Are you a passionate and experienced professional committed to gender equality and humanitarian action? Indeed, UN Women actively seeks a dedicated Program Coordinator Afghanistan to play a pivotal role in strengthening humanitarian efforts in the country, thereby ensuring gender-responsive approaches drive the response.
About UN Women
Established in 2010, UN Women serves as the UN entity dedicated to gender equality and empowering women. Consequently, we work globally to make the vision of equality a reality for women and girls everywhere. Specifically, we focus on eliminating discrimination, empowering women, and achieving equality as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security.
The Critical Context in Afghanistan
Afghanistan currently faces one of the world’s most complex and severe humanitarian crises. Decades of conflict, increasing poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, mean 24.4 million Afghans – over half of the estimated 42 million population – need humanitarian assistance in 2022. Moreover, a staggering 55% of the population faces crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.
Afghan women and girls disproportionately bear the brunt of this crisis. The Taliban takeover has continuously threatened their fundamental rights; indeed, the limited gains of the past two decades now risk erasure. Consequently, the ongoing contest around gender norms remains central to Afghanistan’s political, peace, and security landscape, clearly placing women and girls on the frontlines of this emergency. As such, the work of a Program Coordinator Afghanistan becomes even more crucial.
UN Women has actively worked in Afghanistan since 2002, continually adapting its programming to address this evolving crisis. As a result, we consolidate our work under the humanitarian-peace-development nexus, consistently delivering on our triple mandate across four key thematic areas:
- Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action
- Ending Violence Against Women
- Women’s Economic Empowerment
- Women’s Leadership and Participation
We leverage our five Sub-Offices in Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar, and Nangarhar. Furthermore, we actively participate in various inter-agency Joint UN initiatives, including, for instance, the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA).
Your Role: Program Coordination in Afghanistan
As a Program Coordinator Afghanistan, you will critically ensure effective coordination across UN Women’s diverse humanitarian initiatives in Afghanistan. Reporting directly to the GIHA Programme Manager, you will provide strategic oversight, facilitate inter-agency collaboration, and ensure timely progress in project implementation. This is a home-based consultancy; however, an initial four-week mission to Kabul is essential for in-person coordination, onboarding, and administrative setup. Therefore, you will work during Afghanistan working hours (Sunday – Thursday, 9:00 – 17:00 Kabul time).
Key Responsibilities for this Afghanistan Program Role
- Coordination and Partnership Management:
- First, you will facilitate inter-agency coordination efforts with partners like IOM, STFA Twinning Project, Durable Solutions, UNOPS, AWAAZ, AHF, and others as required.
- Next, you will strengthen collaboration with UN agencies, humanitarian clusters, NGOs, and donors to promote gender-responsive humanitarian action throughout Afghanistan.
- Finally, you will represent UN Women in humanitarian coordination forums and inter-agency meetings as needed.
- Strategic Planning and Project Implementation Support:
- You will ensure humanitarian projects align with UN Women’s Humanitarian Response Strategy 2022-2025 and Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
- Furthermore, you will monitor project timelines, thereby ensuring efficient implementation and timely delivery of results.
- Ultimately, you will facilitate learning and adaptive management practices by supporting ongoing reviews and debriefings. Your insights as a Program Coordinator Afghanistan will be invaluable.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting:
- You will support partners in applying Results-Based Management (RBM) approaches; consequently, project outcomes will align with objectives.
- You will provide technical support for logframe development, indicator tracking, and data collection methodologies.
- Crucially, you will ensure all projects adhere to accountability mechanisms, including reporting requirements and donor compliance standards.
- Additionally, you will lead relevant donor reporting, and develop periodic progress reports, situation analyses, and policy briefs on gender dimensions of humanitarian action across Afghanistan.
- Beyond this, you will support the development of knowledge products and advocacy materials.
- Capacity Building and Technical Support for Programs in Afghanistan:
- You will provide technical assistance to partners on gender in humanitarian action.
- Moreover, you will organize and facilitate training sessions on gender-sensitive humanitarian response, coordination, and accountability.
- You will also support other tasks as required for quality implementation of UN Women’s humanitarian programming, thus ensuring alignment with the GIHA team’s vision, UN Women’s Humanitarian Strategy, and Strategic Note. This is a core function for a Program Coordinator Afghanistan.
Competencies We’re Looking For
Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues, Accountability, Creative Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Inclusive Collaboration, Stakeholder Engagement, Leading by Example. (Learn more about UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework here).
Functional Competencies: Coordination and Facilitation, Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving, Negotiation and Advocacy, Adaptability and Resilience.
Qualifications for this Program Coordinator Role
Education and Certification:
- You must possess a Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, or a related field.
- Alternatively, a first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may suffice.
- Significantly, a project/programme management certification offers an added advantage.
Experience:
- You should have at least 2 years of progressively responsible work experience in development program/project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, donor reporting, and capacity building. This experience is vital for a Program Coordinator Afghanistan.
- Experience working in humanitarian settings and understanding humanitarian coordination mechanisms is certainly an asset.
- Moreover, experience working with UN agencies, humanitarian clusters, NGOs, and donor agencies is also an asset.
- Proven ability to work in complex humanitarian contexts, with a thorough understanding of Afghanistan’s humanitarian landscape, is an asset.
Languages:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Knowledge of Dari/Pashto is an asset.
Diversity and Inclusion
At UN Women, we actively commit to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Ultimately, employment decisions are made based on 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 maintains a zero-tolerance policy on conduct 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 adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct UN Women personnel expect. Therefore, we will conduct rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may provide additional information to facilitate a background check.)
Important Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are thoroughly completed. Failure to complete all sections may disqualify the application from the recruitment and selection process.
