Project Officer, Ring Road. Location Bamenda, CAMEROON

In Cameroon, UN Women is implementing its New Strategic Note for the period 2022-2026, which focuses on four impact areas (Governance and Participation in Public Life; Economic Empowerment and Resilience; Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; Peace and Security, Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction). This Strategic Note is operationalized through Biennial work plans.

Specific to Women Economic Empowerment, UN Women Cameroon CO has been funded by the Government of Cameroon to implement a project ‘Ring Road and Gender” that seeks to Improve the productivity and reduce time and labor burdens of women, promote opportunities for women farmers to participate in, and move up the green value chain, develop context specific, affordable and scalable learning, entrepreneurship and employment pathways for empowering women living along the ring road. The project is located in six departments of the Northwest Region and includes several connections to the Nigerian border, notably from Misaje. It is structured around the four components, namely (i) road works; (ii) related facilities and support for women and youth; (iii) institutional support; and (iv) programme management and coordination

Reporting to the Program Coordinator WEE, the Project Officer Ring Road is responsible for the implementation of the project, working together with the Government (MINPROFF, MINTP and others partners), project steering committee and with the Programme and operations units.

• Provide substantive inputs into project proposals, briefs, and other documents related to the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme;
• Prepare substantive inputs to the Unit planning;
• Develop and present a coherent national perspective on the WEE to help define country strategic plans of action for implementation;

2. Monitor the implementation and management of the Ring Road project

• Oversee the day to day implementation of UN Women’s Ring Road project in the field;
• Lead the technical implementation and conceptualization of the project in the field; ensure synergies with other CO teams;
• Monitor procurement activities in the field in collaboration with the Procurement Associate and WEE Expert
• Monitor Project Steering Committee, project review and/or evaluation meetings.

3. Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project partners

• Lead or oversee the development and implementation of technical guidance to project
• Provide technical advice and guidance to Project staff on building and managing partnerships;
• Provide substantive inputs to capacity building opportunities and initiatives in each country;
• Serve as lead expert on the field to partners on Women Economic Empowerment

4. Oversee the monitoring and reporting of the Ring Road Project

• Ensure that all programming under the Ring Road Project is monitored, reviewed and evaluated;
• Oversee the proper application of a monitoring system to track progress on results and indicators;
• Monitor project through field visits, surveys and/or exchange of information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution;
• Prepare regular/mandated project reports for management, donors and partners.

5. Manage the people and financial resources of the Ring Road Project

• Provide operational guidance to national partners and responsible parties to support project management, implementation and delivery of results;
• Ensure proper identification of and follow up with relevant stakeholders, institutions, civil society organizations and groups, consultants and other partners who will be involved in the implementation of activities under the relevant result areas; provide technical support and guidance to implementing partners and key stakeholders on specific issues related to the project scope;
• Review and coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports;
• Monitor the Project budget;
• Manage staff and consultants and provide guidance to Project staff;

6. Establish partnerships and support in developing resource mobilization strategies

• Identify, develop and implement resource mobilization opportunities in support of the national Programme;
• Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women, country needs and donors’ priorities;
• Ensure close cooperation with other UN Women teams; develop alliances and working partnerships.

7. Lead advocacy, knowledge building and communication efforts

• Represent in the field, UN Women in meetings and policy dialogues on issues related to the Women Economic Empowerment Programme;
• Manage and coordinate across the region advocacy strategies and their implementation;
• Lead the development of knowledge management strategies and methodologies and products on the Project;
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide Programme improvement and strategy planning; disseminate locally, regionally or globally.
• Contribute to the development of communications tools to facilitate de visibility of the project as well as the donors

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality Project strategies and activities
• Partners and other stakeholder provide positive feedback on advisory services
• Quality reports and timely submission
• Quality monitoring and reporting
• Increased awareness of UN Women’s work
• Quality knowledge products
• Resources mobilized
• UN Women is seen as a leader in Women Economic Empowerment Programme
• Increased cooperation and communication
• Timely and quality advice and support to Country Office

• 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

• Excellent Programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Excellent knowledge of results-based management principles and approaches
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on the for-development results
• Outstanding knowledge in Women Economic Empowerment
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation
• Excellent networking skills
• Ability to negotiate and interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, or a related field is required
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/Programme management certification would be an added advantage

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Technical experience in Women Economic Empowerment;
• Knowledge of Gender/Women issues
• Knowledge of project intervention area
• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
• Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
• Experience in leading/managing a team.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and French is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset;
• Being able to speak the local language would be an asset

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.

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.