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.

The UN Women Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean is implementing a multi-country gender-responsive humanitarian programme on human mobility in Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras. This programme seeks to respond to the human mobility crisis in Central America by addressing gender-specific protection needs and improving social cohesion in border areas. The programme is funded by the Government of Japan which aims to ensure that women affected by the human mobility crisis lead, equally participate in and benefit from gender-responsive protection services and social cohesion initiatives in Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras. To achieve this result, the project centers on two outputs: Output 1 aims to enhance the capacities of humanitarian actors to plan and deliver protection services, including gender-based violence care, that are responsive to the needs of women in human mobility; Output 2 aims to increase the capacities of women in human mobility and in host communities, to access and influence protection service delivery and social cohesion initiatives in Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras.

Reporting to Programme Management Specialist, the Programme Associate works with and provides support to the members of the Programme Team in the development and implementation of an effective programme consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Programme Associate contributes to research, financial management, and programme implementation including providing necessary operational, administrative and programmatic support. The Programme Associate works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and projects’ staff in the RO and UN Women HQs as required for resolving complex finance-related issues and exchange of information.

Duties and Responsibilities

• 1. Provide administrative and logistical support to the formulation and management of programmes
• Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements;
• Provide technical guidance to Panama, Costa and Panama Country Offices (COs) and implementing partners on routine delivery and reporting of programme supported activities and finances; Prepare information for the evaluations and audit of programme Review programme data from programmes for the RO website;

• Identify sources and gather and compile data and information for the preparation of documents, guidelines, speeches and position papers.
• 2. Provide administrative support to the financial management of the Programme Unit
• Create projects in Quantum system, prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project;
• Provide administrative support in monitoring budget preparation and the finances of programmes/projects; including the finalization of FACE forms;
• Review financial reports; prepare non-PO vouchers for development projects;
• Process payment for consultants;
• Maintain internal expenditures control system;
• Create requisitions in Quantum system for development projects; register good receipts in Quantum system;
• Assist in the preparation and follow up of cost-recovery bills in Quantum system.
• 3. Provide administrative support to the Programme Unit
• Undertake all logistical, administrative and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions;
• Make travel arrangements for the Programme Team, including travel requisitions and claims;
• Prepare public information materials and briefing packets;
• Assemble briefing materials and prepare power-point and other presentations;
• Provide guidance and training to Programme Administrators in Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras CO as needed.
• 4. Provide administrative support to Resource Mobilization
• Prepare cost-sharing and other agreements; follow up on contributions within the RO resource mobilization efforts;
• Organize, compile and process information from donors, RO, and programme team, as inputs to various databases and documents.
• 5. Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing
• Provide administrative support synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices related to programme management and finance;
• Provide administrative support to the organization of training for the office staff and partners on programme and operations related issues.

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

• Good knowledge of programme management;
• Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions;
• 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;
• Strong IT skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Completion of secondary education required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or Public Administration is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in administration or programme management/support;
• Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages is required;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable;
• Experience in supporting a team is required.
• Experience in humanitarian action programs is required.
• Experience in gender-responsive programming is desired.
• Work experience in the UN System, international organizations, NGOs is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Spanish is required

Other requirements:

The person to be hired must be a Panamanian citizen (natural or legal), or foreigner with permanent legal residence and valid work permit to remain and work in Panama for the duration of the contract.

HOW TO APPLY:

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. 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 short-listed qualified candidates will be contacted.

If you are experiencing difficulties with online job applications, please contact [email protected].

Note:

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.)