Afghanistan: Programme Manager, Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls

Dec 11, 2021 | UN Women
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Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women 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. Placing women's rights at the center of all of its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s human rights in Afghanistan and currently focusing on Four Programme areas including: Women Peace and Security, Women Economic Empowerment, Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW), and Governance and Women’s Political Participation.  The EVAW programme is supporting national and subnational prevention efforts through a framework on primary prevention of violence. This framework is anchored on evidence-based, and community led interventions to transform the harmful social norms that drive violence against women and girls. In addition, UN Women is working on scaling up comprehensive services for survivors of violence across Afghanistan through Women’s Protection Centres (WPCs) and Family Guidance Centres (FGCs) and promoting the economic empowerment of vulnerable women.

Under the overall guidance of the Country Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Country Representative, the Programme Manager is the most senior staff in EVAW Programme Team and oversees/guides the implementation of the EVAW portfolio; providing quality advisory and programme development services to the Strategic programme direction, including EVAW programme coordination and policy development. The EVAW Manager engages with relevant counterparts, reviews programme and donor reports, leads high level advocacy initiatives and knowledge management, and provides guidance and vision on technical capacity development.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide programme development advisory services and develop programmes in the area of EVAW

  • Oversee and manage the design and formulation of programme proposals and initiatives; Identify programmatic areas for support and interventions on EVAW
  • Finalize country strategy documents, programme/ project proposals, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related EVAW;
  • Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design, as necessary.

2. Manage the implementation and management of EVAW programme

  • Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
  • Provide programme advisory support to the Office Management of EVAW portfolio as assigned;
  • Manage the technical implementation of the programme; provide technical advice; ensure synergies with other teams;
  • Review the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports as required;
  • Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
  • Lead Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings on EVAW.

3. Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners

  • Provide technical advice to partners; oversee the provision of technical guidance by the team
  • Build, manage, and expand relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the EVAW programme; respond to any potential problems;
  • Serve as an expert resource to partners on policy dialogues and programmes/initiatives on EVAW
  • Implement and oversee capacity building opportunities and initiatives;
  • Provide partners with advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives.

4. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project

  • Manage the process of monitoring the programme/ project implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
  • Finalize quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes;
  • Write internal and external progress and other reports.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of EVAW

  • Manage the programme budget and finalize financial reports;
  • Manage the Programme Associates and Technical Specialists within the EVAW programme;
  • Mentor and coach staff and conduct performance assessments;
  • Oversee and participate in recruitment processes, as necessary.

6. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

  • Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
  • Finalize relevant documentation on donors and develop potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
  • Analyze and research information on donors, finalize substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

7. Manage inter-agency coordination to achieve a coherent and aligned presence in the area of EVAW in Afghanistan

  • Provide substantive technical support to the Representative and Deputy Representative on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees;
  • Coordinate with other UN agencies, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts;
  • Take part in country level Common Country Assessment (CCA)/ United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes and similar exercises related to the RC system;
  • Prepare substantive inputs to CCA/ UNDAF and other documents, as necessary.

8. Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

  • Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on EVAW
  • Manage advocacy strategies and their implementation;
  • Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
  • Lead the development of knowledge management strategies and methodologies and products on EVAW

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Timely and quality programme strategies and contributions to Strategic Note
  • Timely and quality of programme delivery in line with budget, workplans and the Strategic Note
  • Strong and clear leadership/ supervision of team
  • Partners and other stakeholder provide positive feedback on advisory and technical services
  • Quality reports and timely submission
  • Quality of advocacy, communication and knowledge management initiatives
  • Resources mobilized
  • Strong relationships with donors, partners and other stakeholders

Functional Competencies:

  • Excellent programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
  • Excellent knowledge of Results Based Management
  • Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
  • Excellent knowledge and technical expertise on EVAW programming
  • Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
  • Strong networking skills
  • Ability to negotiate and interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, health or other relevant 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:

  • Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
  • Technical expertise and past work experience in the area of EVAW or Sexual and Gender-Based Violence 
  • Experience working in post-conflict or conflict environment is an asset;
  • Experience of managing thematic trust funds and/or service provider contracts is an asset;
  • Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
  • Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English (written and oral) is required
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;
  • Knowledge of local languages is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process. 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.