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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic, and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key program priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security.

The UN Women Afghanistan Country Office Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU) thereby supports the effective management of the UN Women program portfolio in Afghanistan, including program planning and development, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, and program coordination based on agreed annual work plans and partner and donor agreements; knowledge management; and compliance with UN Women program policies, guidance and procedures.

Under the direct supervision of the Monitoring and Reporting Specialist, and the overall guidance of the Deputy Country Representative, the Coordination and Knowledge Management Specialist will provide support to the coordination of cross-thematic knowledge management efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Facilitate knowledge building and management and coordination of Knowledge Management efforts across thematic areas

• Support the development and implementation of a knowledge management plan/strategy for the UN Women ACO aimed at enhancing knowledge sharing and delivery of planned results;
• Contribute to the development of knowledge products and their internal and external dissemination;
• Collaborate with other UN Women Country/Regional Offices to strengthen existing synergies and promote knowledge sharing across thematic areas at country office, regional, and global levels;
• Keep up to date on the latest developments in all relevant thematic areas and take advantage of all mechanisms for contextualizing and sharing that knowledge;

      2. Capacity building and technical support

• Identify capacity-building needs and support partners/country offices through technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives in collaboration with the Programme leads;
• Proactively engages in the organization and delivery of substantive training/learning sessions for the partners;
• Advise the country program on the efficient and effective ways to share learning with partners and staff in the country and with others in the region;
• Identify scale-up/optimization opportunities in projects/programs and share them with staff and the Head of the Office to inform adaptation of ongoing programs, development of new components in the projects, and inform new programs/activities;

      3. Support partnership building

• Provides coordination support and facilitates discussions and platforms on ACO program learning;
• Promotes and communicates on new corporate knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and actively manages the existing community of practice;
• Collaborates with the UN Women Communication Team to enhance, update, and assist in the external dissemination of the ACO program results/events;
• Build relations with external professionals and institutions, including donors, UN system agencies, and civil society organizations, in the substantive areas of the ACO program in support of knowledge sharing and networking;

       4. Manage data and information systems across the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office

• Develop tools/systems for the systematic documentation and storage of information and data on program and operational implementation processes and products;
• Provide technical support to the Country Office teams in the systematic implementation of such tools, to facilitate the capture, storage, and dissemination of information on processes and results;
• Update the Country Office’s SharePoint filing system, and work with the Programme and Operations Team to keep corresponding platforms up to date;

Key Performance Indicators

• Quality development of knowledge product publications.
• Timely and quality coordination and dissemination of lessons and best practices.
• Quality and timely reporting.
• Strong relations with partners and stakeholders.
• Regular and timely monitoring of activities.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Ability to undertake policy research and prepare policy publications.
• We have proven substantive expertise in gender and economic policy.
• Excellent writing and presentational skills.
• Ability to draft knowledge management and dissemination strategies and plans.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively to different audiences.
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities.
• Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints.
• Establishes, builds, and sustains effective relationships with country offices, partners, and donors.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in International Development, gender/women’s studies, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with 5 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of progressively responsible work experience at the international level, including policy development, knowledge product creation, and dissemination on gender equality and women empowerment.
• Experience in collaborating with different countries, departments, and donors/partners.
• Work Experience with/in the UN system and working knowledge of the principal UN initiatives would be an advantage.
• Experience in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating policy lessons and good practices and drafting reports/publications.
• Experience in actively managing a community of practice, and in Capacity building initiatives related to women empowerment would be an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;
• Knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto is an asset.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from   Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

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.

Inclusion Statement:

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 based on qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need 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.)