Programme Specialist, Women’s Economic Empowerment/ Surging Women’s Employment, FTA-NOC

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), 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.

In order to advance Women’s Economic Empowerment in Jordan and the MENA region, UN Women is leading the Surging Women's Employment Flagship Initiative (SWEI) which seeks to increase women's employment in the Arab States region by 5% by 2030 through innovative and collaborative approaches across governments, international financial institutions, the private sector, UN agencies, NGOs, and media with a particular focus on the Green, STEM, and Care Economies. 

In Jordan, where women's labor force participation stands at 14%, the SWEI initiative aims to contribute to ensure that an additional 14,000 women are employed by 2030, as a contribution to the broader Economic Modernization Vision target of creating 1+ million new income opportunities for Jordanians and doubling women’s labor force participation by 2033.

The Progamme Specialist, Women’s Economic Empowerment/Surging Women’s Employment position operates within the framework of the EU-funded programme "Support to Women's Employment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region through Gender-Responsive Private Sector Development", which forms a core component of the SWEI Flagship in Jordan.

Reporting directly to the Jordan CO Deputy Country Representative, with a secondary line of reporting to the Director of the SWEI at the Regional Office for Arab States, the Programme Specialist Women’s Economic Empowerment/ Surging Women’s Employment exercises overall responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing UN Women interventions under their portfolio. The Programme Specialist will in particular lead the implementation of the National Country Chapter of the SWEI, focusing on employment generation in three strategic sectors: Climate-Smart Agri-Export (Green Economy), Childcare & Elderly Care Expansion (Care Economy), and STEM fields including Transnational Remote Work. This position will advance gender-responsive private sector development and policy reforms in Jordan, leveraging the country's strong Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatory network, advanced digital infrastructure, and recent progressive labor law amendments. 

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. 

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Design and develop programme strategies in the area of Women’s Economic Empowerment/Surging Women’s Employment 

• Design and formulate programme/ project proposals and initiatives; 
• Draft inputs to country strategy documents, briefs, policy dialogue and other documents related to Surging Women’s Employment

2. Manage the implementation and management of the Women’s Economic Empowerment/Surging Women’s Employment programme

• 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 Women’s Economic Empowerment programme with a focus on Surging Women’s Employment; 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/ project

• Manage the monitoring of programme 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;
• Contribute to office donor and UN Women reports. 

5.Manage the people and financial resources of the Surging Women’s Employment programme

• Manage the programme budget and draft financial reports;
• Supervise Programme Analysts and Technical Specialists; 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.

7. Contribute to inter-agency coordination on Women’s Economic Empowerment/Surging Women’ Employment to achieve coherence and alignment of UN Women programmes with other partners in the country 

• 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

• Develop and review background documents, briefs and presentations related to Women’s Economic Empowerment/Surging Women’s Employment; 
• Represent UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to Women’s Economic Empowerment 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 Women’s Economic Empowerment/Surging Women’s Employment

9. 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 leads a team of 4-5 personnel.

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:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them  
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of Women’s Economic Empowerment and Feminist Economics
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the Jordanian economy including the Jordan labor market 
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies
• Strong knowledge of UN programme management systems 
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation 
• Strong networking skills. 

Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, 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 space of Women’s Economic Empowerment is required. 
• Technical experience in Women’s Economic Empowerment is required.
• Experience leading and coaching staff 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 coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is required.
• Experience working with the private sector on Women’s Economic Empowerment including employment generation is required.
• Experience in program development in sectors such as the green economy and trade-oriented programs 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.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French).

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.