Job: NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICER

Location : Dhaka, BANGLADESH

Application Deadline : 23-Sep-13

Additional Category: Women's Empowerment

Type of Contract : FTA Local

Post Level : NO-C

Languages Required : English  

Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Dec-2013

Duration of Initial Contract : 1 Year

Expected Duration of Assignment : To continue based on performance and availability of fund

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. 
Under the overall guidance and direction of the Country Representative, the National Program Coordinator assists BCO in planning, implementing, and managing effective interventions in Bangladesh. She/he works in close collaboration with the program and operations team at BCO, UN Women Regional Office for Asia/Pacific, UN Women HQ staff, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society to ensure successful implementation of UN Women BC program portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist Country Representative in management of the Country Program and day-to-day guidance to Program Team 
• Inter-agency Coordination Support;
• Strategic partnerships and resource mobilization Support;
• Advocacy support and Knowledge building and management;
• In consultation and close coordination with Country Representative, provision of top quality advisory and program development services;
• Analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country related to the mandate of UN Women and preparation of substantive inputs to the UN Women program planning in those areas;
• Monitoring and analysis of the program environment, timely readjustment of program interventions;
• Identification of areas for support and interventions based on the developments in the country;
• Design and formulation of country based program initiatives, translating UN Women’s priorities into local interventions;
• Provision of program advisory support to the Office Management within the thematic area/portfolio assigned;
• Under the guidance and oversight of the supervisor, exercise overall responsibility for planning, implementation, management, and coordination aspects of the programs /projects implemented in Bangladesh;
• Ensure effective application of RBM tools and monitoring achievement of results;
• Manage the portfolio of on-going programs/projects through technical monitoring and administrative and financial supervision ensuring the proper application of a monitoring system to track progress on program results and indicators;
• Assist the Representative with programs/projects appraisal and evaluation according to results-based management requirements;
• Coordinate and supervise the activities of BCO program staff, projects staff, experts and consultants working as part of the technical assistance team;
• Responsible for the timely preparation and quality control of all substantive technical reports, briefs and required documents;
• Ensure timely production and submission of all partial and/or progress reports by all members of the project team, contractors and project partners;
• Conduct field visits to supervise, coordinate and monitor field level activities of portfolio;
• Help ensure inter-agency coordination related activities at country level;
• Take part in country level Comprehensive Country Assessment (CCA)/UNDAF processes and similar exercises related to the RC system ensuring that gender concerns are clearly reflected and mainstreamed in process.
• Prepare substantive inputs to CCA/ UNDAF and other documents thoroughly analyzing and researching the political, social and economic situation in the country;
• Prepare analytical and regular progress reports on UN Women’s’ program experiences in support of UN women inter-agency coordination role;
• Support to BCO to implement strategic partnerships and resources mobilization strategies to achieve program outcomes;
• Create and coordinate partnerships with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society etc.;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities;
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost-sharing;
• Follow up on resource on mobilization activities for fund raising for new projects in coordination with the UN Women Representative;
• Support the establishment of advocacy networks at national level and linkages to international networks relevant to gender equality / women’s rights issues in Bangladesh;
• Proactively and substantively support and implement relevant, high-impact advocacy activities and campaigns with key partners;
• Identify and synthesis best practices and lessons learnt from program/project interventions in the country;
• Proactively contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Competencies

Integrity: 

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct. 

Professionalism: 

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work. 

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: 

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Ethics and Values: 

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity. 

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment. 

Development and Innovation: 

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams: 

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication. 

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: 

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others. 

Conflict Management: 

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution. 

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: 

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: 

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making;
• Ability to fully assist in formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programs and projects intended to promote gender equality and women’s rights;
• Ability to substantially support strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manages contributions and investments, manage transactions, conduct financial analysis, reporting and cost-recovery;
• Ability to implement new systems and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change;
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
• Lead teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
• Strong analytic skills and an ability to apply them to issues of gender equality / women’s rights;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
• Focuses on impact and result for the partners and responds positively to feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in International Development, Gender, Human Rights, Applied Anthropology, or in other related Social Sciences.

Experience:

• 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and in establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments, preferably in the field of gender equality and women’s rights;
• This experience can be at the national or international level;
• Prior experience in the UN System will be an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Bangla is required. Working knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

More Info and Application