UN Women: Project Officer, Colombo, Sri Lanka, N-PPSA8, National Partner Personnel Service Agreement

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.

Working for the empowerment and rights of women and girls globally, UN Women’s main roles are: 
•    To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms.
•    To help Member States implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
•    To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality, as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

UN Women has been working in Sri Lanka since 2014, marking a decade of service dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country. In our collective efforts to uphold women’s rights, we work collaboratively with the Government of Sri Lanka and other partners to develop national policies, conduct research and advocacy, and deliver programming on women’s economic empowerment, women’s leadership in governance and decision-making, Women, Peace and Security, and preventing violence against women and girls. Our goal is to help every woman and girl achieve her full potential, and build a more inclusive, just and equal Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka, UN Women is implementing programmes – such as the five-year project titled “THRIVE: Together for Her: Resilience-building, Inclusivity, and Voices for Equality in Sri Lanka” – to strengthen the economic and social resilience of women who are marginalized by equipping them with the resources needed to navigate and recover from crises, insecurity, and the impacts of climate change. UN Women’s work encompasses three main outcomes: a) Women’s enterprises are resilient to climate impacts and crises, b) Shifts in community attitudes towards the perception of women and positive behaviour change to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, and c) Women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Office and with matrix management by the Programme Management Analyst, the Project Officer contributes to the effective management of UN Women project(s) and provides substantive inputs to programme design, formulation, implementation and evaluation. He/she will be responsible for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring the implementation of the assigned project(s) led by UN Women. 
 

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

• 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: 

•    Knowledge of programme management
•    Knowledge of procurement processes, systems, administrative rules and regulation
•    Excellent verbal and written communications skills in English and Tamil, including the ability to prepare succinct analytical documents (project concept notes, research reports, donor reports etc.) 
•    Excellent understanding and knowledge of laws, policies, programmes and instruments to advance gender equality in Sri Lanka.
•    Strong coordination and facilitation skills with various stakeholders
•    Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats
•    Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow 
•    Strong financial and budgeting skills
•    Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work
•    Excellent IT and web-based management skills
•    Strong research skills will be an asset.

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.

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.