M4C Senior Project Officer - Solomon Islands

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, 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. 

The UN Women Pacific Multi-Country Office (MCO) is based in Suva, Fiji and works alongside the nineteen other UN agencies in the region and in fourteen countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Under its Strategic Note 2018-2022, UN Women Fiji MCO focuses on delivering on four interlinked programme areas underpinned by support for intergovernmental and normative processes:

• Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Ending Violence against Women
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction

Markets for Change / M4C 

The Markets for Change Project promotes gender equality through the economic empowerment of women market vendors in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The project brings together governments, market vendors and market vendor associations, civil society organizations and UN agencies. M4C is implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNDP, and the Governments of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Reporting to the M4C National Project Coordinator – Country Lead – Solomon Islands, the Senior Project Officer will be responsible for supporting project management and implementation at national level, with a focus on reporting, monitoring, partnerships, financial and human resource management, activities implementation and knowledge building.

The M4C Senior Project Officer – Solomon Islands will work in close collaboration with the M4C Solomon Islands Team and Markets for Change teams across Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, the Fiji MCO Regional Team, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, multilateral and bilateral donors, Market Vendor Associations, Provincial Governments, market vendors and civil society.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Support the development  and implementation of programme strategies for Markets for Change Solomon Islands:

• Provide substantive inputs to the design and formulation of programme/ project proposals and initiatives;
• Identify areas for support and interventions related to the programme;
• Participate in M4C regional meetings and learning retreats;
• Work in collaboration with the M4C Regional Team;
• Support the M4C National Project Coordinator – Country Lead in the development of programme strategies for M4C

Support  the implementation and management of Markets for Change Solomon Islands project: 

• Provide substantive support and input into the annual workplan and budget for M4C Solomon Islands, in liaison with the Regional Finance Officer; 
• Support the implementation of programme activities under the Team Lead’s direction;
• Support the review, coordination and monitoring of the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Contribute towards the training of partners on Results Based Management and monitor implementation.

Provide technical assistance and capacity development to project/programme partners:

• Coordinate and provide technical support in the implementation of programme activities;
• Maintain relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of Markets for Change Solomon Islands project;
• Provide support to the regional Knowledge Management Specialist in liaison with the M4C National Project Coordinator - Country Lead – Solomon Islands on data collection and analysis;
• Identify opportunities for capacity building of partners and facilitate technical/ programming support and trainings to partners, as needed;
• Provide training, facilitation and mentoring to partners, as needed.

Provide technical inputs to the monitoring and reporting of the programme/ project:

• Monitor progress of implementation of activities and finances using results-based management tools;
• Draft reports on monitoring missions, programme results, outputs and outcomes; 
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of donor and UN Women reports;
• Provide support to project management and the Project Management Committee (PMC) and Project Working Committee (PWC) meetings and reports.

Provide substantive technical inputs to the management of people and finances of the Markets for Change Solomon Islands project:

• Contribute to the monitoring of implementation and make budget re-alignments/ revisions, in liaison with the M4C Regional Finance Associate;
• Coordinate, draft and provide substantive inputs to all M4C reports, including support to donor reporting;
• Coordinate, draft and contribute to all monitoring and evaluation activities including routine monitoring, data collection and reporting for all donor reports, six-monthly, annual / as required;
• Supervise M4C project staff, volunteers and consultants in Solomon Islands.

 Provide substantive inputs to building partnerships and resource mobilization strategies:

• Provide substantive inputs to resource mobilization strategies;
• Analyze and maintain information and databases;
• Prepare relevant documentation such as project summaries, conference papers, briefing notes, speeches, and donor profiles;
• Participate in donor meetings and public information events, as delegated;
• Assist in the preparation and support to partner organizations for the hosting of high-level delegations.

Contribute to inter-agency coordination to achieve a coherent and aligned presence for Markets for Change Solomon Islands:

• Provide substantive technical support to the M4C Regional Manager on inter-agency coordination related activities by drafting background reports and briefs, initiating coordination meetings and monitoring programme activities when required;
• Provide technical support to M4C Outcome Two in-country focal officer (UNDP), including regional staff.

Provide substantive inputs to advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts:

• Develop background documents, briefs and presentations related to Markets for Change Solomon Islands project; 
• Coordinate and organize advocacy campaigns, events, trainings, workshops and knowledge products;
• Coordinate the development of knowledge management methodologies, and products on Markets for Change Solomon Islands;
• Coordinate, draft, provide inputs and technical support to communications and knowledge product development;
• Support M4C communication efforts in Solomon Islands to ensure ongoing and substantive communication about the Markets for Change Project with media, partners as well as current and potential donors.

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

Supervisory / Managerial Responsibilities:

N/A.

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:

• Ability to lead and to drive results.
• Ability to establish and maintain broad strategic networks and partnerships, to mobilize resources and to build alliances to advance organizational interests.
• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management.
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations.
• Good analytical skills.
• Good knowledge of technical area.

Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising.

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certifications:

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in development related discipline/s including gender issues, public policy, social work or other related social science fields is highly required.
• A first-level University Degree (Bachelors’ Degree) in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of two (2) years (with Masters’ Degree), or minimum of four (4) years (with Bachelor’s Degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level in project / programme formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting and capacity building.
• Experience in the women’s economic empowerment, informal sector support, women in markets, or any of the Markets for Change technical areas is an asset.
• Experience in facilitating workshops and delivering trainings is an asset;
• Experience in coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset.
• Previous experience working in the UN system is an asset.
• Experience in the usage of a modern web-based systems e.g. ERP preferably Oracle Cloud; including usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, is an advantage.
• Familiarity with Pacific countries and cultures, especially Solomon Islands.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Knowledge and fluency in the local language(s) of the duty station (Solomon Islands) is an asset.

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.)

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.