Programme Assistant, Gender in Humanitarian at the United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. We work with partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and reports to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Programme Assistant, Gender in Humanitarian

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Type: Onsite
Host Entity: UNWomen
Duration: 4 months
Number of Assignment: 1
Sustainable Development Goal: 5. Gender equality
Expected Start Date: 01/06/2022
Volunteer Category: National UN Volunteer Specialist

Mission and Objectives

• 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.
• As part of its flagship program on Women, Peace and Security, (WPS) UN Women is currently supporting the Government of Nigeria to meet its commitments on UNSCR 1325 through the development and implementation of Nigeria’s National Action Plan (NAP) and State Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security.
• With support from the Governments of Norway and Germany, UN Women is implementing WPS Programme in some states of Nigeria, designed to enhance women participation in conflict prevention, resolution, mediation and peacebuilding processes, at all levels; improve public perception on the role of women in peace and security; and enhance the capacity of government institutions, legislature, judiciary and security agencies to implement and institutionalize provisions of UNSCR 1325 in policies and operational procedures. Moreover, several local structures were also established to contribute to the WPS agenda in target areas. These include SAP Implementation Committees, Women Mediation Networks, HeForShe Networks and WPS Media networks.

Context:

• The objective of UN Women programs in the Northeast is to ensure protection for vulnerable women and girls as well as their equitable safe access to humanitarian and recovery assistance.
• The programs also promote women’s meaningful participation and leadership in humanitarian and recovery processes.
• In this regard, UN Women, with funding support from the Government of Japan, is implementing a project on Empowering Women and Girls for Enhanced Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in Borno and Yobe States.
• The project is designed to contribute to reducing the spread of COVID-19 through support for women’s leadership and participation in preventing and responding to gender-based violence while expanding access to economic empowerment opportunities.

Task Description
Under the direct supervision of Programme Manager, Gender and Humanitarian/Officer-in-Charge, the UN Volunteer will:

• Provide Program and Administrative Support to Northeast programs for the implementation of UN Women Country Strategy and Annual Work Plan focusing on Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action.
• Provide Administrative Support to Financial  Management:
  • Review and monitor the submissions of implementing partner financial and narrative reports.
  • Provide administrative support for the audit of programs/ projects and support the implementation of audit recommendations.
  • Provide administrative support in monitoring budget preparation and the finances of programs/projects; including the finalization of FACE forms;
  • Process payment for consultants;
  • Create requisitions in Atlas;
• Programme Administrative Support to Programmes:
  • Assist in monitoring results of the Implementing Partners to ensure that the project achievements are in line with target indicators, and impact is monitored and documented.
  • Support with mobilization of community women and girls; boys and men in all UN Women’s intervention locations across Borno Adamawa and Yobe states.
  • Organize and coordinate filing of correspondences/documents and ensure up to date filing. Maintain both hard copies and electronic copies of official records and reference files.
  • Prepare presentation materials/slides in PowerPoint for presentations for meetings/workshops and keep all papers ready for meetings in consultation with the program team.
  • Provide administrative support to Local Project Appraisal Committee (LPAC) meetings, preparation and review of required documents, and follow-ups with program teams for timely disbursements to partners.
  • Provide support in monitoring and evaluation of the programs on reporting guidelines and procedures as per UN Women‘s rules and regulations.
  • Assist in coordinating with civil society especially women's civil society networks,  State
  • Provide administrative and procurement support, organization of conferences, workshops, and missions, and create a budget for the events.
  • Make travel arrangements as necessary including preparation of travel requisitions and claims.
  • Draft minutes in meetings, as delegated.
  • Support track donor reporting deadlines, AWP, procurement plans, mid-term, and annual reviews.
  • Undertake field visits to monitor the performance of commitments by implementing partners and ensure program objectives are met.
• Provide Administrative Support to Coordination Activities and Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing:
  • Assist in the development of meetings, corporate progress reports, and project briefs focusing on capturing contribution towards results.
  • Support knowledge building and management through collection and dissemination of best practices, success stories, and lessons learned on gender mainstreaming in the Triple Nexus.
  • Provide administrative support synthesis of lessons learned and best practices related to program management and finance;
  • Provide administrative support to the organization of training for the office staff and partners on the program and operations-related issues.
  • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
• Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers program mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
  • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
  • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
  • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
  • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
  • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results, and opportunities.   
  • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

Results / Expected Outputs:

• UN Women programs in the Northeast implemented effectively.
• Implementing partners satisfied with UN Women support
• Good quality research and analytical documents that contribute to policy advocacy.
• Good quality reports and briefs that contribute to knowledge sharing.
• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring, and formal on-the-job training when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs)
• Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

Requirements
Required Experience:

• 3 years of experience in Working with programs under gender, promoting women and girls empowerment in humanitarian
• Working with the UN system is desirable
• Understanding of gender issues as they link with humanitarian, peace, and development
• Advocacy and Networking
• Programme Administration

Area(s) of Expertise:

• Social work, Development programmes, Community development

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Desirable
• Hausa, Level: Fair, Desirable

Required Education Level:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Gender Studies, Conflict / Humanitarian Studies, Business Administration, International Development or any of the Social Sciences or related field

Competencies and Values:

• Professionalism
• Integrity
• Communication
• Flexibility
• Genuine commitment
• Teamwork and respect for diversity
• Commitment to continuous learning
• Planning and organizing

Eligibility Criteria:
Age:

• 27 - 80

Nationality:

• Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.

Living Conditions and Remarks
Living Conditions:

• Maiduguri is the capital city of the Borno State in North-eastern Nigeria.
• The current security level is 5, which is only one step below the highest security level classification in the UN (the highest being 6). UN Staff movements are restricted and must comply with UN security measures. Living conditions are demanding and candidates should be prepared to consider this a hardship post.
• The local populations are mostly Muslim including Kanuri, Hausa, Shuwa, Bura, Marghi, and Fulani ethnic groups.
• There is also a considerable Christian population and people from other parts of the country such as the Igbo, Ijaw, and Yoruba.
• There is a large community of national and international personnel from the UN and from INGOs. Some basic facilities are available.
• The city has an international Airport which caters to international as well as domestic flights.
• There are regular direct flights from Maiduguri to Abuja (the capital city) and Lagos in the Southwestern part of the country. In addition, the UNHAS also operates regular flights from Maiduguri to the deep fields of the State to support operational activities of the humanitarian response.
• The climate is hot and semi-arid, especially in the dry season when it can go beyond 40°C. A detailed security briefing is provided to all new arrivals by the security staff on arrival in the State
• As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging her own housing and other living essentials.

Conditions of Service for National UN Volunteers:

• The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.
• Travel to duty station (if applicable) and a Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event the duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment.
• The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses.
• Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.
• Furthermore, in non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, a Well-Being Differential (WBD) will be provided monthly.

How to Apply
Intereted and qualified candiates should:
Click here to apply

Note

• United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals.
• We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics.
• As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
• Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

Application Deadline  13th May, 2022.