UN Women: Programme Specialist (Humanitarian Action and Resilence), Panama City, Panama, IPPSA-10

Job Description

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.

The Regional Area of Women, Peace, Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA) supports UN Women Country Offices across Latin America and the Caribbean in strengthening women's leadership and meaningful participation in peace, security and humanitarian action, while promoting gender-responsive approaches to emerging and protracted crises, recovery and reconstruction. The Area provides technical assistance, develops and implements regional initiatives, strengthens capacities, supports resource mobilization and partnerships, generates knowledge and promotes the positioning of WPS-HA priorities at regional and global levels.

Within this context, the Programme Specialist provides specialized technical expertise and programme implementation support to advance the Humanitarian Action and Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus portfolio within the Women, Peace, Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA) area, with a particular focus on resilience, preparedness, response, recovery and disaster risk reduction. Based in the Regional Office, the Programme Specialist plays a key role in strengthening and positioning these agendas across the region by supporting the design, implementation, monitoring and scaling up of gender-responsive programmes, initiatives and partnerships. The position provides strategic and technical guidance to Country Offices and regional stakeholders in contexts affected by crises, disasters, displacement, mobility and climate-related risks, while promoting synergies with the Women, Peace and Security agenda, peacebuilding processes and other priority areas of the regional portfolio.

Reporting to the Regional Advisor, WPS-HA, the Programme Specialist is responsible for the technical planning, implementation, monitoring and management of assigned programmes, projects and initiatives within the WPS-HA area, and provides specialized technical advice to support linkages between humanitarian action, resilience, recovery, disaster risk reduction and Women, Peace and Security. The Programme Specialist will also support resource mobilization efforts, including the development of funding proposals and donor engagement materials, and contribute to the preparation of reports, knowledge products and evidence-based documents that respond to the strategic needs of the area, helping to advance the agenda, sustain ongoing initiatives and expand funding opportunities and partnerships.

The position works in close coordination with members of the WPS-HA Area to ensure strategic coherence, complementarity, and synergies across the regional portfolio. It collaborates closely with Programme and Operations teams, UN Women Headquarters, Country Offices, government counterparts, multilateral and bilateral donors, civil society organizations and other key partners to support the effective design, implementation, monitoring and scaling up of programmes and initiatives.

Scope of Work :

• Design and develop programme strategies for the WPS-HA portfolio
• Design and formulate strategies, programmes, projects and initiatives related to humanitarian action, resilience, recovery, response, disaster-risk reduction and the HDP nexus approaches;
• Draft and review inputs to regional and country strategic documents, briefs, policy dialogue, and other documents related to Humanitarian Action, Resilience, Recovery and Disaster Risk Reduction;
• Provide substantive technical inputs to the design and formulation of gender-responsive humanitarian action, resilience, recovery and disaster risk reduction programmes and projects, ensuring conflict-sensitive and context-specific approaches;
• Support the integration of relevant humanitarian action, resilience and recovery considerations into WPS and other areas initiatives and broader regional programming, as appropriate;
• Identify emerging trends, risks and opportunities to strengthen UN Women's programming and positioning in humanitarian and resilience-related areas across the region.
• Coordinate the implementation and management of assigned programmes, projects and initiatives
• Coordinate and oversee the technical implementation of assigned humanitarian action, resilience, recovery and disaster risk reduction programmes, projects and initiatives, ensuring quality, timely delivery and alignment with regional priorities.
• Advise and support Country Offices, programme teams and partners in the effective and efficient implementation of humanitarian action, resilience, recovery and disaster risk reduction programmes and projects, including by identifying implementation challenges, recommending corrective actions, facilitating technical support and promoting adaptive management approaches to accelerate implementation and ensure the timely achievement of results.
• Coordinate monitoring, reporting and risk management processes for assigned programmes and projects using results-based management frameworks and tools, ensuring timely identification of implementation challenges and appropriate corrective measures.
• Provide guidance to personnel, consultants and implementing partners on results-based management methodologies, performance indicators and programme quality standards.
• Support the timely adaptation of programmes and projects in response to evolving humanitarian contexts, emerging risks and the changing needs of women and girls, ensuring continued relevance and effectiveness.
• Prepare and contribute to programme, corporate and donor reporting, ensuring accurate documentation of progress, results, outputs, and outcomes.
• Identify and promote opportunities to strengthen linkages between humanitarian action, resilience, recovery, disaster risk reduction, climate action, Women, Peace and Security, peacebuilding and other relevant areas of the regional portfolio.
• Provide technical guidance and coordinate the work of personnel and consultants supporting assigned programmes and initiatives, and contribute to recruitment, performance management and capacity development processes, as required.
• Provide technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners
• Provide specialized technical advice and support to the Regional and Country Offices, implementing partners and regional stakeholders on gender-responsive humanitarian action, resilience, recovery, disaster risk reduction and HDP Nexus programming.
• Support in the adoption of global and regional guidance, standards, tools and methodologies to regional, national and/or local contexts, as appropriate.
• Identify institutional and technical capacity gaps and coordinate capacity-building initiatives, including training programmes, mentoring, technical exchanges and communities of practice.
• Build and maintain relationships with key regional and national partners to strengthen collaboration, knowledge exchange, and programme implementation.
• Facilitate cross-country learning, South-South cooperation, and the dissemination of good practices across the region.
• Build partnerships and support resource mobilization efforts
• Develop and strengthen strategic partnerships with governments, donors, UN entities, civil society organizations, academic institutions and other stakeholders to advance the humanitarian action and resilience agenda.
• Support the development and implementation of resource mobilization strategies for the WPS-HA Area.
• Identify funding opportunities and conduct donor mapping and analysis to support programme expansion and sustainability.
• Lead and contribute to the preparation of high-quality concept notes, project proposals (including annexes), budgets, donor reports, and partnership agreements.
• Develop evidence-based materials, strategic briefs, presentations, talking points, and business cases to support programme positioning, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts.
• Promote opportunities to integrate humanitarian action and resilience priorities into broader Women, Peace and Security, peacebuilding, climate and recovery-related funding initiatives.
• Contribute to regional intergovernmental and inter-agency coordination
• Provide technical support to the Regional Advisor and other relevant members of the WPS-HA Area on inter-agency and regional intergovernmental coordination related to Humanitarian Action, Resilience and HDP Nexus approaches, including through participation in meetings, events, groups and committees, drafting talking points, preparing presentations, as required.
• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government institutions, donors, NGOs and other partners to promote coherence and alignment of humanitarian, development and peacebuilding efforts.
• Contribute to inter-agency coordination on gender-responsive humanitarian action, resilience and HDP Nexus issues, including engagement with relevant UN entities, humanitarian and development partners, government institutions, donors and civil society organizations.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration and joint initiatives that strengthen linkages between humanitarian action, resilience, recovery, development and peacebuilding, as relevant to the regional context.
• Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts
• Develop and review technical guidance, background documents, briefs, presentations and other knowledge of products related to Humanitarian Action, Resilience, Recovery and Disaster Risk Reduction.
• Represent UN Women in meetings, technical and policy dialogues on issues related to Humanitarian Action, Resilience and Recovery, as necessary.
• Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation in support of the Humanitarian Action and Resilience portfolio.
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement, strategic planning and knowledge generation.
• Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on gender-responsive Humanitarian Action, Resilience and related HDP Nexus approaches.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
  
  
  

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 programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Strong knowledge and demonstrated experience in humanitarian action, resilience, and gender-responsive humanitarian programming.
• Knowledge of Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus approaches and their application to programme design and implementation.
• Ability to integrate gender equality, conflict sensitivity, protection, resilience, recovery and human rights considerations into humanitarian programming and, where relevant, across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to assess emerging humanitarian risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities and translate analysis into programme and policy recommendations.
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraise and develop resource mobilization strategies.
• Ability to manage and coordinate multiple programmes, projects, partners, and deliverables in complex and rapidly changing contexts.
• Knowledge of disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience approaches, particularly from a gender-responsive perspective.
• Ability to develop technical guidance, knowledge of products and policy-oriented analysis and communicate complex issues effectively to diverse stakeholders.
  
  
  

Education and Cetifications :

• A master’s degree or equivalent in international development, social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, 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 progressively responsible experience in programme/project design, implementation, monitoring and/or management, including demonstrated experience in humanitarian action, crisis response and/or resilience programming is required. Two additional years are requiered if have a first-level university degree.
• Demonstrated experience in gender-responsive humanitarian programming is required.
• Demonstrated experience in programme implementation and coordination with multiple stakeholders, including government institutions, UN entities, civil society organizations and/or donors is required.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response, recovery and resilience, displacement and human mobility, climate-related risks, protection, conflict prevention or peacebuilding. is highly desirable.
• Experience in applying Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus approaches and/or in promoting linkages across humanitarian, development and peacebuilding programming is desirable.
• Experience working at regional or multi-country level is desirable.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies, UN entities, donors and/or civil society organizations is desirable.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages. Experience in handling web-based management systems is required.
• Experience working in the UN System is desirable.
  
  
  

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Spanish are required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian).
  
  
  

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.