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 Jordan Country Office’s (JCO) work is carried out in support of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's Triple Modernization Agenda (the Political System Modernization, the Economic Modernization Vision and its Engendered Strategy, and the Public Sector Reform), the National Strategy for Women in Jordan (2020-2025), the second Jordanian National Action Plan for the Implementation of Security Council 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2022-2025), the National Social Protection Strategy (2025-2033) and the Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis, and is grounded in the principles and targets contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. UN Women JCO implements its triple mandate by working with the government of Jordan to strengthen national systems and to develop laws and policies to advance gender equality and women's empowerment; by working with the Government of Jordan, civil society and the private sector to support the implementation of international and national commitments to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment; and by strengthening coordination of the UN System and Development Partners in support of gender equality in Jordan.
The Gender responsive Governance and Women’s Leadership Portfolio oversees the JCO work in support of the Political Modernization and the Public Sector Reform and encompasses overall technical support to the government of Jordan and its gender machinery on gender mainstreaming, as well as dedicated programmes focused on gender responsive budgeting, and women’s leadership and political participation in national and local governance system. The portfolio is implemented in close partnership with national partners including the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Empowerment of Women (IMC), the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JCNW), the Ministry of Local Administration, the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, the Independent Election Commission, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation as well as all the line ministries involved in the GRB programme, the General Budget Department, and civil society.
Reporting to the Deputy Representative, the Programme Specialist exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under their portfolio. The Programme Specialist supervises and leads the 6 staff members of the team. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme and operations team, UN Women HQ and Regional Office staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women programme implementation under portfolio.
- Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
- Identify programmatic areas for support and interventions within the thematic/sectorial area of Gender responsive Governance and Women’s Leadership;
- Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Gender responsive Governance and WPP;
- Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their implementation;
- Manage the technical implementation of the programme/project; ensure synergies with other teams;
- Manage the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
- Provide guidance to personnel and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators;
- Organize Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings, as needed.
3.Manage technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners
- Manage the implementation of technical advice and guidance. Develop and implement technical tools, and initiatives
- Build and manage relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Gender responsive Governance and Women’s Leadership programme; respond to any potential problems;
- Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives to partners.
4. Manage the monitoring and reporting of the programme and projects
- Manage the monitoring of programme and projects implementation and finances using results based management tools;
- Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions;
- Write quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes for all projects under portfolio;
- Contribute to office-wide donor and UN Women reports.
- Manage the programme and project budgets and draft financial reports;
- Supervise Programme Analysts, Associates and Technical Specialists and Consultants; Mentor and coach personnel and conduct performance assessments;
- Oversee recruitment processes, as necessary.
6. Build partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies
- Develop and implement partnerships and resource mobilization strategies;
- Finalize relevant documentation on donors and potential opportunities for resource mobilization;
- Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost sharing;
- Provide technical support to the Representative and Deputy Representative on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees as needed;
- Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.
8.Manage advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts
- Support political scanning and the CO efforts to conduct substantive policy dialogue with Government counterparts, UN, and other development partners to facilitate the incorporation of UN Women programme priorities, CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action into national and sub-national plans and strategies, UN systems initiatives, and development frameworks;
- Organize periodic consultations with key stakeholders, women leaders, civil society organizations, human rights experts and UN partners to gather inputs on programme design, as necessary.
- Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to Gender responsive Governance and Women’s Leadership;
- Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Gender responsive Governance and Women’s Leadership as necessary;
- Develop advocacy strategies and oversee their implementation;
- Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
- Develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on [thematic area].
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities
The incumbent leads a team of 4 personnel.
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.
Functional Competencies
- Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
- Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
- Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
- Strong Knowledge of women’s rights including CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action
- Strong knowledge of Gender responsive Governance and Women’s Leadership issues and programmatic strategies including gender mainstreaming and women’s political participation
- Solid knowledge of the Jordanian’s government reform efforts under the Triple Modernization Agenda
- Demonstrated network of connections with keys national stakeholders in the Women’s Empowerment ecosystem in Jordan including within government and political circles, civil society and with relevant international partners
Strong political acumen
- Strong analytical skills
- Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies
Recruitment 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 would be an added advantage
Experience: | At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects in the field of gender equality and the empowerment of women is required. Demonstrated technical experience in gender responsive governance and women’s leadership is required. Experience in leading and coaching staff is required. Experience in coordinating and liaising at senior level with government agencies and donors is required. 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 working in the UN System is desirable. Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.
Language Requirements: | Fluency in English and Arabic is 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.)