JOB DESCRIPTION

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.

Established by UN General Assembly Resolution 50/166 in 1996, the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) is the first and remains the only global UN funding mechanism dedicated exclusively to providing direct grants to civil society organizations working to prevent and end all forms of violence against women and girls (EVAW/G). Since 2010, UN Women has administered the UN Trust Fund on behalf of the UN system, providing a strong institutional foundation and field support through a global infrastructure of country and regional offices.

With nearly three decades of experience, the UN Trust Fund has become a key global mechanism for funding initiatives that aim to eliminate violence against women and girls. It plays a critical role in fostering collaboration across governments, UN agencies, and civil society to address the root causes and consequences of violence, aligning its work with broader international policies and frameworks. The UN Trust Fund focuses on providing long-term grants to organizations that work in diverse contexts, particularly those representing marginalized groups, such as indigenous women, women living with disabilities, and women from rural or conflict-affected areas. Its investments are survivor-centered and aim to have sustainable, long-term impacts. To date, the UN Trust Fund has funded over 725 initiatives in over 140 countries and territories, significantly contributing to global efforts to end violence against women and girls.

Reporting to the Global Lead – Capacity Development and Operations Management, the Grant Management Systems and Operations Analyst plays a key role in ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of the UN Trust Fund’s grant-making and grants-management programme. The position serves a dual purpose: (1) to support the operational aspects of the grant-making cycle to ensure alignment with UNTF timelines, quality standards, and compliance requirements; and (2) to support the management, maintenance, and enhancement of the UN Trust Fund’s Grants Management System (GMS), which is used by applicants, grantees, and internal stakeholders to administer grant applications, reporting, and data management. In addition, the role contributes to capacity development for system users and supports related operational activities across the Fund and within UN Women corporate processes, as requested.

Functions:

1.    Coordinate the management, maintenance and enhancements of the Grants Management System (GMS)

• Implement the GMS-related work plan, ensuring deliverables are completed in a timely, high-quality, and collaborative manner.
• Coordinate the implementation, maintenance, and day-to-day operations of the GMS, including monitoring timelines, deliverables, budgets, and expenditures.
• Liaise with the system vendor and UN Women IST through regular coordination meetings, ensuring timely issue resolution and smooth system performance.
• Support in the preparation of briefing notes, technical documentation, training materials, and presentations on GMS functionality; present system capabilities to internal and external stakeholders as required.
• Support backend system management, including oversight of user roles and permissions, fund and organization profiles, static artifacts, email templates, new grant setups, and system announcements.
• Maintain an active GMS Helpdesk, ensuring prompt support to applicants, grantees, and reviewers during Call For Proposals (CFP) and reporting cycles. Provide webinars and virtual walkthroughs to enhance system use.
• Analyze and update GMS user guides to reflect new functionalities and user feedback, improving clarity and accessibility.
• Manage GMS folders in the UN Trust Fund shared drive and SharePoint, ensuring all GMS-related documentation is complete, accessible, and up to date.
• Systematically track technical bugs and enhancement needs; verify fixes in collaboration with the vendor and maintain records in the GMS Issue Register.
• Consolidate requirements for system enhancements based on staff and user feedback; ensure technical clarity in discussions with vendors.
• Conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for new modules or updates in English, French, and Spanish.
• Analyze and update GMS user guides and documentation to reflect system changes and ensure clarity and usability.

2.    Coordinate the Online Application System for the Call for Proposals

• Coordinate the configuration, testing, and deployment of the online application platform each cycle, ensuring multilingual compatibility and accessibility.
• Administer access for UN Trust Fund staff, consultants, and regional office users; maintain control over permissions and roles.
• Assign applications to Technical Review Group members; monitor and reassign applications as needed to ensure full and timely review.
• Provide helpdesk support and guidance to applicants, reviewers, and internal users during the CFP period.
• Manage email communications from the CFP/GMS Helpdesk; update and disseminate documentation and system announcements.
• Support the creation of new grant records following CFP selection in collaboration with Finance Officers and Portfolio Managers.
• Investigate and resolve technical issues related to the CFP platform, documenting findings and fixes in the CFP/GMS Issue Register.

3.    Coordinate Operational Aspects of Grant Selection 

• Support the Grant-Making Specialist in the implementation of the operational components of the UNTF’s Grant-making Programme work plan, ensuring alignment with the Fund’s Strategic Plan, Annual Work Plan, and Call for Proposals (CfP) timeline.
• Support the selection and recruitment of external consultants required for the CFP, including technical reviewers, translators, and specialists in thematic and regional areas.
• Oversee and support payments for all CFP-related consultants, including translators, reviewers, and system vendors, ensuring timely and compliant transactions.
• Coordinate the development, review, and finalization of Partner Agreements, in line with UN Women regulations. Support the preparation, approval, and archiving of Partner Project Documents.
• Provide operational support for country-level and HQ review of NGOA assessments, coordinating quality assurance, follow-up, and documentation of capacity gaps.
• Ensure timely, high-quality records management across all operational aspects of the grants process and support post-cycle process reviews and lessons-learned exercises.
• Assist in reviewing and updating Partner Agreement templates and facilitate the coordination of approval processes with relevant UN Women units.

4.    Contribute to Capacity Building and Technical Guidance for System Users

• Provide technical/system-related guidance to potential grant applicants to support completion of concept notes and full proposals using the GMS platform.
• Support the delivery of structured training and orientation sessions to all GMS users—grantees, applicants, consultants, and UN staff—on effective use of the GMS and application portals.
• Prepare and disseminate user-friendly knowledge products such as toolkits, FAQs, and guidance notes, including multilingual content where appropriate.
• Lead virtual and in-person training and knowledge sharing workshops, including webinars tailored to different stakeholder groups and programmatic needs.
• Provide real-time, tailored support to individual users through one-on-one troubleshooting sessions or coaching, particularly during CFP and reporting periods.
• Regularly assess user feedback to enhance user experience and system accessibility and adjust training approaches accordingly.
• Support internal team members with data export, grant setup, and reporting needs and ensure application and reporting templates are consistently updated on the GMS platform.
• Support in developing and delivering training sessions, webinars, and tailored support for applicants, grantees, internal staff, and partners.
• Offer one-on-one coaching and troubleshooting sessions based on user needs, technical barriers, or feedback.
• Collaborate with the Capacity Development, Systems and Grants Operations Manager to plan and facilitate in-person capacity development workshops focusing on financial, operational, and system use.
• Maintain training materials and continually improve guidance based on evolving user feedback and system functionality.

5.    The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

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 coordination and programme implementation skills;
• Strong budget and finance skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports in order to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical skills
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and certification::

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Political Science, Development, Public Administration, Gender Studies or 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 2 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in managing complex and multi-component programme interventions with national partners, related to Grant-making and Operations;
• Experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating development programmes and projects is required;
• Experience in Grants Management is required;
• Experience with databases and data management is required;
• Previous experience working in the UN system is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian).

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.