Programme Consultant

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 South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) is based in Pretoria, South Africa and covers 5 countries (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho Namibia and South Africa). SAMCO works with the government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Private Sector to contribute to gender equality through the formulation and implementation of norms, laws, policies, programmes, and services that ensure the human rights of women and girls and increase economic participation. SAMCO’s programmes include increasing women’s political participation and leadership, securing women’s economic rights, strengthening women’s involvement in peacebuilding, ending violence against women, and making government budgets and policies gender responsive.

Reporting to the Deputy Representative South Africa Country Office, the Programme Consultant will support with effective programme delivery by providing necessary administrative and operational support at the South Africa Multi Country Office for effective programmes delivery in line with UN Women rules and regulations. The Programme Consultant will work in close collaboration with the programmes and operations team at the South Africa Multi-Country Office and where required, UN Women East and Southern Africa Country Offices for successful UN Women programme implementation under the portfolio.

Objective of the assignment:

This consultancy work is expected to strengthen the effective delivery of UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office’s programme portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide executive support to the Deputy Representative (Programme)

• Manage the UN Women Deputy Representative’s calendar, and schedule of appointments and meetings;
• Arrange travel and hotel accommodations and other logistics for the Deputy Representative.
• Maintain roster of the Office’s key contacts; update electronic mailing lists;
• Answer and screen calls for the Deputy Representative with tact and discretion;
• Manage administrative files on the Deputy Representative mission travel and mission reports;
• Research files, collect information and organize materials to meet the Deputy Representative’s requests.

Provide administrative support to the Deputy Representative (Programme):

• Undertake the logistical, administrative and financial arrangements, to organize meetings, events, and workshops;
• Organize and attend meetings and events, prepare minutes and summaries;
• Prepare and assemble briefing materials and PowerPoint presentations for the Deputy Representative for meetings, missions and other key events;
• Organize and monitor the office filing system;
• Follow up with the Deputy Representative on deadlines and commitments.

Provide support to Programme Implementation, monitoring, and reporting:

• Provide administrative support in planning, organization, and implementation of a diverse range of activities such as regional events, workshops, missions, planning meetings, webinars, discussions with partners, and other stakeholders, drafting minutes including internal and external correspondence.
• Support the South Africa Multi Country Office in ensuring UN Women policies and procedures are adhered to for efficient programme/project implementation and tracking of progress.
• Provide support in preparation for and review of all reporting requirements, including workplan quarterly reporting on programme implementation.

Provide programme Operational Support:

• Provide logistical, administrative, and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions including travel arrangements for the strategic support unit.
• Provide administrative support for procurement; provide process guidance and support with preparation of documents.
• Create requisitions in Quantum, prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project.
• In collaboration with the Finance Unit and the UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), track programme/project implementation and identify programmatic bottlenecks.
• Support Finance Unit in follow-up actions of ESARO with respect to aging advances, unapplied funds, and donor tranche receipts as part of Project Monitoring.
• In collaboration with Operations Unit, support roll-out and application of corporate systems such as Partner Grants & Agreements Management System (PGAMS) and the Donor Agreement Management Systems (DAMS).

Deliverables:

1. Providing timely and accurate administrative support.
2. Timely management of procurement and finance process for effective programme delivery.
3. Efficient management and maintenance of agreements, letters, memos etc.
4. Timely organization of events, webinars, workshops, and missions/travel.
5. Quality communications, and reports.
6. Logistical and technical support provided to planned regional consultative meetings and webinars.
7. Any other tasks as assigned.

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 Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:     FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:  Ability to create, edit, synthesize, and present information in clear and presentable formats. Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions. Ability to provide input to business process re-engineering, elaboration, and implementation of new data management systems. Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow. Ability to function in fast paced environment with competing priorities. Excellent financial and budgeting skills. Excellent IT skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification: Completion of secondary education is required. Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Business Management, Public Administration. Experience: At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in administration or programme management/support. Experience in working on gender equality and women’s empowerment Demonstrated experience working with UN agencies. Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages. Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable Experience in supporting a team. Languages: Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset. How to Apply Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: ) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) 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, colour, 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.)