Programme Analyst, Women’s Economic Empowerment

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.

UN Women’s East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) cover 25 countries, including 13 where UN Women has a physical presence, and through the UN System in the remainder of the countries. The regional office plays a dual role of providing technical advisory and capacity development support to the country teams, regional entities such as the Regional Economic Commissions, the African Union and regional civil society organizations. A core part of ESARO’s work involves thought leadership, capacity building and evidence generation, including conducting and supporting research on women’s economic empowerment, with a focus on both structural and grassroots-level interventions that advance gender equality and economic justice across the region.

The Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) section at ESARO focuses on key priority areas such as transforming care systems, advancing women in the world of work, and promoting gender-responsive climate action, alongside cross-cutting issues including social norms, financing for gender equality, and gender-responsive macroeconomic policies. UN Women will rely on strong partnerships and thought leadership to convene diverse stakeholders at different levels, generate evidence and research, and provide direct technical support to women.

The Boosting Agrifood Systems Resilience in Sudan (BOOST) Project is an emergency operation designed to increase the resilience of the people of Sudan against myriad challenges. The project supports the objectives of Sudan’s 25-Year National Strategy (2007-2031), which includes revitalizing agriculture, improving food security, developing infrastructure, and expanding employment. The project’s development objective is " To increase food production and availability and create agribusiness opportunities for women and youth in Sudan”. The specific objectives of the project are to (i) improve productivity and production of cereals and legumes; (ii) enhance food processing and reduce postharvest losses; and (iii) create business and job opportunities for women and the youth of Sudan.

Reporting to the Regional Policy Specialist, with a matrix reporting relationship to the Country Representative, Sudan, the Programme Analyst will play a catalytic role in strengthening linkages of women and the world of work areas such as Gender Responsive Procurement, entrepreneurship, women’s access to finance, to AFDB projects in ESA by generating and applying evidence on lessons learnt, facilitating South-South knowledge exchange, resource mobilization, strengthening knowledge management and communications for AfDB projects to capture and disseminate best practices. Through these efforts, the role will ensure that lessons learned and innovative approaches are effectively mainstreamed into resource mobilization efforts, policy dialogues and other initiatives. The Analyst will contribute to the development and maintenance of strategic partnerships with AfDB teams, governments, regional bodies, and development partners to enhance coordination and scale impact.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

Contribute technically to the development of programmestrategies in the area of Women’s Economic Empowerment

• Provide substantive input to the design and formulation of programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Identify areas for support and intervention related to the WEE programme.
• Coordinate the design, and formulation of AfDB and other IFI proposals, concept notes and initiatives throughout ESA Region.
• Support the implementation of WEE projects within the RO and throughout the ESA Region.

Provide substantive technical support to the implementation and management of the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme

• Provide technical input to the annual workplan and budget;
• Lead the implementation of programme activities;
• Lead the coordination of the call/request for proposals, including the organization of technical review committees, and capacity assessment of partners;
• Review, coordinate and monitor the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Train partners on Results Based Management and monitor implementation.

Provide substantive inputs to advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Develop background documents, briefs and presentations related to Women’s Economic Empowerment;
• Coordinate and organize advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products;
• Coordinate the development of knowledge management methodologies, and products on Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Support UN Women Regional Office and field offices on resource mobilization procedures and guidelines as well as funding modalities of the AfDB, IFIs and other partners;
• Coordinate the creation of UN Women regional communication products, packages and positions building on South-South learning.
• Share knowledge and enhance organizational learning among UN Women regional and field offices through the development and use of on-line tools, templates, tips, mechanisms and guidelines;
• Substantially support UN Women’s on sustainable finance portfolio.

Provide technical input to the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project

• Monitor progress of implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Draft reports on monitoring missions, programme results, outputs and outcomes;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports.

Provide substantive inputs to building partnerships and resource mobilization strategies

• Provide substantive inputs to resource mobilization strategies; analyze and maintain information and databases;
• Prepare relevant documentation such as project summaries, conference papers, briefing notes, speeches, and donor profiles;
• Participate in donor meetings and public information events, as delegated.

Provide substantive technical input to finances of the Women’s Economic Empowerment programme

• Monitor budget implementation and make budget re-alignments/ revisions, as necessary;
• Provide substantive inputs to financial reports;

Provide technical support to inter-agency coordination on Women’s Economic Empowerment to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country

• Provide substantive technical support to the project managers of AfDB projects on inter-agency coordination related activities by drafting background reports and briefs.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: N/A

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:

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
• Good analytical skills
• Good knowledge of Women’s Economic Empowerment technical area
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, economics, 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 2 years of progressively responsible work experience in development programme/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building is required.
• Experience in the Women’s Economic Empowerment area is desirable. Specifically, entrepreneurship, Gender Responsive Procurement, Women’s Financial Inclusion, and related fields.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors including multi-lateral development banks is desirable.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Language Requirements:

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

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.