Project Management Specialist

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 UN Women Sudan Country Strategic Note (SN) 2026-2028 is aligned with UN Women global and regional strategic planning, as well as the UN country team Interim Sustainable Development cooperation framework for 2026-2028. The SN is further aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Sudan Vision 20230 which is the current government national development plan. The SN addresses the socio-economic, political, cultural, and humanitarian needs of women and girls. The framework is focused on Women, Peace and Security, Humanitarian action, Ending Violence against Women and Girls, and promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment. 

The eruption of conflict in Sudan on April 14, 2023, has led to the massive displacement of over 10 million people, although this number has decreased somewhat due to the return of some individuals. Nevertheless, more than 24 million people are facing severe food insecurity due to displacement and the significant impact on the agricultural regions in Kordofan and Darfur. In response to these challenges, the African Development Bank together with WFP, UN Women and other partners have designed a three-year project aimed at boosting agricultural production and productivity in Sudan. This initiative is designed to address current needs and priorities in a more integrated manner. The project's overall objective is to boost climate-resilient crop productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, improve nutritional security, raise incomes, create jobs, and foster resilience and inclusive development for women and youth. The project will be jointly implemented by WFP, UN Women, FAO, UNICEF, and CIMMYT, under the coordination of WFP and overall supervision by the African Development Bank.

UN Women is responsible for implementing interventions that enhance and accelerate women's engagement in agribusiness, focusing on strengthening the care economy, increasing women’s economic opportunities, and promoting the involvement of local authorities and communities in enhancing women’s rights. Key activities of the project include establishing cooperatives, providing access to grants, and offering various resources. Additionally, the project fosters dialogue with local governments and communities to promote shifts in social norms and boost women's leadership, agency and active participation in the economic sphere.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the Project Manager has overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under the Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) portfolio. The Project Manager works closely with the program and operations teams, UN Women HQ staff, government officials, and civil society to ensure the successful implementation of UN Women programs under the WEE portfolio. The Program Manager will also represent the Country Representative in the technical management committee meetings of the project.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Manage the implementation of the project:

• Finalize the annual workplan and the detailed project budget and manage their implementation;
• Draft/prepare the project documents/proposals for the project different areas of interventions for their implementation by the project partners;
• Work closely with other thematic areas of relevance to the project implementation, and make sure their feedback was integrated in the project documents/proposals drafting;
• Lead the recruitment of the implementing responsible parties who will lead delivery of the project activities to the intended beneficiaries;
• Manage the technical implementation of the project; provide technical advice; ensure synergies with other teams;
• Review of the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports as required;
• Lead Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings.

Manage the monitoring and reporting of the project:

• Manage the process of monitoring the project implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Lead in the development and customization of monitoring tools that will be used to monitor partner field activities to ensure the voices of the beneficiaries and their concerns are appropriately addressed;
• Lead the monitoring of the partner field as well as the beneficiaries’ activities;
• Finalize quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes, and ensure quality assurance of the reports submitted to the lead agency for compilation and submission to donors.

Oversee and guide people and budget management for the programme team:

• Lead a team, perform staff performance reviews, ensure capacity development of staff members by suggesting development opportunities;
• Monitor and analyze financial situation on the portfolios and programmes to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results;
• Ensure effective information flow, communication and coordination across the office, between programmes, projects and operations, and with other UN Women offices and units;
• Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.

Partnership and Coordination:

• Coordinate with other UN agencies/INGOs, the partners of the Boost project on the implementation of the project;
• Lead and manage closely the implementation of the joint programmes with Boost’s partners;
• Liaise with the lead agency/coordination body and make sure that that work plan, narrative and financial reports are submitted timely for compilation by the lead agency

Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners:

• Establish a coordination body/mechanism of the office national partners;
• Provide technical advice to partners coordination mechanism; oversee the provision of technical guidance by the team;
• Build, manage, and expand relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the project, and respond to any potential problems;
• Serve as an expert resource to partners on boosting women in agribusiness and entrepreneurship;
• Implement and oversee capacity building opportunities and initiatives;
• Provide partners with advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives.

Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:

• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to the project implementation and management;
• Manage project advocacy strategies and implementation;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide project improvement;
• Lead the development of knowledge management strategies and methodologies as well as products on the project.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent will lead a team composed of: Two Project Analyst, and a Program Associate, M&R Analyst. 

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:

• 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 in Women’s Economic Empowerment
• 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

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Rural Extension, Business Management, 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:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects is required;
• 5 years of experience in project management, preferably in women’s economic empowerment;
• Technical experience in women’s economic empowerment is required;
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies, CSOs, UN agencies, INGOs and/or donors is desirable;
• Experience working in the UN System is desirable;
• Experience in leading/managing a team is desirable

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is 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.