinct analytical documents (project concept notes, research reports, donor reports etc.)
• Excellent understanding and knowledge of laws, policies, programmes and instruments to advance gender equality in Sri Lanka.
• Strong coordination and facilitation skills with various stakeholders
• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow
• Strong financial and budgeting skills
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work
• Excellent IT and web-based management skills
• Strong research skills will be an asset.

Qualifications:
Education and Certification:
• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender, Women’s Studies, Development Studies, International Relations, Law, Human Rights or a related field in Social Sciences 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 1 year of progressively responsible work experience in providing substantive technical inputs and implementation of projects related to gender equality and women’s
empowerment is required.
• Relevant technical experience in Sri Lanka in development programme/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, and donor reporting
is required.
• Experience in providing substantive technical input on gender equality and women’s empowerment for programme design, research, and/or national policies, actions plans or strategies for Sri Lanka is required.
• Experience in results-based management is required.
• Experience in conducting/facilitating multi-stakeholder initiatives and coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders, including government, civil society and non governmental organisations, women groups, and local communities in Sri Lanka is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based
management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.
• Experience in and familiarity with the United Nations system and its coordination mechanisms is desirable.
• Familiarity and experience working with civil society organisations and networks in Sri Lanka working to advance gender equality is desirable.
Languages:
• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in local languages (Sinhala/Tamil) is required.
• Fluency in Tamil is highly desirable and will be considered an added advantage.
• 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.