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. Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan. The UN Women Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Team implements a portfolio of programmes that primarily support civil society organizations to deliver gender-responsive prevention and response initiatives addressing violence against women and girls. Following recent funding reductions, the EVAW Team has been significantly downsized — now composed of one International Programme Manager and four national staff members. This reduced capacity has created a need for specialized technical support in some functions support to sustain programme quality and ensure compliance with corporate standards as the team streamlines workflow and integrate all functions into the new structure. In this context, the EVAW Team requires dedicated expertise to strengthen strategic planning, partner management, and financial coordination while ensuring robust monitoring of programme implementation in line with approved annual workplans, partner agreements, and donor frameworks. The consultancy will also reinforce adherence to UN Women’s financial, operational, and reporting requirements, supporting risk management, transparency, and accountability in achieving programme results.

To support this, UN Women seeks a Programme Management Specialist (PMS) Consultant to provide strategic and technical support  to the EVAW Team in programme planning, partner management, and financial oversight. The PMS will undertake specific tasks related to procurement, budget, compliance, partner support  to ensure compliance, efficiency, and quality assurance across the EVAW portfolio . 

Reporting directly to the EVAW Team Programme Manager, the PMS Consultant will be responsible for providing technical coordination and advisory support a particular focus on the management and oversight of programme partners.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

1. Provide financial management oversight and coordination support to the EVAW Programme

• Provide strategic oversight of financial planning and budget monitoring for the EVAW programme, ensuring donor compliance and alignment with approved workplans.
• Lead the preparation and review of budget revisions, award management, and expenditure tracking in Quantum, ensuring timely reconciliation and accuracy of financial data.
• Review and validate key financial transactions, ensuring compliance with IPSAS and UN Women’s internal control framework.
• Liaise with Operations and Finance to ensure budget utilization aligns with donor agreements, cost recovery policies, and activity-level reporting requirements.
• Identify and address systemic bottlenecks in financial processes and provide strategic recommendations for improvement.

1. Provide quality assurance and strategic support for the Partner Agreement Management System (PGAMS)

• Provide technical oversight and ensure data accuracy and completeness in PGAMS for all EVAW partner agreements.
• Conduct reviews of system entries and documentation to ensure compliance with corporate requirements.
• Provide advisory support and capacity building for EVAW staff on PGAMS functionalities, workflows, and reporting.

1. Provide advanced advisory and coordination support for the management of Programme / Project Partners

• Provide expert technical advice on operational (financial) and programmatic management to programme partners in compliance with UN Women policies and donor regulations.
• Ensure effective monitoring of partner performance, financial utilization, and risk mitigation.
• Provide quality assurance of partner narrative and financial reports, including liquidations, amendments, and closures.

1. Support EVAW  Team the selection of Programme / Project Partners

• Coordination Support urgent partner selection actions , ensuring alignment with UN Women policies, procedures, and donor requirements.
• Ensure quality assurance of documentation submitted for Programme Appraisal Committee (PAC) review, including for partner agreement amendments.
• Provide analytical review and feedback on partner proposals (narrative and financial) to ensure alignment with programme priorities.

1. Facilitate capacity development, knowledge management, and continuous improvement

• Design and facilitate training and mentoring sessions for EVAW team members and implementing partners on programme management, partner oversight, and compliance.
• Contribute to the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, good practices, and operational innovations.
• Support the development of EVAW-specific tools, templates, and checklists to strengthen programme implementation and monitoring.
• Promote knowledge exchange and collaboration with PMSU, Operations, and Regional Office to ensure alignment with corporate approaches.

The consultancy will cover six months (December 2025 – May 2026), with a maximum of 22 working days per month (total 132 working days).

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a Primarily home-based consultancy. As part of this assignment, Up to 2–3 trips to Kabul for coordination and training may be required.

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 planning, financial monitoring, and compliance skills
• Knowledge of HR and procurement processes
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work in complex, high-risk environments
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to extract and interpret data

IV. Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in public administration, business, economics, social sciences, or related field.
• 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 (such as PMP, PRINCE-2, or MSP) would be desirable.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, including programme partner management;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in training and coaching staff, and in the design, implementation, and monitoring of capacity development approaches is required;
• Experience in ERP is desirable;
• Experience in working in humanitarian settings is desirable.
• Strong ability to manage data, documentation, correspondence, and workflow, with solid financial planning and budgeting skills; is required.
• Experience working with UN agencies or other international organizations in programme management or financial coordination is desirable;

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• knowledge of Dari or Pashto desirable.

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.