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. The consultant will be reporting to Title, and will be supported by Title, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has five key programme priorities: (1) Integrated Programming and Localization, (2) Women’s Civil Society Unit; 3) Policy and Research; 4) Economic Resilience and Private Sector and 5) Coordination, Access and Humanitarian Response. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces of Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

The Women’s Civil Society unit responds to this urgent situation. It aims to safeguard and strengthen Afghan women’s organizations as essential actors for the protection of women’s rights, gender equality and access to livelihoods. The unit’s work is fully aligned with the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (2023–2027) and the UN Women Afghanistan Strategic Note (2023–2027), contributing to the joint priorities on Economic Opportunities and Resilient Livelihoods and Social Cohesion, Inclusion, Gender Equality, Human Rights and Rule of Law.

Under the overall guidance of the Programme Manager and Sub-Office Head and daily supervision by the Programme Analyst- Field Coordination, the Sub-Office Coordinator will work to support the Sub-Office and the Women’s Civil Society Unit to coordinate and operationalize on key programmatic and operational issues related to CSO partners as well as provide knowledge management support on analyzing trends, challenges and opportunities.

III. Scope of Work:

Under the direct supervision of UN Women Head of Sub-Office and guidance from WCSO Programme Manager, the Sub-Office Coordinator will carry on the below functions in the provinces for which they will be focal points:

1. Coordinate Grantmaking for the WCSO Unit at the Sub-Office level:

• Support coordination of the grantmaking process at sub-office level including: (i) dissemination of Calls for Proposals to potential civil society partners, (ii) provide technical review and scoring of applicants and (iii) coordinate grantmaking process with relevant actors including UN agencies and internal UN Women pillars.
• Oversee due diligence and capacity assessment processes for shortlisted applicants and coordinate with relevant UN Women units and colleagues.
• Support operationalization of grants including finalization of grant agreements, budgets, FACE forms and project documents (ProDocs) and other requirements.

2. Provide Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Support to WCSO Unit Partners

• Coordinate and facilitate technical support to partners as needed, including programming and operations to ensure successful project implementation in compliance with UN Women’s guidelines.
• Oversee all training and mentorship of WCSO unit partners including organization of workshops, peer-exchanges, retreats, and related activities for partners in the portfolio.

3. Oversee WCSO Unit Partner Monitoring & Reporting

• Monitor project implementation and travel to project sites and partner offices ensuring proper execution of project activities and alignment with approved project documents.
• Coordinate across relevant pillars on all assessments needed for partner monitoring including audits.
• Review all partner narrative and financial reports and provide technical inputs.
• Provide inputs to UN Women reports, extracting data from the project portfolio.

4. Provide inputs to Advocacy, Knowledge Building and Communication efforts

• Provide technical inputs to background documents, briefs and presentations related to the WCSO Unit.
• Coordinate and support the organization of advocacy activities and campaigns events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products.
• Provide inputs to the development of knowledge management products on the WCSO Unit.
• Contributes to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Supports Sub-Office with all events/activities and donor missions as required.

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:

• Ability to train partners and present information in clear and engaging format
• Ability to manage e-mails, documents, write reports and analytical information about partner capacities.
• Strong technical support in monitoring, project implementation oversight of civil society partners
• Well-developed communication, leadership, and team building skills.

V. Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/ women’s studies, international development, 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 (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum of two years of relevant work experience in development programme/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building is required.
• Experience in civil society, and with women’s issues, is desirable;
• Experience in United Nations System is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in Dari or Pashto and working knowledge of English are required.

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.