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. 

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

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;
• Conduct periodic monitoring meetings with government and non-government partners;
• Monitor, analyse and evaluate 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;
• Conduct regular field visits and liaison with the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific;
• Prepare 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;
• Analyze and research 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.
• Identify and synthesize 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.
• Organize 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.

Competencies: