Programme Coordination, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Specialist -SSA International

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 is the central stakeholder in advancing global norms and standards for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women’s work in Sierra Leone started through UNIFEM in 2002. UN Women provides unique supports to national gender machineries, cooperating with UN, public, private, international, and community-level institutions to empower women and advance gender.  

Sierra Leone made key strides in the promulgation of laws and policies relating to economic empowerment of women, Sexual and Gender Based violence, women’s participation in governance in all spheres, women’s leadership in public life and in peace and security, and their access to land. In line with the principle of Leaving No One Behind, UN Women makes deliberate efforts to develop partnerships which address the needs, demands and interests of women facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, vulnerability, and marginalization. The Agency’s portfolio in Sierra Leone includes the following flagship Programme Initiatives across the country: 

• Women’s Participation and Leadership in Governance and Politics. 
• Ending Violence Against Women. 
• Women in Peace, Security and Humanitarian Actions. 
• Women’s Economic Empowerment. 

Under the supervision of the Head of Office, the Programme Coordination, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Specialist will provide technical support to the development and management of UN Women’s strategic partnerships, relationships, and resource mobilization strategy, as well as enhance resource mobilization capacity in the country Office

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide technical support and guidance to the development of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization efforts.

• Manage and coordinate relationships with key partners; provide technical inputs to senior management’s efforts at the country level to develop new and innovative partnerships.
• maintaining partnerships and positioning with potential donors, including civil Society groups, and other key government partners and stakeholders
• Advise UN Women Sierra Leone country office on the design and implementation of effective advocacy strategies and strategic targeting of partners and donors. Provide advice on the formulation of concept notes for UN Women’s intervention areas, as well as the office’s strategic note.
• Develop country programming processes and products, including the annual workplan, strategic note, and programme/ project documents, the preparation of United Nations Development Framework (UNDAF) and other UN system joint programming documents.
• Manage activities and other promotional events to engage bilateral and multilateral institutions/ donors, private sector and civil society to expand and/or sustain interest and resources for UN Women programmes and joint UN system programmes.

1. Manage, and facilitate the implementation of resource mobilization strategies and initiatives, programme quality and sustainability.

• Manage the development and implementation of differentiated, donor fund-raising strategies, aligned and coordinated with country-level activities initiatives and outreach activities.
• Develop targeted products and initiatives to mobilize programmatic resources and attract additional donors’ funding.
• Gather information on project/programmes pipelines and corresponding resource needs through close collaboration with country-based counterparts.
• Provide technical support to the development of project proposals in line with the UN Women’s strategy and the interest of donors.
• Undertake ad-hoc donor studies, research, and other activities to identify funding opportunities; update the resources mobilization strategy as needs emerge.
• Guide project officers and programme specialists on the management of UN Women Sierra Leone’s programmes and projects, ensuring quality implementation and portfolio growth and sustainability of impacts.

1. Build trust and maintain effective relationships with donors.

• Act as a direct entry point for donors, building institutional relationships.
• Provide regular updates on donor profiles, databases (e.g., contacts management) and donor intelligence.
• Identify opportunities to secure additional non-core resources.
• Provide technical support the drafting and review of partner-specific Framework Arrangements and Cost Sharing Agreements, and the preparation of brief funding proposals and concept notes, where appropriate.

1. Coordinate the submission of high quality and timely reports to Donors.

• Maintain systems to promote compliance with the terms of grants and agreements in the CO.
• Provide technical support to programme managers for the preparation of high quality and timely donor reports.
• Coordinate with the M&E for the collection of information and preparation of results-based reports for external constituencies.

1. Participate in knowledge building and sharing and advocacy efforts.

• Contribute to the development of knowledge products and mechanisms to effectively position UN Women wherever possible.

Monitor emerging issues that could affect partnerships and resource contributions at the national or regional levels (risk management).

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

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights issues.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with government representatives of Member States (donor and programme);
• Proven networking skills, and ability to mobilize support on behalf of UN Women.
• Strong negotiating skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes.
• Strong IT skills, including databases, extranet and office software packages.

Strong analytical and interpersonal skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, Development studies, social sciences, public administration, international relations, communications, Gender studies, or a in related field (s) is required.

A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in resource mobilization, communications/ advocacy, and/or business development.
• Experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Experience working with civil society organizations, international institutions and donors.

A project/programme management certification would be an added advantage

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English required.

Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.