Program Specialist (Women’s Economic Empowerment) Verified listing

Towards the purpose of accelerating economic engagement of young women through digital enablement and innovation, UN Women – with support from KOICA – will be embarking on a four-year project in selected districts across the country. The project will aim for the following two objectives: Increase capacities on digital literacy so that young women in the 18 to 35-year-old age bracket have wider participating opportunity in the technology sector, through capacity building programs and mentorships with experts; Create a conducive environment for young women to enter the technology sector - including IT enabled services (ITeS), software development, and data analytics - through engagement with private sector and government stakeholders.

Through project outputs, the project will aim to economically empower youth and women by building their skills and capacity to partake in the fourth industrial revolution and bridging industry-academia linkages for increased employability. The skills will be identified based on a mapping study to be conducted in the inception phase and will provide different sets of skills from digital marketing to advanced skills like robotics, coding and/or data analytics.

Functions: 

1. Lead Programme Management, Implementation, and Reporting:
•    Oversee and manage the operationalization of KOICA funded project with clearly defined milestones, deliverables, and responsible parties, ensuring implementation is on track, on time, and in full accordance with the signed project document and donor requirements;
•    Ensure timely and high-quality delivery of project results against agreed targets and indicators, proactively identifying bottlenecks, tracking progress, and taking corrective action within the approved budget envelope;
•    Provide day-to-day programme management direction and coaching to project staff and responsible parties, including guidance on RBM principles, compliance with UN Women programme policies, KOICA requirements, and the use of programme management tools and systems (AWPs, procurement plans, risk registers, M&E frameworks);
•    Lead monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation, conducting structured and timely quarterly and annual progress reviews with implementing partners and counterparts; ensure findings are translated into concrete corrective actions escalated to the appropriate level of programme management;
•    Lead the preparation and quality review of Responsible Partner (RP) selection documents, including micro and risk assessments and capacity development plans; ensure LPAC processes are conducted on time and in compliance with UN Women’s programme and operations policies and procedures;
•    Manage operational, administrative, and financial aspects of the programme, including maintenance of procurement and recruitment plans, budget utilization tracking, and timely processing of payments and requests in line with UN Women financial rules and regulations;
•    Prepare and oversee the timely submission of high-quality donor narrative and financial reports, project documents, AWPs, budgets, and programme briefs for UN Women Women’s Economic Empowerment & Sustainable Livelihoods programme; ensure all reporting complies with KOICA and UN Women reporting standards and schedules.
Guide and support programme and project staff on the application of UN Women programme management standards, tools, and systems, including Quantum, Programme Results Management systems, and KOICA reporting platforms, ensuring consistent and accurate use across the team.

2. Coordinate and promote women’s economic empowerment and women’s access to technological resources and expertise: 
•    Lead the coordination with Korean industry leaders, government departments, and public and private sector organizations involved in the technology industry for experience-sharing and mentorship of project beneficiaries;
•    Liaise with Korean authorities and guide operational processes for the exchange visits of project beneficiaries to Korea;
•    Provide support to enhance coordination between UN agencies, public and private sector organizations at the Federal and Provincial levels to improve women’s access to economic opportunities and technological resources
•    Network and build synergies with other UN agencies parties of the project interventions at policy and programme levels, liaise with KOICA, and ensure wide dissemination of tools and good practices;
•    Manage and monitor project risks, making recommendations for possible actions as required;
•    Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), ensuring compliance with approved allocations, goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures, donor commitments, standards of accountability, and integrity;
•    Participate in project implementation by providing strategic advice and technical inputs to partner-led interventions and processes, including substantive input to policy development, planning and monitoring processes and products.

3. Build strategic partnerships and mobilize resources: 
•    Build and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders and implementing partners, including those from the technology industry, private sector, relevant government departments, academia and civil society organizations;
•    Mobilize strategic partnerships and resource mobilization for upscaling and sustainability of the project;
•    Foster strong partnerships with project stakeholders including UN Agencies, government institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, the private sector, civil society and others.

4. Advocate and promote knowledge building and management: 
•    Identify capacity-building needs and provide technical support to implementing partners through mentoring, learning exchange, training, and capacity development initiatives, as needed;
•    Under the guidance of the supervisor, support the establishment of advocacy networks and campaigns with key partners at the national level;
•    Ensure documentation of the project learnings and development of evidence-based products in accordance with UN Women and KOICA guidelines.

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Development Economics, Management Sciences, Gender Studies, International Development, Social Sciences, or relevant field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree

Experience:

• 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, with a strong track record in AWP development and monitoring, timely donor reporting, implementation follow-up, budget management, and guiding programme/project teams on RBM and compliance requirements;
• Experience in following would be considered asset:
  -    PRINCE2
  -    PMP (Project Management Professional, PMI)
  UN/Development-Sector Specific Tools & Frameworks
  -    RBM (Results-Based Management)
  -    Logical Framework (LogFrame) / Theory of Change
• Experience working with KOICA or in the management of KOICA-supported projects is desirable.
• Familiarity with UN Women or broader UN programme management systems (Quantum), corporate reporting frameworks, and HACT compliance is desirable.

Language Requirements:

•    Fluency in English is required.
•    Working knowledge of another official UN language (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.